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31st
Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C
Terravuova Hermitage
November 3, 2013
Zacchaeus, a Story
for Children and Adults
By (Rev. Msgr.)
Nicholas P. Amato
A Favorite Story
Today’s gospel story
is always one of the favorites for children.
This short man named
Zacchaeus is easy for children to identify with. His climbing a tree to see Jesus always
captures their imagination.
This story, I
believe, also has a lot to say to us adults.
I see a number of very pertinent and important messages here for us.
1. Something Missing
First, Zacchaeus
knows that something is missing in his life.
He has a good job
and is wealthy. He is living
comfortably.
But Zacchaeus feels
an emptiness within himself, a gap, something missing. And, with this awareness, he wants to see
Jesus.
There is a universal
human message here. I often hear persons
say – “There’s something missing in my
life.”
And so, when we feel
that, we need try to fill the emptiness.
And like Zacchaeus, the way to fill this is not with more money or
alcohol or a better lifestyle, but with a person – with God, with Jesus.
This is the only way
to fill our inner, spiritual emptiness.
It works for Zacchaeus and it can work for us too.
2. Reaching Out
The next message I
see here is that Jesus reaches out to Zacchaeus.
Jesus knows his name
and he must also have known that Zacchaeus is unethical and despised by his
fellow citizens. But Jesus reaches out
to him.
Jesus even goes to
his home to have dinner with him. And
most significantly, he doesn’t first ask Zacchaeus to repent or confess his
sins or change his ways.
Jesus first has a
relationship, communion with Zacchaeus.
This is what brings Zacchaeus to life and conversion, instead of being a
reward for conversion.
I see this as one of
the themes Pope Francis is modeling for us.
We as a Church need to see that welcoming and including and having
people here rather than standing above and excluding others – this is the way
of Jesus.
It is the most
effective way for human and spiritual growth.
And, of course, we as individuals are to embrace the same mindset in our
personal lives.
3. Being With
Then I notice that Jesus does not reprimand Zacchaeus.
Jesus does not put him down or give a long moralizing
sermon. He is just here, with him, and
the results are wonderful.
This is what our Catholic Sacrament of Reconciliation is
to be like. It is not for the priest –
in the role of Jesus – to judge and condemn and put down.
Instead, the priest is to be with the person as a fellow
sinner on the human journey. It is in
that prayerful, faith relationship that spiritual growth can sensitively take
place.
4.
Changing Lifestyle
And then, what quickly follows from Jesus’ approach is
that Zacchaeus changes his life.
Jesus doesn’t ask him to do anything specific. Zacchaeus just knows that if he is going to
be in relationship with Jesus, he’s got to share his wealth with the poor and
make restitution to anyone he has ripped off.
This is again a good approach to the Sacrament of
Reconciliation. The penance – the action
that follows the sacrament should just flow from our renewed relationship with
the Lord.
So maybe it is praying or coming to Mass regularly or
patching up a relationship or not going to certain Internet sites. And, by the way, actions like these, ways of
living out our relationship with God, are just as important outside the
Sacrament of Reconciliation in everyday life.
5.
Recognizing Goodness
The last message I want to note is that Jesus recognizes
Zacchaeus’ basic goodness.
The other people all say that Zacchaeus is a sinner. On this, Jesus agrees.
They also say that he is no good at all and is not worthy
to be around. And on this, Jesus
disagrees.
No question, Zacchaeus has done some bad things. But to say that he is a bad person is
impossible for Jesus because he knows that there is a basic goodness in
everyone that no one can take away.
It is this positive good in Zacchaeus that Jesus awakens
and calls forth. Jesus does the same for
us and wants us to do the same for one another.
Conclusion
So, today’s is a favorite story for children, but it is
also an adult story – loaded with messages for us!
