1.Wis
11:22-12:1
|
2.2Thess
1:11-2:2
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Gospel: Luke
19:1-10
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" How much
does it cost to be merciful?"
Just imagine when you
die and Jesus comes to meet you and shows you a video of your entire life. On
the video you see all the good things you did. However, there are also a number
of blanks on the tape. You ask why there are such blanks on the tape of your
life. Jesus responds to you that these were the times you trespassed against
God and asked for His mercy. Thus when God forgives he completely blanks out
sins and does not remember.
Getting into the
personality of Zaccheaus according to the holy scriptures, he was a chief tax
collector. During the time of Romans, Jewish people despised tax collectors;
regarded them as traitors because they worked for Rome; they disliked
them; and didn't trust them. Therefore
the people judged him as he is. The bad news is that the Romans didn't care how
much the tax collector bled from the people because they only wanted their
share. These tax collectors sometimes accepted under the table money( bribed money) just like some of our Bureau
of Internal Revenue Personnel today.
Zaccheaus was rich to
an extent that everything that he needed materially in life, surely he had them.
He owned the five Ps, Pesa ( Money),
Power, Pleasure, Pride and even
Problems. No doubt, he is successful
in his profession. He was rich but he was not happy. He is lonely because
nobody would like to befriend him.
Let us learn something
concerning the kind of attitude that God has for us.
God
is Merciful. God is love, and the greatest sign of
his love is precisely his mercy towards us. Jesus really knew that Zacchaeus
was a sinner, but he also saw in his heart a true desire to repent. In this
regard, Jesus was anxious to bring zacchaeus closer to his divine heart. With
our faith experience how often have we felt Christ's warm embrace in our own
lives?
Do
not Judge. We should not judge the person merely by
appearance. We just look at the face or posture of the person and then we
immediately say; "He is good, he is bad, he is a robber," etc. even
in movies who are those contra( against) life, those whose faces are not fitted
for life etc, how about when those who seems to be against life will show up/
become life, what will happen? The crowd immediate reaction was to "grumble"
They could not believe that Jesus would choose to stay with a sinner, when there
were so many " holy" people in town.
Before their eyes Zacchaeus was a corrupt public official who was known
for stealing out of the pockets of so many poor Jews who
struggled to pay their taxes. Yet from within Jesus saw a potentiality of inner
conversion in Zaccheaus since this was verified when he publicly declared that
he would give half of his possession to the poor and he would pay back four
times the amount if anyone had be defrauded. Only God knows what takes place in
the hearts and minds of the people we know, thus we have to be careful in
avoiding harsh judgments ( In the eyes of the people Zacchaeus is a contravida-(
against life) but in the eyes of he is the
vida ( life) since he changed
for the better.
Concerning judging
others there is the story told of a man called Bishop Potter, he was sailing
for Europe on one of the great transatlantic ocean liners. When he went on board, he found that another
passenger was to share the cabin with him. After going to see the accommodations,
he came up to the receptionist desk and inquired if he could leave his gold
watch and other valuables in the ship's safe. He explained that ordinarily he
never availed himself of that privilege, but he had been to his cabin and had
met the man who was to occupy the other berth. Judging from his appearance, he
was afraid that he might not be a very trustworthy person. The receptionist
accepted the responsibility for the valuables and remarked, 'It's all right,
bishop, I' ll be very glad to take care of them for you. The other man has been
up here and left his for the same reason!'
We
are called to be Merciful. Jesus has given us a clear
example to follow. One of the hardest aspects of charity is that of our
thoughts and judgments. Our natural tendency is to pass harsh judgment on the
actions of those around us, but Jesus is asking us to see the heart, to see the
desire that he has to save these particular souls through our charity, both
internal and external. Zacchaeus was won over by Jesus' charity and mercy.
Jesus as good shepherd in search for his lost sheep, looked for Zaccheaus and
finally brought him back to the fold. Ask Jesus to show you which souls he
wants you to bring back to his heart.
Seek
Jesus. Zacchaeus had to make a conscious effort to climb
that sycamore tree and he may even have exposed himself to ridicule. We too
must actually seek out Jesus and not be afraid to be laughed at by those who do
not think that seeking God is important. Our faith tells us that this is the
way of wisdom and therefore the proverbial " last laugh" will be ours
in the happiness of final union with our loving God.
In looking at our
fellow brothers and sisters we should have Jesus' attitude like, i.e, people
saw Zaccheaus as a sinner, but Jesus saw in him a lost soul, a faith seeker who
was humble and sincere of heart. Do we look down on people? Do we judge them
negatively? Do we give people a chance to grow and to change?( room for
improvement) Do we grumble when someone is generous and forgiving? The bottom
line is that God is generous and forgiving. Let us do the same.
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