31st
Ordinary Sunday (Year C)
First
Reading: Wisdom 11:22-12:2 Second
Reading: 2 Thessalonians 1:11-2:2
Gospel Reading: Luke
19:1-10
GOD IS GRACIOUS AND
MERCIFUL; HE IS GOOD TO ALL, AND COMPASSIONATE TO EVERYTHING HE HAS
MADE.
There
is a story told about a local fitness center, which was offering
$1000 to anyone who could demonstrate that they were stronger than
the owner of the place. Here's how it worked. The muscle man would
squeeze a lemon until all the juice ran into a glass and then hand
the lemon to the next challenger. Anyone who could squeeze just one
more drop of juice out would win the money. Many people tried over
time – weightlifters, construction workers, even professional
wrestlers, but nobody could do it.
One
day a short skinny guy came in and signed up for the contest. He
clenched his fist around the lemon and six drops fell into the glass.
As the crowd cheered, the manager paid out the winning prize and
asked the short skinny guy, what did he do for living. “Are you
a lumberjack, a weightlifter, or what?” He asked. The man
smilingly replied, “I work for the IRS.”
Today's Gospel Reading
from St. Luke also focuses on a high ranking IRS man – Zacchaeus,
the chief tax-collector of Jericho – his encounter with Jesus and
his conversion.
Today
is the 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time. This Sunday's
Scripture Readings speak about God’s love and mercy for everyone.
The
First Reading from the Book of Wisdom describes how God´s love for
what He has created becomes a redemptive love through His mercy. God
loves His creation and because of this love He pardons and is patient
with people who have gone astray, so that they might repent. The
Gospel Reading of today tells us that the Son of Man came to seek out
and save the lost. Here we have the beautiful story of Zacchaeus, the
chief tax-collector of Jericho - a real-life example of the lost
sheep being brought back to the fold. The Second Reading from St.
Paul's 2nd
Letter to the Thessalonians tells the community to place its trust in
the Lord and rely on His love and mercy. St. Paul wants them to
endure their circumstances patiently and to stop worrying about
tomorrow, especially those rumors about the end-time.
UNIVERSAL
LOVE AND INFINITE MERCY OF GOD:
Today’s
First Reading from the Book of Wisdom speaks of the infinite mercy of
God for all the things that He has created. It begins by saying that
we are very insignificant in the whole universe – we are like a
grain or a drop of dew – but despite our insignificance in relation
to everything, we are totally loved by God. He made all things and
loves all things made. Far from making us and the rest of our world
feel small and insignificant, we are reminded of our own dignity and
of the great value of everything God has made. For what God hated, He
would not have fashioned! He
is the lover of life Who conserves His own creation in a spirit of
mercy. If
God didn’t think about us, we wouldn’t exist, so we know He is
thinking about us, and even if we sin against Him, forget Him, He
never forgets us or stops forgiving us. He is a lover of souls; a God
who cares for us, a God of unconditional love, unconditional
forgiveness and unconditional acceptance. This God, the author says,
can be found everywhere: in the beauty of nature, in the changes of
the seasons and in people. This passage from the Book of Wisdom is a
magnificent prayer to absolutely transcendent God, in serving whom
true wisdom is found.
THE
STORY OF ZACCHAEUS, THE CHIEF TAX-COLLECTOR:
In
the Gospel Reading of today we have another example of Jesus’
interests in the conversion of sinners. The story opens with
Jesus entering Jericho and passing through the town. Jericho is a
city lying just to the north-east of Jerusalem. Luke’s gospel
describes Jesus’ public life as beginning in Nazareth in the north,
where he grew up and where he made his ‘mission
statement’ before setting out on his life of teaching
and healing. His mission brought him in a relatively straight line in
a southerly direction to Jerusalem. Jerusalem is the focal point and
the goal of his life’s work. There he will be arrested, tried,
suffer and die and then rise in glory. So,
Jericho is the last stage on this journey to Jerusalem and, in fact,
before the end of this Chapter 19 he will make his triumphant and
final entry into the city on what we call the Palm Sunday.
a)
“Zacchaeus - The chief tax-collector”:
Next
we are told that there was a man in the city called Zacchaeus. St.
Luke says that he was 'a
chief tax-collector' and - he adds
rather superfluously - 'a wealthy
man.' Describing
Zacchaeus as a chief tax-collector said just one thing to everyone:
he was a detestable creep. As a tax-collector, he worked for Rome and
was considered a traitor and a public sinner by the Jewish people,
and they hated him. He cheated not only on his
return, but everyone else's. He had figured out a way to skim some
money off the top and squeeze the last drop from peoples' wallets.
Moreover,
being a boss himself, no doubt Zacchaeus also took a little off the
top from each of his tax-collectors and thus the source of
his wealth.
Now, often in the Gospel
stories the names can be a clue to understanding
and the same is the case here. The name 'Zacchaeus'
actually means ‘righteous
one'
(pure); but he led a 'sinful'
(impure) life. Clearly, Zacchaeus in the Gospel never lived like
'Zacchaeus.'
That is to say that he did not live according to
his name.
Moreover, we are also
told that Zacchaeus was a wee little man - 'a
man of short stature.' Being a tax-collector he was a
public sinner which made him of low moral standard, i.e. he was small
from spiritual point of view as well. He had to grow both physically
and spiritually; he had to be transformed from a 'sinful'
person to a 'righteous one.'
b)
“He was seeking to see Jesus.”
Further
we are told that Zacchaeus
was seeking to see
Jesus.
We are not at first given the reason. Was it just curiosity towards a
person about whom he had heard so many stories? Or was there a deeper
reason? Jesus
is on the campaign trail passing through Jericho, the crowds
engulfing him. Zacchaeus comes along desperate to see Jesus but he is
shut out by the crowd; being 'small
of stature'
he even finds it impossible to see over their heads. Zacchaeus,
rather than give up, runs ahead to find a way of seeing Jesus and so
ends up perched on a sycamore tree, without caring what others would
say. Notice the determination of Zacchaeus. His view of Jesus was
obstructed, but that didn’t stop him from seeing Jesus. He had an
obstacle (the crowd) and a handicap (his short stature), but he
refused to allow any of these to prevent him from reaching his goal
of getting a clear view of Jesus.
c)
“Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your
house.”
In
was under these improbable circumstances that the encounter between
Jesus and Zacchaeus took place. Imagine Zacchaeus’ surprise when
suddenly Jesus looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus,
come down quickly, for I must stay at your house today.”
The poor man must almost had fallen from the tree with shock. Did he
hear Jesus correctly? And what wonderful words those were! All he had
wanted was to see this man Jesus; what he got is a gift far greater
than his wildest dreams. Like all true seekers Zacchaeus got more
than he bargained for. So the surprised and thrilled Zacchaeus
hurried down and was happy to welcome Jesus into his house. What
began as curiosity flowered into a joyful homecoming, as Zacchaeus
found himself to have been already seen, known and understood.
Instead of being a spectator on the fringes Zacchaeus now finds
himself at the center of events with Jesus. It
is a good example of someone who comes looking for something only to
discover something altogether more wonderful.
The reaction
of the crowd, however, is something else. They are deeply shocked and
scandalized. "He
has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner."
Of all the people in Jericho, Jesus picks the house of possibly the
most obnoxious and detested person in the town.
d)
“Today salvation has come to this house...”
Zacchaeus
was very happy about this turn of events. Upon welcoming Jesus to his
house, he said in his joy, “Lord,
I shall give to the poor half of my possessions, and if I have
extorted anything from anyone I shall repay it four times over.”
This implies that Zacchaeus, because of his encounter with Jesus, had
undergone a radical conversion. The tax collector voluntarily gave
away his wealth. He taxed himself. The short man became tall in God’s
eyes.
Now, the extraordinary
thing is that Zacchaeus repented without any word of rebuke from
Jesus. All Jesus asked was that Zacchaeus come down from the tree so
that he could get things ready for him to stay. It was not that
Zacchaeus was looking at Jesus: rather it was that Jesus was looking
at Zacchaeus and that gaze, the gaze of God's love,
transformed Zacchaeus, because Jesus recognized him and appealed to
what was best in him.
But the climax of the
whole story appears to be the announcement by Jesus: “Today
salvation has come to this house …” Firstly,
this
could mean simply that Jesus himself is the salvation that has come
into Zacchaeus’ house through his own invitation. Secondly,
however, is that the divine
mercy has been clearly manifested. This meant that Zacchaeus’ sins
had been forgiven, for, even though they had not been specified, the
supposition throughout is that he was a sinner. Moreover, Jesus did
not say that salvation
had come to him alone, but rather to his entire household. It is
because the household shared in Zacchaeus’ blessing as they had
previously suffered in his unjust practices.
e)
“Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost.”
Jesus
finally concludes by saying, "For
the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost"
- the lost include those regarded as sinners and those who are
marginalized by so-called respectable society. Zacchaeus is one such
example where God welcomes back a sinner. He desired to see who Jesus
was – but actually, it was Jesus who looked for him. Jesus knocked
the door of Zacchaeus and he opened the door for him. Jesus
transformed his life. It also
means that Jesus loves those who we see as bad sinners, and is the
one who can judge their motives and their inner hearts. This
acceptance by Jesus often brought people to repentance and salvation
and forgiveness.
RELYING
TOTALLY ON LOVE AND MERCY OF GOD:
In
the Second Reading of today, St. Paul writes to encourage the
Christians in Thessalonica. The Thessalonians are assured that they
haven't missed anything. All their good works and faith have not been
worthless. Jesus will be glorified in them! It is by walking in
sound doctrines, by permitting the Spirit of Christ to guide and
teach us in all truth, that the Name of the Lord Jesus is glorified
in every individual. Having encouraged the Thessalonians to persevere
in their faith, and thus give glory to God relying
totally in His love and mercy,
St. Paul then tells them to stop worrying about tomorrow, especially
those rumors about the end-time, viz. 'the
Day of the Lord,'
when God would bring final punishment to the wicked and reward to the
good. Paul himself had used this notion in winning converts. But
there were some in Thessalonica who took the idea too literally. They
thought that the end of the world was imminent. Some even quit their
jobs to wait. This gained Paul's followers a reputation for laziness.
Fanatics even claimed to have received angelic messages, warning of
the approaching 'the
Day of the Lord.'
Paul tells them not to be deceived by false teachers lest they become
disturbed in spirit. The Apostle thus writes to discourage false
anxieties.
CONCLUSION:
To
conclude, all the there Scripture Readings of today emphasize the
fact that - God is gracious and merciful;
He is good to all, and compassionate to everything He has made.
In the Gospel Reading we are given the example of Zacchaeus as a
proof of this. Zacchaeus is a model for us. We have one thing in
common with Zacchaeus: like him, we are all sinners and therefore are
in need of salvation. Salvation means the total rehabilitation of
formerly sinful man. We all also have a short stature
like Zaccheus, trying to see Jesus from a distance, and therefore we
need to grow tall spiritually. So
like Zacchaeus let us begin “seeking
to see who Jesus was.”
And like Zacchaeus, we will also be given the opportunity for
repentance in an atmosphere of acceptance. For after all, Jesus'
mission is
“to save what was lost.”
Now,
the Zacchaeus story is a delight to read. This story is a paradigm of
the process of discipleship: seeking, meeting, undergoing conversion,
and following. Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus. He knew there was
something lacking in his life despite his wealth. He met Jesus under
strange circumstances, surrounded by a crowd and he sitting up on a
tree. He saw the need to change his life and to do restitution for
any injustice he had done and finally he became a disciple
of Jesus.
Again, God sees us all
the time no matter where
we are, no matter how short or tall, how big or small we are. He
loves us very much. He will hear our prayers from the treetops or in
our bed, from the car or at the dinner table. Wherever we happen to
be, God hears us. He will answer our prayers in wondrous ways because
- God
is gracious and merciful; He is good to all, and compassionate to
everything He has made. And
this is the Good News of today.
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