30 October 2022 – 31st Sunday (C)
30 October 2022 – 31st Sunday (C)
(1) Wisdom 11:22-12:2
Wisdom makes us humble in God’s presence
In your sight, Lord, the whole world is like a grain of dust that tips the scales, like a drop of morning dew falling on the ground. Yet you are merciful to all, because you can do all things and overlook men’s sins so that they can repent. Yes, you love all that exists, you hold nothing of what made in abhorrence, for had you hated anything, you would not have formed it. And how, had you not willed it, could a thing persist, how be conserved if not called forth by you? You spare all things because all things are yours, Lord, lover of life, you whose imperishable sprit is in all. Little by little, therefore, you correct those who offend, you admonish and remind them of how they have sinned so that they may abstain from evil and trust in you Lord.
Responsorial: Psalm 144:1-2, 8-11, 13-14
R./: I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God
I will give you glory, O God my King,
I will bless your name for ever.
I will bless you day after day
and praise your name for ever. (R./)
The Lord is kind and full of compassion,
slow to anger, abounding in love.
How good is the Lord to all,
compassionate to all his creatures (R./)
All your creatures shall thank you, O Lord,
and your friends shall repeat their blessing.
They shall speak of the glory of your reign
and declare your might, O God. (R./)
The Lord is faithful in all his words
and loving in all hid deeds.
The Lord supports all who fall
and raises all who are bowed down. (R./)
(2) 2 Thessalonians 1:11–2:2
Warning against being too alarmed about the Day of the Lord
We always pray for you, asking that our God will make you worthy of his call and will fulfil by his power every good resolve and work of faith, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
As to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we beg you, brothers and sisters, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as though from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord is already here.
Gospel: Luke 19:1-10
Jesus dines with Zacchaeus, searching for what was lost
Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through it. A man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was rich. He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him, because he was going to pass that way. When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today.” So he hurried down and was happy to welcome him. All who saw it began to grumble and said, “He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner.” Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much.” Then Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.”
Letting him find us
A phrase in today’s Gospel makes clear the mindset of Jesus and throws light on all his activity. His purpose in life was always “to seek out and save what was lost.” If we recognise a certain lostness in ourselves, our way to be saved is to trust in him, and let him find us, just as he found Zacchaeus.
Being found by Jesus meant that Zacchaeus the tax-collector had to let go of any arrogance based on his wealth. He humbled himself by climbing the sycamore tree, and then promised to hand over much of his wealth, to pay back those he had defrauded. In return, Jesus set aside his dignity as rabbi and a man of God by going to dine in the house of such a notorious sinner. One may assume that Zacchaeus, as chief tax collector in that city, had enriched himself at the expense of the pilgrims passing through Jericho on their way to religious festivals in Jerusalem.
Jesus looked up into sycamore tree and called Zacchaeus, “Hurry on down!” — for he knew the man was ready for a change of heart. St Luke adds that the conversion of Zacchaeus brought such joy not only to himself but to everyone around him. Truly, “the Son of Man has come to search out and save what was lost.”
Searching for Jesus
Whatever his faults may have been, Zacchaeus took great trouble to look for some contact with Jesus. He wanted to see what kind of man Jesus was. For this, he was prepared, quite literally, to go out on a limb, the leafy branch of a sycamore tree. He went to extravagant lengths to see Jesus, to really encounter him. In the process he found that the one he was searching for was also searching for him. “Come down, for I must stay at your house today,” said Jesus.
From his perch among the branches, Zacchaeus was amazed to be called to share a dinner with Jesus. When he threw open his house to Jesus and spoke of reforming his life, he received a greater gift in return, a welcome back to his community of faith. “Today, salvation has come to his house, because this man too is a son of Abraham.” There was place in God’s house for Zacchaeus, as there is for all of us. He was warmly welcomed in spite of his past. As in the case of Zacchaeus, our searching for God is preceded by God’s search for us. Whenever we seek the presence of Jesus, he is already there, willing to share and dine with us.
Key Message:
Determination impresses Jesus.
Homily:
Today’s Gospel teaches how to make Jesus stop just for us. What was so impressive about Zacchaeus to make Jesus stop for him? Zacchaeus was a tax collector who collected more tax than the specified amount. He was called a sinner and kept apart from the rest of the people. He was not an Apostle of our Lord Jesus nor a just man like Nicodemus. He was not a suffering person for Jesus to have compassion. There were many other tax collectors who were longing to have a change in their life, but still Jesus did not stop for any of them. Jesus was just impressed about something in Zacchaeus that was not there in others. What was it? Our Lord Jesus stopped for the determination of Zachaeus!!
Through this Gospel our Lord Jesus teaches us “Be determined!!” Though there are many others, we will ponder on the Good News that “Jesus likes determined people!!” Zacchaeus was not the only tax collector wanting to be saved. Many tax collectors joined the dinner table with Jesus. Though Jesus was present there, only one person got the grace of salvation. Why? Others were troubled with their sinful state of life, they lamented, they cried but did not have the fire or the drive to get out of the state. They too wished, they dreamed but they were not determined to make things happen for them. Zacchaeus was short, but he did not fret about it. Nor did he use it as an excuse for himself. Nor was he short in his determination. He ran before everyone and climbed up the tree. Are we dwelling on the CANT’s or finding out the CAN’s?
Zacchaeus was despised by everyone because he was taking other people’s money. Being despised by people is a great burden. If no one likes to be our friend, or if our own family is ashamed of us, or if we are looked down upon in our official place or if people are not happy coming to our house, it is a great challenge. But let us not accept that situation in our mind. This is not how our Lord Jesus wants our lives to be. Let us ask our dear Lord Jesus to change it. He loves us so much, He does not want to see us suffer for a long time continuously.
1 Peter 5:10 says “.. after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.” So, the suffering is intended by God only for a little while in order to make us strong. Our Lord Jesus Christ too was not all the time despised. He was favoured on Palm Sunday and by the same men despised on Good Friday. We will have times of both Good Friday and Palm Sunday. Let us not keep hating people who have despised us on Good Friday and not even recognise that we are in our Palm Sundays. People generally hold on to the pain of the past and miss the beauty of the present.
Zacchaeus was feeling guilt all the time. Though he had everything: finance, family, education there was a sense of guilt in him. So he did not like his life. He did not have peace. All the treasures that he had in the house couldn’t give him the peace he longed for. So he thought of changing his life and went out to look for Jesus. He was determined to look at Him. Do we think that Zacchaeus climbed up the tree just to find out how Jesus looked? No, He trusted that our Lord Jesus would make all the crooked things straight in his life and Jesus would change his life.
Why does the life of the other tax collectors walking with Jesus remain the same? Because they had mentally accepted to live with their miseries. If we are not determined, like the other tax collectors, Jesus will not even turn back and see.But if we are determined like Zacchaeus, Jesus will turn up and see. Jesus changed Zacchaeus’s life alone, because only Zacchaeus was determined to get his life changed by Jesus. All others were simply walking with Jesus without any aim.
Are our past sins troubling us and so are we afraid to walk towards a fruitful future? Did we hear anywhere in the Gospel, Jesus recollecting the sins of anyone? He recollected tears of repentance and oil anointment for his feet… He did not even speak a word to Zacchaeus about his sins. Jesus only blessed Zacchaeus and his house. That is how much Jesus loves us.
Since Zacchaeus was determined to live the way Jesus wanted him to live, he did his confession for his sins in front of everyone and also said how he is going to set it right by paying them four times. He did not frame his own plan for his life. Let us begin to have the determination to live the way our Lord Jesus wants us to live. Jesus would have already revealed to us what he wants us to do. We may have forgotten, but our Lord Jesus would have certainly revealed to us. When one Zacchaeus was able to get how Jesus wanted him to live, even without Jesus telling him anything explicitly, all Zacchaeus’s (we) will also be able to get it.
Though our Lord Jesus blessed the house of Zacchaeus, “Today, salvation has come to this house”, in the presence of the other tax collectors, none of them said, “Lord please bless mine too”. They were amazed at how Zacchaeus was blessed and probably thought he was lucky. Was there any luck in the life of Zacchaeus? Jesus just blessed him for his determination.
Does our Lord want us to live a life that we despise? No. Lord Jesus wants us to live a happy fruitful life with Him. Let us go for it. He will beautifully bless our life.
All the tax collectors of those days were considered as sinners and were not included among the general crowd. No one went to their house. After Jesus came to the house Zacchaeus, the family of Zacchaeus was not alone. They were accepted by other people. Their family became a festival place. This is how Jesus wanted all the tax collectors’ houses to be. But all the other tax collectors’ houses were lonely. Only Zacchaeus’s house was celebrating. When we have Jesus within us, we will be celebrating our life!!
Let us be determined to live with Jesus. Let us not quit, nor sit in the ashes, but be determined to finish our race with Jesus!!