Tuesday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 498
Lectionary: 498
I, John, heard the Lord saying to me:
"To the angel of the Church in Sardis, write this:
"'The one who has the seven spirits of God
and the seven stars says this: "I know your works,
that you have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead.
Be watchful and strengthen what is left, which is going to die,
for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God.
Remember then how you accepted and heard; keep it, and repent.
If you are not watchful, I will come like a thief,
and you will never know at what hour I will come upon you.
However, you have a few people in Sardis
who have not soiled their garments;
they will walk with me dressed in white,
because they are worthy.
"'The victor will thus be dressed in white,
and I will never erase his name from the book of life
but will acknowledge his name in the presence of my Father
and of his angels.
"'Whoever has ears ought to hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'"
"To the angel of the Church in Laodicea, write this:
"'The Amen, the faithful and true witness,
the source of God's creation, says this:
"I know your works;
I know that you are neither cold nor hot.
I wish you were either cold or hot.
So, because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold,
I will spit you out of my mouth.
For you say, 'I am rich and affluent and have no need of anything,'
and yet do not realize that you are wretched,
pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.
I advise you to buy from me gold refined by fire so that you may be rich,
and white garments to put on
so that your shameful nakedness may not be exposed,
and buy ointment to smear on your eyes so that you may see.
Those whom I love, I reprove and chastise.
Be earnest, therefore, and repent.
"'Behold, I stand at the door and knock.
If anyone hears my voice and opens the door,
then I will enter his house and dine with him,
and he with me.
I will give the victor the right to sit with me on my throne,
as I myself first won the victory
and sit with my Father on his throne.
"'Whoever has ears ought to hear
what the Spirit says to the churches.'"
"To the angel of the Church in Sardis, write this:
"'The one who has the seven spirits of God
and the seven stars says this: "I know your works,
that you have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead.
Be watchful and strengthen what is left, which is going to die,
for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God.
Remember then how you accepted and heard; keep it, and repent.
If you are not watchful, I will come like a thief,
and you will never know at what hour I will come upon you.
However, you have a few people in Sardis
who have not soiled their garments;
they will walk with me dressed in white,
because they are worthy.
"'The victor will thus be dressed in white,
and I will never erase his name from the book of life
but will acknowledge his name in the presence of my Father
and of his angels.
"'Whoever has ears ought to hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'"
"To the angel of the Church in Laodicea, write this:
"'The Amen, the faithful and true witness,
the source of God's creation, says this:
"I know your works;
I know that you are neither cold nor hot.
I wish you were either cold or hot.
So, because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold,
I will spit you out of my mouth.
For you say, 'I am rich and affluent and have no need of anything,'
and yet do not realize that you are wretched,
pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.
I advise you to buy from me gold refined by fire so that you may be rich,
and white garments to put on
so that your shameful nakedness may not be exposed,
and buy ointment to smear on your eyes so that you may see.
Those whom I love, I reprove and chastise.
Be earnest, therefore, and repent.
"'Behold, I stand at the door and knock.
If anyone hears my voice and opens the door,
then I will enter his house and dine with him,
and he with me.
I will give the victor the right to sit with me on my throne,
as I myself first won the victory
and sit with my Father on his throne.
"'Whoever has ears ought to hear
what the Spirit says to the churches.'"
Responsorial Psalm Ps 15:2-3a, 3bc-4ab, 5
R. (Rev. 3: 21) I
will seat the victor beside me on my throne.
He who walks blamelessly and does justice;
who thinks the truth in his heart
and slanders not with his tongue.
R. I will seat the victor beside me on my throne.
Who harms not his fellow man,
nor takes up a reproach against his neighbor;
By whom the reprobate is despised,
while he honors those who fear the LORD.
R. I will seat the victor beside me on my throne.
Who lends not his money at usury
and accepts no bribe against the innocent.
He who does these things
shall never be disturbed.
R. I will seat the victor beside me on my throne.
He who walks blamelessly and does justice;
who thinks the truth in his heart
and slanders not with his tongue.
R. I will seat the victor beside me on my throne.
Who harms not his fellow man,
nor takes up a reproach against his neighbor;
By whom the reprobate is despised,
while he honors those who fear the LORD.
R. I will seat the victor beside me on my throne.
Who lends not his money at usury
and accepts no bribe against the innocent.
He who does these things
shall never be disturbed.
R. I will seat the victor beside me on my throne.
Gospel Lk 19:1-10
At that time Jesus came to Jericho and intended to pass through
the town.
Now a man there named Zacchaeus,
who was a chief tax collector and also a wealthy man,
was seeking to see who Jesus was;
but he could not see him because of the crowd,
for he was short in stature.
So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree in order to see Jesus,
who was about to pass that way.
When he reached the place, Jesus looked up and said,
"Zacchaeus, come down quickly,
for today I must stay at your house."
And he came down quickly and received him with joy.
When they saw this, they began to grumble, saying,
"He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner."
But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord,
"Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor,
and if I have extorted anything from anyone
I shall repay it four times over."
And Jesus said to him,
"Today salvation has come to this house
because this man too is a descendant of Abraham.
For the Son of Man has come to seek
and to save what was lost."
Now a man there named Zacchaeus,
who was a chief tax collector and also a wealthy man,
was seeking to see who Jesus was;
but he could not see him because of the crowd,
for he was short in stature.
So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree in order to see Jesus,
who was about to pass that way.
When he reached the place, Jesus looked up and said,
"Zacchaeus, come down quickly,
for today I must stay at your house."
And he came down quickly and received him with joy.
When they saw this, they began to grumble, saying,
"He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner."
But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord,
"Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor,
and if I have extorted anything from anyone
I shall repay it four times over."
And Jesus said to him,
"Today salvation has come to this house
because this man too is a descendant of Abraham.
For the Son of Man has come to seek
and to save what was lost."
www.usccb.org
Meditation:"Zacchaeus
received Jesus joyfully"
What would you do if Jesus knocked on your door and said,
"I must stay at your home today"? Would you be excited or
embarrassed? Jesus often "dropped-in" at unexpected times and he
often visited the "uninvited" – the poor, the lame, and even public
sinners like Zacchaeus, the tax collector! Tax collectors were despised and
treated as outcasts, no doubt because they over-charged people and accumulated
great wealth at the expense of others. Zacchaeus was a chief tax collector and
was much hated by all the people. Why would Jesus single him out for the honor
of staying at his home? Zacchaeus needed God's merciful love and forgiveness.
In his encounter with Jesus he found more than he imagined possible. He shows
the depth of his repentance by deciding to give half of his goods to the poor
and to use the other half for making restitution for fraud. Zacchaeus'
testimony included more than words. His change of heart resulted in a change of
life, a change that the whole community could experience as genuine.
Saint Augustine of Hippo (354-430 AD) urges us to climb the
sycamore tree like Zacchaeus that we might see Jesus and embrace his cross for
our lives:
Zacchaeus climbed away
from the crowd and saw Jesus without the crowd getting in his way. The crowd
laughs at the lowly, to people walking the way of humility, who leave the
wrongs they suffer in God’s hands and do not insist on getting back at their
enemies. The crowd laughs at the lowly and says, “You helpless, miserable clod,
you cannot even stick up for yourself and get back what is your own.” The crowd
gets in the way and prevents Jesus from being seen. The crowd boasts and crows
when it is able to get back what it owns. It blocks the sight of the one who said
as he hung on the cross, “Father, forgive them, because they do not know what
they are doing. … He ignored the crowd that was getting in his way. He instead
climbed a sycamore tree, a tree of “silly fruit.” As the apostle says, “We
preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block indeed to the Jews, [now notice the
sycamore] but folly to the Gentiles.” Finally, the wise people of this world
laugh at us about the cross of Christ and say, “What sort of minds do you
people have, who worship a crucified God?” What sort of minds do we have? They
are certainly not your kind of mind. “The wisdom of this world is folly with
God.” No, we do not have your kind of mind. You call our minds foolish. Say
what you like, but for our part, let us climb the sycamore tree and see Jesus.
The reason you cannot see Jesus is that you are ashamed to climb the sycamore
tree.
Let Zacchaeus grasp the sycamore tree, and let the humble person
climb the cross. That is little enough, merely to climb it. We must not be
ashamed of the cross of Christ, but we must fix it on our foreheads, where the
seat of shame is. Above where all our blushes show is the place we must firmly
fix that for which we should never blush. As for you, I rather think you make
fun of the sycamore, and yet that is what has enabled me to see Jesus. You make
fun of the sycamore, because you are just a person, but “the foolishness of God
is wiser than men.Sermon 174.3.
The Lord Jesus is always
ready to make his home with each one of us. Do you make room for him in your
heart and in every area of your life?
"Lord Jesus,
come and stay with me. Fill my life with your peace, my home with your
presence, and my heart with your praise. Help me to show kindness, mercy, and
goodness to all, even to those who cause me ill-will or harm."
www.dailyscripture.net
 Jesus Is My Guest |
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Tuesday of the Thirty-Third Week in Ordinary
Time
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Father John Doyle, LC
Luke 19:1-10
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."
Introductory Prayer: Lord Jesus, you are the Alpha and the
Omega. You have given me life and offer me eternal life with you. You deserve
my honor, gratitude and love, and yet you never impose yourself upon me.
Thank you for respecting my freedom so that I can offer myself to you. All
that I have is yours; I return it to you.
Petition: Lord, increase my faith.
1. Zacchaeus up a Tree: Yesterday and today’s
Gospel passages speak eloquently of the need to encounter Christ at all
costs. The blind man we read about yesterday would not stop shouting until he
was brought to the Lord. Today a short and very unpopular man named Zacchaeus
runs back and forth among the crowd until finally, in his determination to
encounter Christ, he breaks all protocol and scrambles up a tree. Jesus
wastes no time in entering decisively this tax collector’s life and
transforming it. This resembles our own encounter with Christ. At times
different obstacles stand in our way and prevent us from seeing Our Lord and
his action in our lives. Above all we lack determination. How easy it is to
craft excuses: “I am just too short,” “Maybe Jesus is too busy,” “I am just a
sinner.” If we really want Our Lord to stay at our house, he will, but there
may be trees that we need to climb first.
2. Welcoming Jesus: Few people ever welcomed Jesus with
the joy and exuberance as did this little man. He came down from the tree,
gave half of his wealth to the poor, and promised to restore any fraudulent
transactions four times over. Zacchaeus has truly been like that merchant in
search of fine pearls (see Matthew 13:45-46). He is willing to sell all he
has to buy the pearl of great price: friendship and intimacy with the Lord.
How many times has Jesus looked up at us and asked us to remain with him? How
many times have we had the immense grace of receiving the King of kings into
our hearts in the Blessed Eucharist? Do we offer merely a corner of our
hearts for him or do we reserve the presidential suite? How pure do we
maintain our souls for our Guest?
3. Of Sinners and Saints: What makes someone a
saint and someone else a sinner? Certainly it is not the grumbling of the
jealous crowd who are unwilling to climb up the tree to see Jesus yet are quick
to criticize anyone who does. In fact, everyone is a sinner. St. Paul writes,
“Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners – of whom I am the
foremost” (1 Timothy 1:15). Yet St. Paul, Zacchaeus, you and I all go from
being sinners to saints when we encounter Christ and are faithful to his
friendship. Salvation came to Zacchaeus’ house when Jesus entered it, and
salvation comes to us through the graces received at baptism, renewed in the
Sacrament of Penance, and nurtured in the Eucharist.
Conversation with Christ: Jesus, help me to be
willing to do whatever it takes to grow in a deeper friendship with you.
Don’t allow me to worry about the murmurings of the crowd, but only to listen
to your voice and respond to it with generosity.
Resolution:I will make a point to go to confession at the next
possible opportunity asking Jesus to forgive me my sins and to help me to
turn from being a sinner into being a saint. I will make it a real encounter
with Jesus.
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www.regnumchristi.com
TUESDAY,
NOVEMBER 20
LUKE 19:1-10
(Revelation 3:1-6, 14-22; Psalm 15)
KEY VERSE: "Today salvation has come to this house because this man too is a descendant of Abraham" (v 9).
READING: Only Luke tells the story of Zacchaeus the tax-collector whose determination enabled him to find salvation in Jesus. Zacchaeus' willingness to change his life wascontrasted with the rich official who was unable to renounce his possessions and follow Jesus (Lk 18:18-23). In between these stories is the account of Jesus' teaching his disciples about the difficulty of detaching oneself from wealth (vs 24-40). Because Zacchaeus was short in stature, he could not see over the crowds, and so he perched atop asycamore tree hoping to catch a glimpse of Jesus as he passed through Jericho on his way to Jerusalem. As the chief tax-collector, Zacchaeus had the opportunity to acquire more revenue than he was entitled to receive, but he promised to make restitution for everything that he had gained by unjust means. He even went beyond what the law demanded by promising to give half of his earnings to the poor. When Jesus invited himself to Zacchaeus' house there was murmuring in the crowd about Jesus' habit of dining with sinners. Jesus saw this little man as a true "son of Abraham," worthy of God's salvation.
REFLECTING: Am I willing to go out on a limb to see Jesus?
PRAYING: Lord Jesus, help me to use my earthly goods to serve the poor.
LUKE 19:1-10
(Revelation 3:1-6, 14-22; Psalm 15)
KEY VERSE: "Today salvation has come to this house because this man too is a descendant of Abraham" (v 9).
READING: Only Luke tells the story of Zacchaeus the tax-collector whose determination enabled him to find salvation in Jesus. Zacchaeus' willingness to change his life wascontrasted with the rich official who was unable to renounce his possessions and follow Jesus (Lk 18:18-23). In between these stories is the account of Jesus' teaching his disciples about the difficulty of detaching oneself from wealth (vs 24-40). Because Zacchaeus was short in stature, he could not see over the crowds, and so he perched atop asycamore tree hoping to catch a glimpse of Jesus as he passed through Jericho on his way to Jerusalem. As the chief tax-collector, Zacchaeus had the opportunity to acquire more revenue than he was entitled to receive, but he promised to make restitution for everything that he had gained by unjust means. He even went beyond what the law demanded by promising to give half of his earnings to the poor. When Jesus invited himself to Zacchaeus' house there was murmuring in the crowd about Jesus' habit of dining with sinners. Jesus saw this little man as a true "son of Abraham," worthy of God's salvation.
REFLECTING: Am I willing to go out on a limb to see Jesus?
PRAYING: Lord Jesus, help me to use my earthly goods to serve the poor.
www.daily-word-of-life.com
The one
who is victorious I will sit beside me on my throne
Today,
salvation has come to this house.’Zacchaeus was small. Smallness is also a spiritual quality—poverty of spirit, meekness, purity of heart, a view of oneself before God which draws him to us as it draws us to him. An awareness of our own littleness makes us inventive in finding and, despite the derision of the crowd, climbing our own sycamore tree—that is, anything which will enable us to see Jesus.
It may be prayer, the sacraments, the scriptures, the service of others—in all of these Jesus may be seen. But, perhaps above all, it is our own littleness that will reveal to us God who is all that we are not, and is perfectly all that we are imperfectly.
www.churchresources.info
St. Edmund Rich
Patron of Abingdon, Oxfordshire; Roman Catholic Diocese of Portsmouth; St Edmund's College, Cambridge
1175 - 1240
Archbishop of Canterbury England, who battled for discipline and justice, also called Edmund of Abingdon. Born in Abingdon, on November 30, 1180. he studied at Oxford, England, and in Paris, France. He taught art and mathematics at Oxford and was ordained. He spent eight years teaching theology and became Canon and treasurer of Salisbury Cathedral. An eloquent speaker, Edmund preached a crusade for Pope Gregory IX and was named archbishop of Canterbury. He became an advisor to King Henry III and presided in 1237 at Henry’s ratification of the Great Charter. When Cardinal Olt became a papal legate with the patronage of King Henry, Edmund protested. A long-lasting feud between Edmund, the king, and his legate led him to resigning his see in 1240. He went to Pontigny, France, where he became a Cistercian. He died at Soissons, on November 16. Edmund was canonized in 1246 or 1247. A hall in Oxford bears his name.
www.catholic.org
St. Francis Xavier
Can
Feastday: November
20
Died: 1837
Canonized By: Pope
John Paul II
Martyr of Vietnam. A
native, born in Sou-Ming, he worked as a catechist with the priests of the
Foreign Missions of Paris. Arrested and refusing to deny the faith, Francis
Xavier was strangled in prison. He was canonized in 1988.
www.catholic.org
LECTIO: LUKE 19,1-10
Lectio:
Tuesday,
November 20, 2012
Ordinary Time
1) Opening prayer
Father of all that is good,
keep us faithful in serving you,
for to serve you is our lasting joy.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
keep us faithful in serving you,
for to serve you is our lasting joy.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2) Gospel reading -
Luke 19,1-10
Jesus entered Jericho and was going through
the town and suddenly a man whose name was Zacchaeus made his appearance; he
was one of the senior tax collectors and a wealthy man. He kept trying to see
which Jesus was, but he was too short and could not see him for the crowd; so
he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to catch a glimpse of Jesus who was to
pass that way.
When Jesus reached the spot he looked up and spoke to him, 'Zacchaeus, come down. Hurry, because I am to stay at your house today.'
And he hurried down and welcomed him joyfully.
They all complained when they saw what was happening. 'He has gone to stay at a sinner's house,' they said. But Zacchaeus stood his ground and said to the Lord, 'Look, sir, I am going to give half my property to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody I will pay him back four times the amount.'
And Jesus said to him, 'Today salvation has come to this house, because this man too is a son of Abraham; for the Son of man has come to seek out and save what was lost.'
When Jesus reached the spot he looked up and spoke to him, 'Zacchaeus, come down. Hurry, because I am to stay at your house today.'
And he hurried down and welcomed him joyfully.
They all complained when they saw what was happening. 'He has gone to stay at a sinner's house,' they said. But Zacchaeus stood his ground and said to the Lord, 'Look, sir, I am going to give half my property to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody I will pay him back four times the amount.'
And Jesus said to him, 'Today salvation has come to this house, because this man too is a son of Abraham; for the Son of man has come to seek out and save what was lost.'
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3) Reflection
• In today’s Gospel we are reaching the end of
the long journey which began in chapter 9 (Lk 9, 51). During the journey, it
was not easy to know the way Jesus was following. It was only known that he was
going toward Jerusalem! Now at the end, the geography was clear and definite.
Jesus reaches Jericho, the city of the palm trees, in the Valley of Jordan. The
last stop of the pilgrims, before going up toward Jerusalem! He went to Jericho
where the long road of exodus of 40 years in the desert ended. The exodus of
Jesus was also ended. In entering into Jericho, Jesus meets a blind man who
wanted to see him (Lk 18, 35-43). Now in going out of the city, he meets
Zacchaeus, a tax collector: he also wants to see him. A blind man and a
Publican. Both of them were excluded. Both of them bothered and disturbed the
people: the blind man because he was shouting out to Jesus, the Publican
because of the taxes. Both are accepted by Jesus, each one in his own way.
• Luke 19, 1-2: The situation. Jesus enters into Jericho and crosses the city. “And behold a man whose name was Zacchaeus, head of the tax collectors and a rich man”. The tax collector was the person who collected the public taxes on selling and buying of merchandise. Zacchaeus was the head of the tax collectors in the city. He was very rich and closely linked to the system of domination of the Romans. The more religious Jews argued in this way: “The king of our people is God. Therefore, the dominion of the Romans on us is against God. Anyone who collaborates with the Romans, sins against God!” Thus, the soldiers who served in the Roman army and the tax collectors, like Zacchaeus, were excluded and avoided because they were considered sinners and impure.
• Luke 19, 3-4: The attitude of Zacchaeus. Zacchaeus wants to see Jesus. But being small, he ran ahead and climbed on a tree and waited for Jesus to go by. He really had a great desire to see Jesus! Before in the parable of the poor Lazarus and of the rich man who has no name (Lk 16, 19-31), Jesus had said that it was truly very difficult for a rich person to be converted and to open the door that separates him from accepting poor Lazarus. Here we have a rich man who does not close himself up in his riches. Zacchaeus wants something more. When an adult, a person who is prominent in the city, climbs up on a tree, it is because he does not care much about the opinion of others. Something more important moves him inside. He wants to open the door for poor Lazarus.
• Luke 19, 5-7: Attitude of Jesus, reaction of the people and of Zacchaeus. Getting and seeing Zacchaeus on the tree, Jesus does not ask nor does he demand anything. He only responds to the desire of the man and says: “Zacchaeus come down, hurry because I am to stay at your home today!” Zacchaeus gets down and receives Jesus, in his house, with great joy, “All complained: He has gone to stay at a sinner’s house!” Luke says that all complained! That signifies that Jesus was remaining alone in his attitude of accepting the excluded, especially the collaborators of the system. But Jesus does not care about the criticism. He goes to the house of Zacchaeus and defends him from the criticism. Instead of calling him sinner, he calls him “son of Abraham” (Lk 19, 9).
• Luke 19, 8: Decision of Zacchaeus. “Look, Lord, I am going to give half of my property to the poor; and if I have cheated anybody I will pay him back four times the amount!” This is the conversion produced in Zacchaeus because of the acceptance that he received from Jesus. To give back four times was what the law prescribed to do in certain cases (Ex 21, 37; 22, 3). To give half of my possessions to the poor was the novelty which the contact with Jesus produced in him. In fact, sharing was taking place.
• Luke 19, 9-10: Final word of Jesus. “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man too is a son of Abraham”. The interpretation of the Law by means of the ancient Tradition excluded the tax collectors from the race of Abraham. Jesus says that he comes to seek and save what was lost. The Kingdom is for all. Nobody can be excluded. The choice of Jesus is clear, and also his call: It is not possible to be Jesus’ friend and continue to support a system which marginalizes and excludes so many people. By denouncing the unjust divisions, Jesus opens the space to a new way of living together, directed by the new values of truth, of justice and of love.
• Son of Abraham. "Today salvation has come to this house, because this man too is a son of Abraham!” Through being a descendant of Abraham all nations of earth will be blessed (Gn 12, 3; 22, 18).It was very important for Luke’s communities, formed by Christians, both of Jewish and of Pagan origin, the affirmation that Jesus calls Zacchaeus “son of Abraham”. In this we find the confirmation of the fact that in Jesus, God was fulfilling the promises made to Abraham, addressed to all nations, both to Jews and to gentiles. They are also sons of Abraham and heirs of the promises. Jesus accepts those who were not accepted. He offers a place to those who do not have it. He receives as brothers and sisters the persons whom the religion and the government excluded and considered:
- immoral: the prostitutes and the sinners (Mt 21,31-32; Mk 2,15; Lk 7, 37-50; Jn 8, 2-11),
- heretic: pagans and Samaritans (Lk 7, 2-10; 17,16; Mk 7, 24-30; Jn 4, 7-42),
- impure: lepers and possessed (Mt 8, 2-4; Lk 17,12-14; Mk 1, 25-26),
- marginalized: women, children and the sick (Mk 1,32; Mt 8,16;19,13-15; Lk 8, 2-3),
- fighters: publicans and soldiers (Lk 18, 9-14;19,1-10);
- the poor: the people of the place and the poor who had no power (Mt 5, 3; Lk 6, 20; Mt 11,25-26).
• Luke 19, 1-2: The situation. Jesus enters into Jericho and crosses the city. “And behold a man whose name was Zacchaeus, head of the tax collectors and a rich man”. The tax collector was the person who collected the public taxes on selling and buying of merchandise. Zacchaeus was the head of the tax collectors in the city. He was very rich and closely linked to the system of domination of the Romans. The more religious Jews argued in this way: “The king of our people is God. Therefore, the dominion of the Romans on us is against God. Anyone who collaborates with the Romans, sins against God!” Thus, the soldiers who served in the Roman army and the tax collectors, like Zacchaeus, were excluded and avoided because they were considered sinners and impure.
• Luke 19, 3-4: The attitude of Zacchaeus. Zacchaeus wants to see Jesus. But being small, he ran ahead and climbed on a tree and waited for Jesus to go by. He really had a great desire to see Jesus! Before in the parable of the poor Lazarus and of the rich man who has no name (Lk 16, 19-31), Jesus had said that it was truly very difficult for a rich person to be converted and to open the door that separates him from accepting poor Lazarus. Here we have a rich man who does not close himself up in his riches. Zacchaeus wants something more. When an adult, a person who is prominent in the city, climbs up on a tree, it is because he does not care much about the opinion of others. Something more important moves him inside. He wants to open the door for poor Lazarus.
• Luke 19, 5-7: Attitude of Jesus, reaction of the people and of Zacchaeus. Getting and seeing Zacchaeus on the tree, Jesus does not ask nor does he demand anything. He only responds to the desire of the man and says: “Zacchaeus come down, hurry because I am to stay at your home today!” Zacchaeus gets down and receives Jesus, in his house, with great joy, “All complained: He has gone to stay at a sinner’s house!” Luke says that all complained! That signifies that Jesus was remaining alone in his attitude of accepting the excluded, especially the collaborators of the system. But Jesus does not care about the criticism. He goes to the house of Zacchaeus and defends him from the criticism. Instead of calling him sinner, he calls him “son of Abraham” (Lk 19, 9).
• Luke 19, 8: Decision of Zacchaeus. “Look, Lord, I am going to give half of my property to the poor; and if I have cheated anybody I will pay him back four times the amount!” This is the conversion produced in Zacchaeus because of the acceptance that he received from Jesus. To give back four times was what the law prescribed to do in certain cases (Ex 21, 37; 22, 3). To give half of my possessions to the poor was the novelty which the contact with Jesus produced in him. In fact, sharing was taking place.
• Luke 19, 9-10: Final word of Jesus. “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man too is a son of Abraham”. The interpretation of the Law by means of the ancient Tradition excluded the tax collectors from the race of Abraham. Jesus says that he comes to seek and save what was lost. The Kingdom is for all. Nobody can be excluded. The choice of Jesus is clear, and also his call: It is not possible to be Jesus’ friend and continue to support a system which marginalizes and excludes so many people. By denouncing the unjust divisions, Jesus opens the space to a new way of living together, directed by the new values of truth, of justice and of love.
• Son of Abraham. "Today salvation has come to this house, because this man too is a son of Abraham!” Through being a descendant of Abraham all nations of earth will be blessed (Gn 12, 3; 22, 18).It was very important for Luke’s communities, formed by Christians, both of Jewish and of Pagan origin, the affirmation that Jesus calls Zacchaeus “son of Abraham”. In this we find the confirmation of the fact that in Jesus, God was fulfilling the promises made to Abraham, addressed to all nations, both to Jews and to gentiles. They are also sons of Abraham and heirs of the promises. Jesus accepts those who were not accepted. He offers a place to those who do not have it. He receives as brothers and sisters the persons whom the religion and the government excluded and considered:
- immoral: the prostitutes and the sinners (Mt 21,31-32; Mk 2,15; Lk 7, 37-50; Jn 8, 2-11),
- heretic: pagans and Samaritans (Lk 7, 2-10; 17,16; Mk 7, 24-30; Jn 4, 7-42),
- impure: lepers and possessed (Mt 8, 2-4; Lk 17,12-14; Mk 1, 25-26),
- marginalized: women, children and the sick (Mk 1,32; Mt 8,16;19,13-15; Lk 8, 2-3),
- fighters: publicans and soldiers (Lk 18, 9-14;19,1-10);
- the poor: the people of the place and the poor who had no power (Mt 5, 3; Lk 6, 20; Mt 11,25-26).
4) Personal questions
• How does our community accept the persons
who are despised and marginalized? Are we capable, like Jesus to perceive the
problems of persons and to give them some attention?
· How do we perceive salvation today entering into our house and into our community? The welcoming tenderness of Jesus produced a total change in the life of Zacchaeus. Is the tenderness of our community producing some change in the neighbourhood? Which one?
· How do we perceive salvation today entering into our house and into our community? The welcoming tenderness of Jesus produced a total change in the life of Zacchaeus. Is the tenderness of our community producing some change in the neighbourhood? Which one?
5) Concluding prayer
With all my heart I seek you,
do not let me stray from your commandments.
In my heart I treasure your promises,
to avoid sinning against you. (Ps 119,10-11)
do not let me stray from your commandments.
In my heart I treasure your promises,
to avoid sinning against you. (Ps 119,10-11)
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