31st Sunday in Ordinary Time C
Wisdom 11:22-12:2; 2 Thessalonians 1:11-2:2; Luke 19:1-10
This is a wonderful time of year in the Church’s readings and celebrations. All Saints day was celebrated on Friday. This is the day the every person in heaven is honored. God is praised for guiding them and sending people who enabled them to be people of faith. This allowed them to realize that they were gifted and loved by God and then they could live as Jesus taught them and then be ‘Jesus’ to people. This group is not only the ‘famous ones’ but the not so famous but famous, exemplary and inspiring to so many; people like our parents, grandparents, relatives, friends: all the holy people God has placed in our lives. I think when we pray to them we should use their title; like St. Mom, St. Dad, St. Grandma, St. Grandpa etc.
On Saturday, the feast of All Souls was celebrated; these are those people who will be in heaven, the time to be determined by God. They are now going through purification in love to be in heaven with the Lord. So many of these people touched each one of us and loved us. Both these groups and the people in them are the reason why I and each believer is the person we are: they were examples of self-sacrificing love and taught us to be the same. God be praised. The month continues with the celebration of Thanksgiving...and each person has so much to be thankful for: especially a God who is ‘crazy in love with ‘me’ individually and each of His creation. It’s a shame that I have to be reminded that I am to be thankful and to praise God for His love daily.
The readings today keep me focused on the reason why I am here, the reason why I was created: to be with God forever in all eternity with all God’s loved people. The first reading is from the Book of Wisdom; now previous traditions envisioned God’s creation and shared stories of its foundation and maybe God wasn’t involved. Today Solomon depicts the Creator as being personally present with every dimension of the world. God’s power is seen but also it is coupled with His love and mercy. As Living the Word shares, “Just as the power of the Creator is matched by the love of the Creator, so is this love manifested through mercy. God is merciful precisely because God is powerful. Finally the author claims that the imperishable sprit of God is in all things.” The author looks at the exodus to show signs of the ways of God. The overall theme is that God is gracious and merciful. For those who trust in God, His love and blessings are overflowing; for those who resist God or deny God, He withholds His blessings. And we cannot take anything for granted...just that God cares for each person, but does each person let God be God to them? Do I? How can I ‘let go and let God’?
Paul is writing to the Thessalonians and reminds them that God has called them, as God has called each person to Himself, and Paul is praying that each one remains faithful and worthy to this calling. Again, Living the Word expresses it in this way, “(Paul) states that thought they are obliged to live ethical lives, it is the prior grace of God and not their ethical behavior that saves them. He further teaches an ‘already-but-not-yet’ form of eschatology (teachings about the end-times). Thought the eschatological day of the Lord is imminent, it is not yet present. Believers must continue to live their lives in patient anticipation of Christ’s coming, realizing that they do so in His presence, for He has already come.” So I have to live my faith. I do this by showing my belief and trust in God; in my following all the commandments and the commands of love and in being Jesus. In concentrating on this I don’t have to worry about rumors or fearful times or events that try to tell me that God doesn’t care. He does, that’s why I am here and why each person has been created.
And the wonderful story of Zacchaeus; I remember on my first pilgrimage to Jericho, seeing the ‘tree’ that legend says Zacchaeus climbed. It doesn’t matter if this was the actual one, what mattered in my life was that Zaccheus was responding to the grace of the Spirit to come closer to Jesus. The Spirit does this to each person: come closer to Jesus...learn from Him...let Him love you and show you how to live and to love. The wonder of the story is that it doesn’t matter what has happened in my past or anyone’s past, God comes and is calling...so come. Tax collectors were known for their greed and their exploitation of the people in their ‘tax district’. They cared about themselves. Now Zacchaeus was very wealthy so he was very successful. Normally, Luke would have been very harsh with him as he is with other tax collectors, but he shows the curiosity of this man. Was this the Spirit gently urging Zacchaeus to come closer, to learn more about Jesus, I definitely think so? The Spirit does this to each person, do I, do we respond? OR am I, are we, more concerned with ourselves and our ‘riches’ as Zacchaeus? And Jesus does the shocking thing of inviting this man down because He wants to ‘come to his house.’ God wants to enter the ‘house’ of me and each person, do I let Him. I remember in my bedroom as a youngster was the painting of Jesus knocking at the door of a thatched hut and He was touching His Sacred Heart...there was not doorknob; it had to be opened from the inside. The symbolism was very clear to me then and now: I am reminded over and over; I have to open my heart to Jesus who always is knocking and wanting to enter and fill me and bring me closer.
Jesus wanted a change of heart from Zacchaeus and he changed his heart; Jesus wants a change in my heart and each person...this is what conversion is...converting to the ways of God, the ways of love. So I ask how I am doing. So I reflect on:
- Do I base my opinion of others on superficial appearances?
Am I ready to let go of the stereotypes that cloud my judgment of
others?
- I can so easily condemn or be very critical of others for
their actions. Can I see in the power of prayer for them a way to
see them as God sees them, people to be loved?
- God sees everything, He sees the good and the bad and
respects and loves all. Am I ready to offer others the care,
concern and love that Jesus gives me each day?
- How do I invite Jesus into my life? How do I express my
thankfulness for His gifts and love?
- Do I allow myself to let Jesus point out the gifts and
talents He has given me and how I might best use them in His
service?
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