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OPENING THE DOOR OF
OUR HEARTS TO THE LORD
20 NOVEMBER,
2018, Tuesday, 33rd Week, Ordinary Time
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour:
Green.
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First reading
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Apocalypse 3:1-6,14-22 ©
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If one of you hears me calling, I will
come in to share his meal
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I, John, heard the Lord saying to me:
‘Write to the angel of the church in Sardis and say, “Here is the message of
the one who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars: I know all
about you: how you are reputed to be alive and yet are dead. Wake up; revive
what little you have left: it is dying fast. So far I have failed to notice
anything in the way you live that my God could possibly call perfect, and yet
do you remember how eager you were when you first heard the message? Hold on to
that. Repent. If you do not wake up, I shall come to you like a thief, without
telling you at what hour to expect me. There are a few in Sardis, it is true,
who have kept their robes from being dirtied, and they are fit to come with me,
dressed in white. Those who prove victorious will be dressed, like these, in
white robes; I shall not blot their names out of the book of life, but
acknowledge their names in the presence of my Father and his angels. If anyone
has ears to hear, let him listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches.”
‘Write
to the angel of the church in Laodicea and say, “Here is the message of the
Amen, the faithful, the true witness, the ultimate source of God’s creation: I
know all about you: how you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were one or
the other, but since you are neither, but only lukewarm, I will spit you out of
my mouth. You say to yourself, ‘I am rich, I have made a fortune, and have
everything I want’, never realising that you are wretchedly and pitiably poor,
and blind and naked too. I warn you, buy from me the gold that has been tested
in the fire to make you really rich, and white robes to clothe you and cover
your shameful nakedness, and eye ointment to put on your eyes so that you are
able to see. I am the one who reproves and disciplines all those he loves: so
repent in real earnest. Look, I am standing at the door, knocking. If one of
you hears me calling and opens the door, I will come in to share his meal, side
by side with him. Those who prove victorious I will allow to share my throne,
just as I was victorious myself and took my place with my Father on his throne.
If anyone has ears to hear, let him listen to what the Spirit is saying to the
churches.”’
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Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm 14(15):2-5 ©
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Those who prove
victorious I will allow to share my throne.
Lord, who shall dwell on your holy
mountain?
He who walks without fault;
he who acts with justice
and speaks the truth from his heart;
he who does not slander with his tongue.
Those who prove
victorious I will allow to share my throne.
He who does no wrong to his brother,
who casts no slur on his neighbour,
who holds the godless in disdain,
but honours those who fear the Lord.
Those who prove
victorious I will allow to share my throne.
He who keeps his pledge, come what may;
who takes no interest on a loan
and accepts no bribes against the
innocent.
Such a man will stand firm for ever.
Those who prove
victorious I will allow to share my throne.
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Gospel Acclamation
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cf.Ps129:5
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Alleluia, alleluia!
My soul is waiting for the Lord,
I count on his word.
Alleluia!
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Or:
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1Jn4:10
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Alleluia, alleluia!
God so loved us that he sent his Son
to be the sacrifice that takes our sins
away.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Luke 19:1-10 ©
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Salvation comes to the house of
Zacchaeus
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Jesus entered Jericho and was going
through the town when a man whose name was Zacchaeus made his appearance: he
was one of the senior tax collectors and a wealthy man. He was anxious to see
what kind of man 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 must 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.’
OPENING THE DOOR OF OUR HEARTS TO THE
LORD
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ REV 3:1-6,14-22; LUKE 19:1-10 ]
“Look, I am standing at the door, I
will come in to share his meal, side by side with him.” It is the
desire of God to share intimacy with us. God desires that we share in His
life and love. Union with God is often expressed in the symbol of a
banquet. Meals are occasions to strengthen bonds with each
other. It provides us with not just physical nourishment but it is a time
to strengthen emotional and affective ties. That is why there is no real
celebration without food and all celebrations are in the context of a
meal. This is clearly brought out in today’s gospel when Jesus dined at
Zacchaeus’ house. “When Jesus reached the spot he looked up and spoke to him:
‘Zacchaeus, come down. Hurry, because I must stay at your house today.'”
However, the Lord will
not enter our house unwelcomed. His love is free and is not imposed on
us. We have the key to open the door from inside. Jesus is outside of us, knocking at our
door like a beggar waiting to be invited. Often, the Lord knocks gently
at our door through a friend’s advice, a song or a hymn. At times, the
Lord is more insistent by arousing our conscience to desire inner peace through
the preaching of repentance or the guilt in our hearts. There might be
times the Lord leads us into desperation because of the consequences of our
sins so that we will open our door to seek the light of truth.
What could be the
reasons preventing us from having Jesus as our guest? The obvious reason why
people cannot feel the presence of God in their lives or see His love at work
in their daily life is because they are blinded by their sins. Zacchaeus
was like that. As a tax collector, he would have made much money from
over-charging the people and cheating. He was not only physically
short but he was short on spiritual sight and unable to see our
Lord. Indeed, our sins make us unworthy to come before the
Lord. It is not so much that God is not available to us but that we are
not available to Him. When our hearts are bitter, angry, vindictive and
evil, how can God dwell in such a heart?
That is why the psalmist
says, “Lord, who shall be admitted to your tent? “He who walks without fault; he who
acts with justice and speaks the truth from his heart; he who does not slander
with his tongue. He who does no wrong to his brother, who casts no slur on his
neighbour, who holds the godless in disdain, but honours those who fear the
Lord. He who takes no interest on a loan and accepts no bribes against the
innocent. Such a man will stand firm forever.” Putting our lives in order
is necessary to find peace and joy in our hearts. Sadness and emptiness
come from the Evil One. The devil wants us to be unhappy. He makes
us feel unfulfilled so that we keep desiring for more and more things and
pleasure, thinking that we can find satisfaction. It is an illusion.
Worse still, instead of
confronting our lack of integrity in life, we cover up our sins by being active
in church ministry and in social activities so that we appear to be good. This is our way to lessen our guilt.
But deep in our hearts, we know that we are running away from the truth about
ourselves. We know we are unhappy because we are living a double
life. We try to lessen our guilt by doing some good works rather than
resolve the real issue that is troubling us in our hearts. The Lord
reprimands us as He did with the Christians in Sardis, “I know all about you:
how you are reputed to be alive and yet are dead. Wake up; revive what little
you have left: it is dying fast. So far I have failed to notice anything in the
way you live that my God could possibly call perfect.” Indeed, we may seem to
be very active in church ministry and charitable works. But we know that
these are for show. We do them so that we look good to others, are
socially accepted and recognized. Yet we know that we do all these not
because we love the Lord but because it is the acceptable thing to do.
How did we come to this
stage of being hardened by the deceitfulness of sin? Lukewarmness is the
beginning of our spiritual downfall. The Lord reprimands the Christians in
Laodicea. “I know all about you: how you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you
were one or the other, but since you are neither, but only lukewarm, I will
spit you out of my mouth.” The most difficult people to bring about a
deeper conversion are the majority of our ordinary and active Catholics.
They come to church regularly and could even be involved in church
activities. They are church leaders, giving talks and retreats. But
they are not receptive to the call for spiritual conversion or renewal of heart
simply because they think they are good enough or they know everything.
It is easier to convert non-Catholics to the faith than to bring our baptised
Catholics, including church leaders, to a deeper faith.
How true when we allow
complacency to set in in our lives! We begin our work, project or office with
much enthusiasm. Initially, we are grateful for being given such an
opportunity when we feel we do not deserve it. Out of gratitude, we begin
our new life and career with much enthusiasm. Because we are new to
everything we desire to learn. But after a while, when we know our work
well, we begin to slacken and settle down comfortably with the status
quo. The warning to the Christians is applicable to us, “Yet do you
remember how eager you were when you first heard the message? Hold on to that.
Repent. If you do not wake up, I shall come to you like a thief, without
telling you at what hour to expect me.” What has happened to our passion
and zeal?
This is what the Lord is
warning us about complacency that comes from self-sufficiency. “You say to yourself, ‘I am rich, I
have made a fortune, and have everything I want.'” Those who are not in
need of anything do not feel the need for God. They are proud,
condescending and arrogant. They can manage themselves and so fail to
realize their spiritual emptiness. They forget that their blessings come
from Him. They might have everything but as the Lord said, “I warn
you, buy from me the gold that has been tested in the fire to make you really
rich, and white robes to clothe you and cover your shameful nakedness, and eye
ointment to put on your eyes so that you are able to see.”
Today, we are called to
learn from Zacchaeus. All conversion begins with a feeling of emptiness
and need. He
was a rich man but he knew that riches and pleasure alone cannot give real
happiness. He realized he was “wretchedly and pitiably poor, and blind
and naked too.” He felt the emptiness in his heart. He knew
something was missing in his life. So when he heard the Lord was passing
by, he felt the desire to welcome Him. “He was anxious to see what kind
of man Jesus was.” We need to reflect and be in touch with our emptiness
and loneliness so that we can thirst for Him.
Secondly, he took the
initiative to look for Jesus. “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.” Often we hear complaints that God is far away but yet these
people are not taking the initiative to look for Him. Zacchaeus overcame
all obstacles to seeing the Lord by using his creativity. He did not
allow his physical constraint or ego to prevent him from coming to the
Lord. We too must give up all lame excuses from coming to the Lord.
Instead of blaming others or the circumstances for our lack of intimacy with the
Lord, we should humble ourselves and come to Him in prayer.
When one responds to the
Lord, the result is overwhelming joy that cannot be contained in oneself but
overflows to others.
This was how Zacchaeus felt. “He hurried down and welcomed him joyfully.”
This joy was not simply a sentimental joy. It was a transforming
joy. When a person is joyful, he is liberated to bring joy to
others. We know that we have encountered the Lord when we too
experience a joy that is not just kept within us but meant to be shared with
others. Hence, when “they all complained when they saw what was
happening. ‘He has gone to stay at a sinner’s house’, 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.'”
When we allow Jesus to
enter into our lives, there is a radical conversion of heart. No longer did Zacchaeus feel that
money was his god and security. In Jesus, he found his peace and joy.
In Jesus, he began to reevaluate everything he had in relationship to
Him. Hence, he was able to let go of his earthly attachments and cling to
what was even more invaluable, peace of heart and mind, union with God and
friendship with his brothers and sisters. He was now aware of what
justice and charity required. He was no longer bound by his greed.
On the contrary, he felt the need to pay back more than what the Lord required
for those who cheated. Instead of twice, he offered to pay back four times.
Most of all, he gave half of his property to the poor. Consequently, this made
Jesus declare, “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.”
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All
Rights Reserved
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