31 Sunday – 30, October, 2010
Encounter with God should lead to change and transformation
There was one Irish Redemptorist, who on the first night of the parish mission, would dramatically look into the eyes of the congregation and softly say, “Everyone from this parish is going to die.” This would always get the attention of the people. However, one time, when our missionary began this way, a little fellow in back of the Church smiled a bit. The smile irritated our Irish Redemptorist and so he spoke to the crowd again, with a louder voice, “I say everyone in this parish is going to die.” Now, our little man in the back has a smile on his face from ear to ear. Our missionary is growing upset since he has never experienced such a reaction before in all of his days as a mission preacher. So, he shouts in a booming voice, “Everyone from this parish is going to die!” The fellow in back begins to laugh. Our missionary can’t take it anymore and he asks the man, “What are you laughing about?” The fellow smiles and says, “I am not from this parish.” There is an encounter between Irish Redemptorist priest and the poor guy. Priest could not change him and challenge him. Today in the gospel we see another encounter, the encounter between Jesus and Zachaeus. It is one of the most intriguing episodes in the gospel of Luke. There are multiple levels on which we can analyze this encounter. Zachaeus was a tax collector – considered by their contemporaries to have betrayed the nation, for by their tax collection they supported the Roman invaders. Tax collectors were as hated for their ruthless and uncompassionate extortion of wealth from the poor as they were for their ingenuity. Zachaeus was a wealthy man. So, why did he not come up to Jesus and meet him face to face? Did his stature destroy his self-image and his self-confidence? Of all the things a person could do to meet another or get a glimpse of another person, why on earth would Zachaeus climb a tree? To answer these questions we must return to the parable that we heard last week about the Pharisee and the Publican. Between that parable and the story of Zachaeus, there are two other stories that give us a clue to interpreting Zachaeus encounter with Jesus. Immediately after the parable of the Pharisee and the Publican, an official came to Jesus and asked him what he must do to inherit eternal life? When Jesus told him that he must sell all and give to poor and then come and follow Jesus, “he became quite sad for he was very rich” (Lk 18:23). He did not follow Jesus. The next passage is the story of the blind beggar Bartimeus, who was penniless, but at the end of the story, unlike the rich official, he “followed Him” (Luke 18:43). Zachaeus story is a good mix between the two earlier stories. Zachaeus was a rich man who gave half his wealth to the poor, repaid those whose money he had extorted (Luke 19:8), and experienced God’s salvation (Lk 19:9).
In other words, last week parable comes alive in the story of Zachaeus. The rich official came up to Jesus like the Pharisee in the parable. He boasted before Jesus that he had followed all the commandments from his youth (Lk 18:21). The blind beggar Bartimeus, like the tax collector, could only shout out the prayer from a distance, “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!” (Lk 18:38). This prayer is similar to the one that the tax collector has made in the temple, “O God, be merciful to me a sinner” (Lk 18:13). Like the tax-collector in the parable of the Pharisee and the Publican, Zachaeus would not come up to Jesus. He stood at a distance, up on the tree where you would not expect anyone to be. He had only one thing in his favor - he desired to see Jesus.
That brings us to the first reading from the book of Wisdom. In the light of the parable of the Pharisee and the tax-collector, the story of the rich official, the blind man Bartimeus and, Zachaeus, let us read the first reading again and see how much sense it makes. In other words, Jesus is the God described in the book of Wisdom. Jesus is the one who has mercy on all (Wisdom 11:23); Jesus is the one who is the “lover of souls” (Wisdom 11:26); Jesus is the one, who little by little leads people to “abandon their wickedness and believe in God (Wisdom 12:2). When Jesus declares at Zachaeus house, “Today, salvation has come to this house,” (Lk 19:9) it was Jesus himself who had come to Zachaeus.
What are the readings teaching us? I want to take Christ’s words “Today salvation has come to this house,” (Lk 19:9) as the reference point for our practical implications from today’s scripture. Zachaeus salvation involved a three step process:
1. Sincere Desire - The starting point for salvation is sincere desire. We have seen examples of sincere desire the last few weeks in the prayer of the tax collector, in cry the blind man Bartimeus, and in Zachaeus climbing the tree. Such desire never goes unrewarded as the first reading teaches us. When human beings come in sincere desire for God, God meets them with love and mercy. People like Zachaeus unnerve me because they challenge me to go to the very core of my faith. And as we uncover the core of our faith I hope we only find sincere desire for God.
2. Genuine practice of the Faith. If our desire for God is sincere it must show itself in two parallel ways – love of God and right relationship with the neighbor. Zachaeus opened his life to Jesus but the result of Zachaeus allowing the message Of Jesus to dictate his life was the way he went about making it right with his neighbor. The moment Zachaeus made that public confession, “Behold half my possessions Lord, I will give to the poor, and if I have extorted from anyone I will repay it four times over,” Jesus declared, “Today, salvation has come to this house….” Zachaeus unnerves me because he turns my attention from hypocrisy to the true practice of the faith.
3. Total Trust. The most dramatic part of the Zachaeus story is the total vulnerability to which he submits. By his conversion, he risked his partners in crime, his reputation, his social status, his family’s security, his political clout and perhaps even his job for the sake of salvation. Zachaeus let his life into the hands of God – totally. Zachaeus teaches me total trust in God. Zachaeus unnerves us because he personifies what I have only intellectually believed thus far – do what God demands of you and leave the consequences to God.
As we are here to celebrate this Eucharist, let us come with the same attitude of Zachaeus. Let not our sin keep us away from the Lord, for the Lord is a "lover of souls." Rather, as we come with a sincere desire and in total trust, let the Lord himself say to us, "Today salvation has come to this house." Amen
There was one Irish Redemptorist, who on the first night of the parish mission, would dramatically look into the eyes of the congregation and softly say, “Everyone from this parish is going to die.” This would always get the attention of the people. However, one time, when our missionary began this way, a little fellow in back of the Church smiled a bit. The smile irritated our Irish Redemptorist and so he spoke to the crowd again, with a louder voice, “I say everyone in this parish is going to die.” Now, our little man in the back has a smile on his face from ear to ear. Our missionary is growing upset since he has never experienced such a reaction before in all of his days as a mission preacher. So, he shouts in a booming voice, “Everyone from this parish is going to die!” The fellow in back begins to laugh. Our missionary can’t take it anymore and he asks the man, “What are you laughing about?” The fellow smiles and says, “I am not from this parish.” There is an encounter between Irish Redemptorist priest and the poor guy. Priest could not change him and challenge him. Today in the gospel we see another encounter, the encounter between Jesus and Zachaeus. It is one of the most intriguing episodes in the gospel of Luke. There are multiple levels on which we can analyze this encounter. Zachaeus was a tax collector – considered by their contemporaries to have betrayed the nation, for by their tax collection they supported the Roman invaders. Tax collectors were as hated for their ruthless and uncompassionate extortion of wealth from the poor as they were for their ingenuity. Zachaeus was a wealthy man. So, why did he not come up to Jesus and meet him face to face? Did his stature destroy his self-image and his self-confidence? Of all the things a person could do to meet another or get a glimpse of another person, why on earth would Zachaeus climb a tree? To answer these questions we must return to the parable that we heard last week about the Pharisee and the Publican. Between that parable and the story of Zachaeus, there are two other stories that give us a clue to interpreting Zachaeus encounter with Jesus. Immediately after the parable of the Pharisee and the Publican, an official came to Jesus and asked him what he must do to inherit eternal life? When Jesus told him that he must sell all and give to poor and then come and follow Jesus, “he became quite sad for he was very rich” (Lk 18:23). He did not follow Jesus. The next passage is the story of the blind beggar Bartimeus, who was penniless, but at the end of the story, unlike the rich official, he “followed Him” (Luke 18:43). Zachaeus story is a good mix between the two earlier stories. Zachaeus was a rich man who gave half his wealth to the poor, repaid those whose money he had extorted (Luke 19:8), and experienced God’s salvation (Lk 19:9).
In other words, last week parable comes alive in the story of Zachaeus. The rich official came up to Jesus like the Pharisee in the parable. He boasted before Jesus that he had followed all the commandments from his youth (Lk 18:21). The blind beggar Bartimeus, like the tax collector, could only shout out the prayer from a distance, “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!” (Lk 18:38). This prayer is similar to the one that the tax collector has made in the temple, “O God, be merciful to me a sinner” (Lk 18:13). Like the tax-collector in the parable of the Pharisee and the Publican, Zachaeus would not come up to Jesus. He stood at a distance, up on the tree where you would not expect anyone to be. He had only one thing in his favor - he desired to see Jesus.
That brings us to the first reading from the book of Wisdom. In the light of the parable of the Pharisee and the tax-collector, the story of the rich official, the blind man Bartimeus and, Zachaeus, let us read the first reading again and see how much sense it makes. In other words, Jesus is the God described in the book of Wisdom. Jesus is the one who has mercy on all (Wisdom 11:23); Jesus is the one who is the “lover of souls” (Wisdom 11:26); Jesus is the one, who little by little leads people to “abandon their wickedness and believe in God (Wisdom 12:2). When Jesus declares at Zachaeus house, “Today, salvation has come to this house,” (Lk 19:9) it was Jesus himself who had come to Zachaeus.
What are the readings teaching us? I want to take Christ’s words “Today salvation has come to this house,” (Lk 19:9) as the reference point for our practical implications from today’s scripture. Zachaeus salvation involved a three step process:
1. Sincere Desire - The starting point for salvation is sincere desire. We have seen examples of sincere desire the last few weeks in the prayer of the tax collector, in cry the blind man Bartimeus, and in Zachaeus climbing the tree. Such desire never goes unrewarded as the first reading teaches us. When human beings come in sincere desire for God, God meets them with love and mercy. People like Zachaeus unnerve me because they challenge me to go to the very core of my faith. And as we uncover the core of our faith I hope we only find sincere desire for God.
2. Genuine practice of the Faith. If our desire for God is sincere it must show itself in two parallel ways – love of God and right relationship with the neighbor. Zachaeus opened his life to Jesus but the result of Zachaeus allowing the message Of Jesus to dictate his life was the way he went about making it right with his neighbor. The moment Zachaeus made that public confession, “Behold half my possessions Lord, I will give to the poor, and if I have extorted from anyone I will repay it four times over,” Jesus declared, “Today, salvation has come to this house….” Zachaeus unnerves me because he turns my attention from hypocrisy to the true practice of the faith.
3. Total Trust. The most dramatic part of the Zachaeus story is the total vulnerability to which he submits. By his conversion, he risked his partners in crime, his reputation, his social status, his family’s security, his political clout and perhaps even his job for the sake of salvation. Zachaeus let his life into the hands of God – totally. Zachaeus teaches me total trust in God. Zachaeus unnerves us because he personifies what I have only intellectually believed thus far – do what God demands of you and leave the consequences to God.
As we are here to celebrate this Eucharist, let us come with the same attitude of Zachaeus. Let not our sin keep us away from the Lord, for the Lord is a "lover of souls." Rather, as we come with a sincere desire and in total trust, let the Lord himself say to us, "Today salvation has come to this house." Amen
