Wis 11:22--12:2; 2 Thes 1:11--2:2. Lk 19:1-10
My Fair Lady is a movie based on George Bernard Shaw's wonderful play, Pygmalion. It is about a brilliant professor, Henry Higgins, who transforms a humble flower girl, Eliza Doolittle, into an elegant English lady. In the midst of her brilliant transformation, Eliza falls in love with Henry Higgins, but he treats her only with disdain. Towards the end of the play, she expresses her complaint to their mutual friend, Colonel Pickering: "You see," she says, "Really and truly, apart from the things anyone can pick up (the dressing and the proper way of speaking, and so on), the difference between a lady and a flower girl is not in how she behaves, but how she is treated. I shall always be a flower girl to Professor Higgins, because he always treats me as a flower girl, and always will; but I know I can be a lady to you, because you always treat me as a lady, and always will." It is both interesting and encouraging to notice how Jesus treated people, whether it be the woman of the streets or the tax collector in the tree. He saw something no one else could see. That is the first thing we need to see. Jesus was more eager to see Zacchaeus than Zacchaeus was to see him.
Introduction: The common theme of today’s readings is the benevolent and forgiving mercy of God for sinners and the response of repentance and conversion expected from us. The first reading reminds us that God's Almighty Power includes His strength to be merciful. That is why God, Who created the universe mercifully, waits for sinners to repent. He “rebukes the offenders little by little,” “warns them of their sins” and reminds them to “abandon their wickedness.” God continues to love us even when we do not love Him in return. The reading focuses on the love God has for all He has created, the love that overlooks sin to give us time for repentance. In the Responsorial Psalm (Ps 145), the Psalmist also tells us that the Lord is good to all, and that His compassion is over all that He has made. The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness (Ps. 148:8).In the second reading, St. Paul encourages the Thessalonians to persevere in their Christian Faith, giving glory to God without idly waiting for the "second coming" of Christ in their lifetime. He advises them to continue living a good Christian life every day, allowing God to work their lives so that they may be worthy of their vocation as Christians. "We always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his call, and may fulfill every good resolve and work of faith by his power" (2 Thes 1:11). Today’s Gospel presents the beautiful story of the instantaneous conversion of the tax-collector, Zacchaeus. God’s grace led him to a moment of conversion. The account describes how Jesus recognized Zacchaeus for exactly what he was, a lost sinner in need of a Savior, and how God’s grace worked in Zacchaeus to lead him from idle curiosity to repentance, conversion and restitution. The episode emphasizes the fact that such a conversion can only result from a person’s fully receiving the love, acceptance and grace offered to everyone by a merciful Lord.
The first reading: Wisdom: 11:22-12:2. The writer, a learned sage from the ancient university city of Alexandria, is attempting to boost the Faith of his fellow Jews by answering the question, "Why doesn’t God do away with evil men?" The answer is that, unlike men, God is benevolent toward all His creatures. God's Providence for all His creatures shows that, in His strength, He can deal mercifully with all men. What the Book of Wisdom tells us is that we could not even exist if we were not loved by God. Through His gifts of Faith and Love, God graciously calls each and every one of us. Through this Divine mercy, we see the fulfillment of the promise, "For I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more" (Jer. 31:34; Heb. 8:12). The Book of Wisdom consoles us saying, “You overlook people’s sins so that they may repent” (11:23).
The second reading: II Thessalonians 1: 11-22. St. Paul’s second letter to the Church in Thessalonica encourages the Thessalonians to persevere in their Christian Faith, giving glory to God without idly waiting for the "second coming" of Christ in their lifetime. This letter was intended to correct certain misunderstandings which had arisen in the community. Someone had brought either a message or a letter (alleged to be from Paul), to the believers at Thessalonica. The letter asserted that the Day of the Lord, i.e., the second coming of Jesus, had already occurred. Some people in the community had reacted with terror, while others had quit work, and were making nuisances of themselves as they awaited the full effect of the Lord's coming (The Collegeville Bible Commentary). The letter exhorts the Thessalonians, and us, to glorify the Name of Jesus and to conduct ourselves in such a way as to become worthy of God's call by “relying on the power of God, Who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works but according to His own purpose and grace.”
Exegesis: The context: A rich ruler came to Jesus asking how he might be saved (Luke 18). But he went away sad after learning that he would have to sacrifice his riches. When the Apostles wondered if any man with possessions could be saved, Jesus assured them, “What is impossible for mortals is possible for God" (18:18-27). This account leads naturally to our Gospel lesson, the story of Zacchaeus, a rich man who found salvation when he surrendered himself to the grace of God. The rich ruler was too attached to his possessions to give them to the poor. The repentant Zacchaeus, on the other hand, voluntarily pledged to give half his possessions to the poor and to make fourfold restitution to any one he might have cheated. The story of Zacchaeus reinforces the lessons of the fifteenth chapter of Luke in which a lost sheep and a lost coin are found, and a lost son is embraced. It also demonstrates the fact that nobody is beyond the possibility of conversion.
The tax and tax-collectors: Jericho was a very wealthy, commercial town in the Jordan valley, famous for its date palms and balsam groves. There were two major highways in Israel at that time, and one of them went through Jericho. Hence, Jericho was one of the great tax centers of Palestine and its tax-collectors were rich and notorious. Zacchaeus, as chief tax-collector in Jericho, was probably a man of much wealth and few friends. From the time of Julius Caesar, the options for collecting Rome’s taxes were auctioned off to the highest bidder in each municipality. In order to win the bid, the prospective tax collector would have had to pay to Rome, in advance, all the taxes due in his locale. Then, he would hire agents who would help in collecting the taxes so that he could recoup his initial investment, pay his agents and make a generous profit as well. Because the tax collectors extorted sizable amounts of interest in addition to the taxes fixed by Rome, they were despised by their own townspeople. Since Zacchaeus had reached the top of his profession, he was the most hated man in the district, considered by the other Jews as a traitor, a thief and an outcast.
The official up the tree: It was Passover time, which meant that tens of thousands of Jewish pilgrims were coming down from Galilee, by-passing Samaria and coming to the toll booth at Jericho to pay their taxes. Bible scholars tell us that two or three million people showed up for the Passover. Jesus also made this trip, coming from Galilee in the north, to Jerusalem in the south, by way of Jericho. Since Jesus had become very famous by that time, people passing through the customs-house at Jericho wanted to see him. Naturally, Zacchaeus was curious to see the new rabbi from Nazareth who, people said, welcomed tax-collectors and sinners as his friends. Zacchaeus might even have heard that a former tax-gatherer, Levi, was one of Jesus’ disciples. Therefore, despite any ridicule he might receive from the crowd, he resolved to get a look at Jesus. To escape the crowd and get a clear vision of Jesus, he climbed a sycamore tree--a tree with a short trunk and wide branches--and sat hidden in its leafy branches. Jesus noticed him, however, and asked him to come down from the tree and take him to his house. They went off together, the sinner and the Son of God. Just as Zacchaeus had exposed himself to ridicule by climbing a tree, so Jesus exposed himself to criticism by visiting Zacchaeus' house. A mere glance and a few words of acceptance from Jesus changed this man from the sinner the community thought him to be into a man to whom Jesus had brought salvation. The presence of Jesus had given to Zacchaeus the twin gifts of Grace and Justification. Zacchaeus' heart was changed and he repented of his sins.
The secret of instant conversion: What was the cause of Zacchaeus' instantaneous conversion? By entering Zacchaeus’ house, Jesus gave back to its owner the dignity that he had lost and restored his sense of self-worth. Jesus gave him a new life. By making no demands on Zacchaeus, Jesus gave him a feeling of acceptance and a new direction for his life. During the banquet, Zacchaeus made the solemn announcement of his repentance and committed himself to doing justice by the sharing of his wealth (giving half his possessions to the poor), and the making of reparations (fourfold to the defrauded). This exceeded what the Torah asked (Ex 22:1-4, 21:2). Zacchaeus did not make this offer to win Jesus' approval, but to show his gratitude. Hence, confirming the integrity of Zacchaeus’ conversion and affirming the quality of his faith, Jesus announced that salvation had not come to Zacchaeus alone, but rather to his entire household. Zacchaeus’ household would now share in his blessings as they had previously shared in his unjust practices (Acts 10:2, 11:14, 16:15, 16:31, 18:8).
Son of Abraham once again: The story of the conversion of Zacchaeus ends with Jesus’ declaration, “the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost.” This man, who had previously been an outcast, was addressed by Jesus as a "son of Abraham." Zacchaeus was not saved in isolation. His salvation would affect the entire community, since he would provide support for the poor and restitution to those he had defrauded. A community would be transformed by the presence of a tax-collector whom people could trust. Zacchaeus reminds us that Jesus continues to call the strangest people from the strangest places.
Life messages: 1) We need to accept the Divine invitation for repentance. To refuse to admit that we are sinners is a fundamental impediment to the working of the mercy and grace of God in our hearts. A second and more common impediment is to refuse to listen to the call to repentance, which God so frequently sends out to us. We are all sinners to a greater or lesser degree. Jesus is inviting each one of us to total conversion today by means of this Gospel lesson. Jesus is our loving Brother who died that we might live. He is the Son of God, a God of Infinite Love. Hence, let us expose and confess to Him all our weaknesses and injustices. Let us remember that Jesus loves us in spite of our ugly thoughts, broken promises, sullied ideals, lack of prayer and Faith, resentments and lusts. He will put us back on the straight road to Heaven. We will become again true "sons and daughters of Abraham."
2) We need to love others as Jesus loves us, in spite of our sins. Jesus loved Zacchaeus--the greatest of sinners--and by that love Zacchaeus was transformed. How many parents and teachers can accept children lovingly, without first setting up standards of behavior as conditions for being loved? Sometimes we have the temptation to withhold love from people we consider sinners. For example, a husband and wife may have qualities that grate on each other, prompting one spouse to withhold love from the other. There may be a temptation to withhold one’s love from a rebellious teenager. Perhaps our children make choices that disappoint us, and we become so frustrated by the consequences of their poor choices that we withhold our love from them. Our boss may be unlovable and autocratic, or our neighbor may become an object of hatred because of his incessantly barking dog. But just as Jesus loved Zacchaeus, even though he was the worst of sinners, so we must love others in spite of their sin. Jesus expects this of us.
3) We are called to generosity: Zacchaeus was changed from being greedy to being generous, from selfishness to selflessness. There was a change deep within his heart. Jesus wants us to move from our small and feeble Faith to a greater and more powerful Faith, just as Zacchaeus did. God wants us to be financially and spiritually generous. When we feel the warmth of God’s presence within us, that warmth will, in itself, melt our coldness and selfishness and lead us to repentance and generosity.
4) How would we respond to Jesus’ demand, "I must stay at your house today?" How would we react to such an invitation? Would we be ready to welcome Jesus into our home? Indeed, Jesus has visited the homes of each and every one of us! Through the Sacrament of Confirmation, we have received the indwelling Spirit of Christ within us. Through the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, we receive the Divine Presence of the Lord. Further, if we love one another, God lives in us, and His love is perfected in us (1 Jn. 4:13). Hence, let us be thankful to the Lord for coming to us. For those of us who have not yet received the Lord into our homes and lives, it is never too late to repent and welcome Him. Our Lord is a God of Love, Grace and Mercy. He does not wish to see anyone lost. If we allow Jesus to enter our lives, our lives will change. Grace is the driving power behind this transformation. As we continue with the celebration of the Holy Mass, let us pray for all of us who do not yet have the indwelling of the Lord God in our homes and lives. Let us ask the Lord to reach out to us all as he reached out to Zacchaeus. The result will be repentance, transformation, sanctification, salvation.
In the movie The Mission, one of the leading characters is converted from being a slave-trader of the Brazilian Indians to being a Jesuit priest. But he insists on doing penance, dragging a heavy bundle through the jungle back to the Indians he used to enslave. Once back, in a dramatic, cliff-side scene, where the bundle threatened to make him fall, the Indians cut away the bundle. The people he had formerly enslaved forgave him and set him free. –We have to power to do the same for each other. As Martin Luther pointed out centuries ago, we are a priesthood of believers who are to be priests for one another, forgiving one another as God for Christ’s sake has forgiven us. We have the power to forgive as God’s sons and daughters. (John R. in Hear His Voice; quoted by Fr. Botelho).
(Source: Homilies of Fr. Tony Kadavil)
