Memorial of the Presentation of the
Blessed Virgin Mary
Lectionary: 498
Lectionary: 498
Eleazar, one of the foremost scribes,
a man of advanced age and noble appearance,
was being forced to open his mouth to eat pork.
But preferring a glorious death to a life of defilement,
he spat out the meat,
and went forward of his own accord to the instrument of torture,
as people ought to do who have the courage to reject the food
which it is unlawful to taste even for love of life.
Those in charge of that unlawful ritual meal took the man aside privately,
because of their long acquaintance with him,
and urged him to bring meat of his own providing,
such as he could legitimately eat,
and to pretend to be eating some of the meat of the sacrifice
prescribed by the king;
in this way he would escape the death penalty,
and be treated kindly because of their old friendship with him.
But Eleazar made up his mind in a noble manner,
worthy of his years, the dignity of his advanced age,
the merited distinction of his gray hair,
and of the admirable life he had lived from childhood;
and so he declared that above all
he would be loyal to the holy laws given by God.
He told them to send him at once
to the abode of the dead, explaining:
"At our age it would be unbecoming to make such a pretense;
many young people would think the ninety-year-old Eleazar
had gone over to an alien religion.
Should I thus pretend for the sake of a brief moment of life,
they would be led astray by me,
while I would bring shame and dishonor on my old age.
Even if, for the time being, I avoid the punishment of men,
I shall never, whether alive or dead,
escape the hands of the Almighty.
Therefore, by manfully giving up my life now,
I will prove myself worthy of my old age,
and I will leave to the young a noble example
of how to die willingly and generously
for the revered and holy laws."
Eleazar spoke thus,
and went immediately to the instrument of torture.
Those who shortly before had been kindly disposed,
now became hostile toward him because what he had said
seemed to them utter madness.
When he was about to die under the blows,
he groaned and said:
"The Lord in his holy knowledge knows full well that,
although I could have escaped death,
I am not only enduring terrible pain in my body from this scourging,
but also suffering it with joy in my soul
because of my devotion to him."
This is how he died,
leaving in his death a model of courage
and an unforgettable example of virtue
not only for the young but for the whole nation.
a man of advanced age and noble appearance,
was being forced to open his mouth to eat pork.
But preferring a glorious death to a life of defilement,
he spat out the meat,
and went forward of his own accord to the instrument of torture,
as people ought to do who have the courage to reject the food
which it is unlawful to taste even for love of life.
Those in charge of that unlawful ritual meal took the man aside privately,
because of their long acquaintance with him,
and urged him to bring meat of his own providing,
such as he could legitimately eat,
and to pretend to be eating some of the meat of the sacrifice
prescribed by the king;
in this way he would escape the death penalty,
and be treated kindly because of their old friendship with him.
But Eleazar made up his mind in a noble manner,
worthy of his years, the dignity of his advanced age,
the merited distinction of his gray hair,
and of the admirable life he had lived from childhood;
and so he declared that above all
he would be loyal to the holy laws given by God.
He told them to send him at once
to the abode of the dead, explaining:
"At our age it would be unbecoming to make such a pretense;
many young people would think the ninety-year-old Eleazar
had gone over to an alien religion.
Should I thus pretend for the sake of a brief moment of life,
they would be led astray by me,
while I would bring shame and dishonor on my old age.
Even if, for the time being, I avoid the punishment of men,
I shall never, whether alive or dead,
escape the hands of the Almighty.
Therefore, by manfully giving up my life now,
I will prove myself worthy of my old age,
and I will leave to the young a noble example
of how to die willingly and generously
for the revered and holy laws."
Eleazar spoke thus,
and went immediately to the instrument of torture.
Those who shortly before had been kindly disposed,
now became hostile toward him because what he had said
seemed to them utter madness.
When he was about to die under the blows,
he groaned and said:
"The Lord in his holy knowledge knows full well that,
although I could have escaped death,
I am not only enduring terrible pain in my body from this scourging,
but also suffering it with joy in my soul
because of my devotion to him."
This is how he died,
leaving in his death a model of courage
and an unforgettable example of virtue
not only for the young but for the whole nation.
Responsorial
PsalmPS 3:2-3, 4-5, 6-7
R. (6b) The
Lord upholds me.
O LORD, how many are my adversaries!
Many rise up against me!
Many are saying of me,
"There is no salvation for him in God."
R. The Lord upholds me.
But you, O LORD, are my shield;
my glory, you lift up my head!
When I call out to the LORD,
he answers me from his holy mountain.
R. The Lord upholds me.
When I lie down in sleep,
I wake again, for the LORD sustains me.
I fear not the myriads of people
arrayed against me on every side.
R. The Lord upholds me.
O LORD, how many are my adversaries!
Many rise up against me!
Many are saying of me,
"There is no salvation for him in God."
R. The Lord upholds me.
But you, O LORD, are my shield;
my glory, you lift up my head!
When I call out to the LORD,
he answers me from his holy mountain.
R. The Lord upholds me.
When I lie down in sleep,
I wake again, for the LORD sustains me.
I fear not the myriads of people
arrayed against me on every side.
R. The Lord upholds me.
Alleluia1 JN 4:10B
R. Alleluia,
alleluia.
God loved us, and sent his Son
as expiation for our sins.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
God loved us, and sent his Son
as expiation for our sins.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelLK 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."
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.
Faith welcomes Christ in our heart and home
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:
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.]
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."
Daily Quote from the early church fathers: To see Christ, by Cyril of
Alexandria (376-444 AD)
"Come and let us see what was the method of
Zacchaeus's conversion. He desired to see Jesus and therefore climbed into a
sycamore tree, and so a seed of salvation sprouted within him. Christ saw this
with the eyes of deity. Looking up, he also saw Zacchaeus with the eyes of
humanity, and since it was his purpose for all to be saved, he extends his
gentleness to him. To encourage him, he says, 'Come down quickly.' Zacchaeus
searched to see Christ, but the multitude prevented him, not so much that of
the people but of his sins. He was short of stature, not merley in a bodily
point of view but also spiritually. He could not see him unless he were raised
up from the earth and climbed into the sycamore, by which Christ was about to
pass. The story contains a puzzle. In no other way can a person see Christ and
believe in him except by climbing up into the sycamore, by making foolish his
earthly members of fornication, uncleanness, etc." (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON LUKE, HOMILY 127)
TUESDAY,
NOVEMBER 21, LUKE 19:1-10
(2 Maccabees 6:18-31; Psalm 3)
KEY VERSE: "Today salvation has come to this house because this man too is a descendant of Abraham" (v 9).
(2 Maccabees 6:18-31; Psalm 3)
KEY VERSE: "Today salvation has come to this house because this man too is a descendant of Abraham" (v 9).
TO KNOW: 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 was contrasted with the rich official who was unable to renounce his possessions and follow Jesus (Lk 18:18-23). As Jesus passed through Jericho on his way to Jerusalem, Zacchaeus tried to get a glimpse of him. Because he was short in stature, he could not see over the crowds, and so he perched atop a sycamore tree. When Jesus invited himself to the tax collector’s house there was murmuring in the crowd about Jesus' habit of dining with sinners. 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. Jesus saw this little man as a true "son of Abraham," worthy of God's salvation.
TO LOVE: Am I willing to go out on a limb to see Jesus?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, help me to use my earthly goods to serve the poor.
Memorial of the Presentation of the Blessed
Virgin Mary
The Scriptures tell us nothing of Mary's hidden life or about her presentation in the temple. That which is known is found in the seventh chapter of the Apocryphal gospel of James, which has been dated by historians prior to the year 200 AD. This book gives us a detailed account in which Mary's father Joachim told Anna his wife that he wished to bring their daughter Mary to the Temple of the Lord. Anna responded that they should wait until the child was three years old. When the day arrived, the priest received her, blessed her and kissed her in welcome. He proclaimed, "The Lord has magnified thy name in all generations. In thee, the Lord will manifest His redemption to the sons of Israel." Mary was placed on the third step of the Temple and there danced with joy and all the house of Israel loved her. It was there in the Temple that she was nurtured and her parents returned glorifying the Almighty. Though it cannot be proven historically, Mary’s presentation has an important purpose. Through the Holy Spirit, Mary became a greater temple than any made by hands. Jesus, the Son of God, came to dwell in her and sanctified her for her unique role in God’s saving work.
Tuesday 21
November 2017
The Presentation of The Blessed
Virgin Mary.
2
Maccabees 6:18-31. Psalm 3:2-7. Luke 19:1-10.
The Lord
upholds me — Psalm 3:2-7.
‘I must
stay at your house today.’
This interaction between Jesus and
Zacchaeus gives me hope. Zacchaeus was small and seemingly insignificant. He
had no status or influence in his community. In fact, his job as tax-collector,
made him despised. On the positive side he was industrious, humble and showed
initiative in climbing the tree for a better view of Jesus. Jesus surprises and
delights this lonely man, first by calling him by his name and then by asking to
dine at his house. He is chosen!
The feeling of smallness and
inadequacy can inhibit our inspirations and energy. How can I see Jesus in a
better way? Sycamore trees are probably not the answer.
Making a regular space in the day
for a chat with Jesus will lighten our load and bring us clearer direction,
infusing our life with motivation and new energy. We can do small things with
greater love.
FEAST OF THE PRESENTATION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN
MARY
The feast of tday, November 21, commemorates the presentation of
the Blessed Virgin as a child in the Temple. Tradition holds that all young
Jewish girls were left in the care of the temple for a period of time, during
which they were educated.
The feast originated in the Orient probably about the 7th
century, and is found in the constitution of Manuel Comnenus (1166) as a
recognized festival. It was introduced into the Western Church in the 14th
century. Pope Pius V then struck it from the calendar. Pope Sixtus V later
reestablished the feast in 1585.
LECTIO DIVINA: LUKE 19,1-10
Lectio Divina:
Tuesday, November 21, 2017
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 where 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."
3) Reflection
• In today’s Gospel, we reach the
end of a long journey which began in chapter 9 (Lk 9, 51). During the
journey, it has not been easy to know twhere Jesus is going.
Now , the geography is clear . Jesus reaches Jericho, the city of the palm
trees, in the Valley of the Jordan. This is the last stop of pilgrims
before going up toward Jerusalem. He went to Jericho where the long road
of exodus in the desert ended. Jesus’ exodus has also
ended. In entering Jericho, Jesus meets a blind man who wanted to see Him (Lk
18, 35-43). Now, going out of the city, He meets Zacchaeus, a tax collector. He
also wants to see him. Both the blind man and the Publican are excluded
from Jewish society. Both bother and disturb the people. The blind man
disturbed people because he was shouting to Jesus. The Publican incurs
people’s hostility because he colloects taxes. Both are accepted by Jesus.
• Luke 19, 1-2: Jesus enters Jericho and crosses the city where he sees “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. As head tax collector, Zacchaeus was closely linked to the Roman government which dominated the Israel. t. Since rhe more religious Jews believed their king to be God, they regarded Rome’s dominion as ungodly. Anyone who collaborates with the Romans sins against God. Thus, the soldiers who served in the Roman army and tax collectors,like Zacchaeus were excluded and avoided because they were considered traitorous and impure.
• Luke 19, 3-4: The attitude of Zacchaeus. Zacchaeus wants to see Jesus. 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 poor Lazarus and the rich man (Lk 16, 19-31), Jesus had said that it was truly difficult for a rich person to be converted. However, in Zaccheus, we see a rich man who does not close himself up in his riches. Zacchaeus wants something more. Certainly, an adult who climbs a tree does not care much about the opinion of others. Something more important moves him. He wants to open the door for poor Lazarus.
• Luke 19, 5-7: Attitude of Jesus, reaction of the people and of Zacchaeus. 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. Jesus is alone in His attitude of accepting the excluded, especially Roman collaborators . But Jesus does not care about the criticism. He goes to the house of Zacchaeus and defends him from the criticism. Rather than 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 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. By denouncing unjust divisions, Jesus opens a space for a new way of living directed by the values of truth, justice and love.
• Son of Abraham. "Today salvation has come to this house because this man too is a son of Abraham!” By 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 of both Jewish and pagan origin, that Jesus calls Zacchaeus “son of Abraham”. For we find the confirmation that in Jesus, God was fulfilling the promises made to Abraham, addressed to all nations..Gentiles 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 people whom the religion and the government excluded. Here is a list of those outcasts in who found acceptance in Jesus: :
- 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: Jesus enters Jericho and crosses the city where he sees “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. As head tax collector, Zacchaeus was closely linked to the Roman government which dominated the Israel. t. Since rhe more religious Jews believed their king to be God, they regarded Rome’s dominion as ungodly. Anyone who collaborates with the Romans sins against God. Thus, the soldiers who served in the Roman army and tax collectors,like Zacchaeus were excluded and avoided because they were considered traitorous and impure.
• Luke 19, 3-4: The attitude of Zacchaeus. Zacchaeus wants to see Jesus. 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 poor Lazarus and the rich man (Lk 16, 19-31), Jesus had said that it was truly difficult for a rich person to be converted. However, in Zaccheus, we see a rich man who does not close himself up in his riches. Zacchaeus wants something more. Certainly, an adult who climbs a tree does not care much about the opinion of others. Something more important moves him. He wants to open the door for poor Lazarus.
• Luke 19, 5-7: Attitude of Jesus, reaction of the people and of Zacchaeus. 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. Jesus is alone in His attitude of accepting the excluded, especially Roman collaborators . But Jesus does not care about the criticism. He goes to the house of Zacchaeus and defends him from the criticism. Rather than 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 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. By denouncing unjust divisions, Jesus opens a space for a new way of living directed by the values of truth, justice and love.
• Son of Abraham. "Today salvation has come to this house because this man too is a son of Abraham!” By 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 of both Jewish and pagan origin, that Jesus calls Zacchaeus “son of Abraham”. For we find the confirmation that in Jesus, God was fulfilling the promises made to Abraham, addressed to all nations..Gentiles 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 people whom the religion and the government excluded. Here is a list of those outcasts in who found acceptance in Jesus: :
- 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 people
who are despised and marginalized? Can we, like Jesus, perceive people’s
problems and give them attention?
· How do we perceive salvation entering into our house and 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 neighborhood? Where?
· How do we perceive salvation entering into our house and 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 neighborhood? Where?
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
and seek to avoid sinning against you. (Ps 119,10-11)
do not let me stray from your commandments.
In my heart, I treasure your promises
and seek to avoid sinning against you. (Ps 119,10-11)
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