31st SUNDAY OF THE YEAR 22

31ST SUNDAY, 30 OCTOBER 2022, WISDOM 11.22 – 12.2; 2 THES 1.11 – 2.2; LUKE 19. 1-10 Thrust: Roads meet! Indicative: Small efforts count to encounter God’s grace. When there is an encounter between God’s grace and human reception, miracles happen 1. “God changes His route and schedule for our sake.” This is our dictum. This is what is so evident in the case of God, right from creation all through salvation history. He makes space and time for us to grace us and saves us. Salvation is about how God changes His route and schedule. 2. God’s mighty interventions in the OT in the life of Israel, and in the NT the incarnation of Christ itself are the greatest testimonies of this. And the purpose is very clear: He wants to meet us on our way in our own time. What an “accommodative” and condescending God He is! He adjusts His place and time according to our needs and convenience. 3. When people needed Him, He intervenes through His leaders and prophets. When people got infected by sin, He descended to earth in the person of Jesus. This Jesus, God-on-earth lives amidst us in our times of struggle. 4. The story of Zacchaeus is a vivid example of how God changes His route and schedule for our sake. For the sake of Zacchaeus, a sinner, he changes his route to Zacchaeus’ house. He changes his schedule to be his guest in his house. He stops on his way at Zacchaeus. He takes time to have a word with him. He goes to his house. He spends his valued time with him even amidst his busiest schedule. 5. Why all these? The reason is quite clear in the first reading. For He loves all things ---merciful to all, and overlooks people’s sins, that they may repent. Further, immense was his courage: he would not hesitate to meet Zacchaeus, speak with him and go to the house of a sinner. He would not mind risking his popularity and incurring a lot of criticism. He would not bother to risk his career and prospects as well. At the height of all this, he would dare to elevate a sinner to the status of a son of Abraham. How shocking and provoking it must have been to include a despised sinner into the prestigious fold of the chosen people of God! 6. All this loving mercy must make us repent so as to be “freed from wickedness and put our trust in God.” It must “make us worthy of our calling and may fulfil by his power every resolve for good and every work of faith.” 7. In Zacchaeus, we see the abundant effect and fruits of God’s intervention and encounter. Already there were seeds of faith and the working of grace. He nurtures a deep desire to see Jesus. He is not deterred by the two obstacles of his shortness and crowd. Immediately, he makes effort to overcome these obstacles. He runs ahead and climbs a sycamore tree. 8. His trouble bears fruit. He encounters not only the individual Jesus but also the divine abundance. He is flooded by God’s mercy. The one who just wanted to catch a passing glimpse is granted the wonder of meeting the Saviour, speaking with him, and having the joy of celebrating his reassuring and transforming presence. 9. His perspectives change. His priorities change. His vision and mission change. Thus it is a total transformation. This shows itself in selfless generosity and a sense of justice. He distributes half of his property to the poor and repays fourfold to those cheated. Salvation enters his house! Imperative: True conversion is not merely a matter of best intentions and words. It is concrete and manifest in a total transformation REFLECTION 2 FROM 2021, 16 NOVEMBER) Focus: Faith is not merely believing some doctrines and following certain laws and traditions. Faith is essentially a matter of faithfulness come what may 1. In the gospel, in the person of Zacchaeus, we have an example of faith. Zacchaeus received new faith. He made a total about-turn. He turned to Jesus with a passionate heart, and he tuned his whole life to the person and following of Jesus. 2. He truly made a journey of faith. This is seen in his transition from a deep desire to encounter Jesus to a total conversion and transformation of life. From the extortion of a tax collector, there is a big leap of distributing half of his property to the poor and fourfold repay to those defrauded. Thereby, he is counted as a son of Abraham from being labeled as an ostracised sinner. He is blessed with salvation, being liberated from the curse of sin. Direction: We are constantly reminded about how we should traverse the journey of faith. We need to constantly transit from imperfect faith to perfect faith. We must safeguard and preserve the gift and treasure of faith in the faithfulness (REFLECTION 3 FROM 2020, 17 NOVEMBER) Arrow: Am I neither cold nor hot, but lukewarm? Focus: All that matters to God is not status or position, but a humble and honest heart. Every sincere and committed effort on behalf of God will win His abundant grace The story of Zacchaeus is a great source of consolation and encouragement for all. For God's grace accepts and graces us despite our unworthiness and failures. Zacchaeus being a tax collector was labeled as a sinner and was despised. Yet Jesus was not conditioned by these human considerations, calculations, or labels. He is not prejudiced. He is not resentful or judgmental. He does not condemn him but readily offers his mercy and salvation. For his part, Zacchaeus does his homework. He nurtures a profound desire and motivation to see Jesus. He is not discouraged by the obstacles of his shortness and crowd; he takes the trouble to surpass these blocks by placing himself on high climbing a sycamore tree. He encounters Jesus. He responds to Jesus' invitation to be his guest and celebrates his presence with a banquet. He undergoes a deep conversion. He testifies his conversion by a concrete and abundantly generous act of renouncing and sharing: half of his property with the poor, and fourfold repay to all those defrauded. Thus, he truly deserves the blessing and salvation of God. Jesus pronounces the heart-soothing words: “Today, salvation has come to this house. He too is a son of Abraham”. It is not just a blessing and a compliment. It is the greatest gift that one can expect: He is given a new dignity. He is raised from the low level of being a sinner to the noble status of being a son of Abraham, that is, one of the chosen people. He is blessed with salvation, being saved from the curse of sin. What is our journey? Do we desire and set out to encounter Jesus, to be touched and transformed by him? How concrete and authentic is our conversion? Very truly, the biggest block in this journey is our tepidity and lukewarmness. God does vehemently detest it as we hear in Revelation: “You are lukewarm, neither cold nor hot. So I will spit you out of my mouth”. Direction: When one discovers Jesus, the greatest treasure, one will not still be possessed by the possessions. One will not continue unconverted and untransformed