20191103
INVITING
THE RICH AND INFLUENTIAL TO WELCOME THE LORD
03 NOVEMBER,
2019, Sunday, 31st Week, Ordinary Time
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour:
Green.
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First reading
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Wisdom 11:22-12:2 ©
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In your sight, Lord, the whole world is
like a grain of dust that tips the scales,
like a drop of morning dew falling on the
ground.
Yet you are merciful to all, because you
can do all things
and overlook men’s sins so that they can
repent.
Yes, you love all that exists, you hold
nothing of what you have made in abhorrence,
for had you hated anything, you would not
have formed it.
And how, had you not willed it, could a
thing persist,
how be conserved if not called forth by
you?
You spare all things because all things
are yours, Lord, lover of life,
you whose imperishable spirit is in all.
Little by little, therefore, you correct
those who offend,
you admonish and remind them of how they
have sinned,
so that they may abstain from evil and
trust in you, Lord.
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Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm
144(145):1-2,8-11,13b-14 ©
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I will bless your name
for ever, O God my King.
I will give you glory, O God my king,
I will bless your name for
ever.
I will bless you day after day
and praise your name for ever.
I will bless your name
for ever, O God my King.
The Lord is kind and full of compassion,
slow to anger, abounding in love.
How good is the Lord to all,
compassionate to all his
creatures.
I will bless your name
for ever, O God my King.
All your creatures shall thank you, O
Lord,
and your friends shall repeat
their blessing.
They shall speak of the glory of your
reign
and declare your might, O God.
I will bless your name
for ever, O God my King.
The Lord is faithful in all his words
and loving in all his deeds.
The Lord supports all who fall
and raises all who are bowed
down.
I will bless your name
for ever, O God my King.
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Second reading
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2 Thessalonians
1:11-2:2 ©
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We pray continually that our God will make
you worthy of his call, and by his power fulfil all your desires for goodness
and complete all that you have been doing through faith; because in this way
the name of our Lord Jesus Christ will be glorified in you and you in him, by
the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
To
turn now, brothers, to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and how we shall all
be gathered round him: please do not get excited too soon or alarmed by any
prediction or rumour or any letter claiming to come from us, implying that the
Day of the Lord has already arrived.
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Gospel Acclamation
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cf.Lk19:38,2:14
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Blessings on the King who comes,
in the name of the Lord!
Peace in heaven
and glory in the highest heavens!
Alleluia!
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Or:
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Jn3:16
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Alleluia, alleluia!
God loved the world so much that he gave
his only Son:
everyone who believes in him has eternal
life.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Luke 19:1-10 ©
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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.’
INVITING THE
RICH AND INFLUENTIAL TO WELCOME THE LORD
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ WIS 11:22-12:2; PS 145; 2 TH 1:11-2:2; LK 19:1-10 ]
Zacchaeus was a rich man. As the chief tax-collector, he would have
collected much money for himself. In those days, the chief tax-collector
had the right to impose and collect taxes from the inhabitants. He only
needed to pay whatever levy Rome imposed and the rest he could keep as profits
for himself. That explains why tax-collectors were much hated and were
regarded as public sinners, traitors of the Jews, and ritually unclean before
God. Although financially well off, he was living a life of loneliness,
alienated from his own people and guilt-laden before God, wondering what would
happen to him when he dies. Surely, his conscience must have weighed him
down tremendously.
Many of us are like Zacchaeus. We
think that wealth, power and status are everything in life. From young, our parents and our elders
have used this as a carrot to motivate us to study hard. They, too,
presume that those who have plenty of money, a nice house and flashy car will
be happy in life. People will look up to us. We can go for lavish
holidays and we have people to serve us at our command. But are the rich
and successful really happy in life? Many are lonely. They do not
know who their true friends are. In spite of their achievements in life,
many successful people realise when they reach the top that there is nothing
there. They can see the whole world from the top but they are the only
ones there. Relationships have taken a back seat and even lost during
those times when they were busy making money and a name for themselves.
Now that they are there, no one is waiting for them.
We may pretend to be happy and successful
and even famous. But deep inside us, we are looking for authentic
relationships, with God and with our fellowmen. We are looking for meaning and
purpose. We are looking for something that can fill our empty hearts and
restless souls. We realise that living for ourselves makes us happy
only for a while. We have an inner soul that seeks intimacy with God and
with our fellowmen because we are not just material creatures. We have a
heart to fill and a mind to contemplate. Indeed, the sad reality is that
we live in illusion and the world encourages us to live that way.
That, precisely, was what happened to
Zacchaeus. He put on a mask. He pretended to be
self-sufficient. But
in truth, he was unfulfilled. He had forgotten his real identity.
He was just living to accumulate wealth. He must have looked at
Jesus. He was a poor man who did not even have a place to lay His
head. But He appeared to be happy because He was always surrounded by
people. He noticed the way He loved and cared for the poor and the
sick. What was the secret of His happiness, His joy, His love and His
freedom? So Zacchaeus must have felt envious of the Lord. He wanted
to meet the Lord badly but then he was afraid to compromise his status because
he was supposed to be Mr. Self-Sufficient because he had everything. So
he climbed up a tree to get a glimpse of Jesus and avoid being seen by his
people.
Indeed, I know there are many rich and
influential people out there. They
might be doing very well in life. They have status, wealth, power, fame
and influence. But their lives are empty. They are not able to
humble themselves to come to Jesus, to go for a retreat, to seek God and to
come down and be with the ordinary people to journey in faith. Because of
their pride, they keep away from the Lord and the larger Catholic community,
locked up in their own world, isolated from genuine people who seek truth, love
and fullness of life.
If you are Zacchaeus living a life of
emptiness and a life of sin, then know that the Lord wants to come and stay in
your house today. Jesus
understands your loneliness and emptiness as He understood Zacchaeus’ longing.
The Lord wants to step into your house as He called out to Zacchaeus by
name, “Zacchaeus, come down. Hurry, because I must stay at your house
today.” The Lord wants to give you, as he desired to give Zacchaeus back
his identity as the child of God. He said, “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.”
Indeed, whether we are rich or poor, saint
or sinner, the Lord wants our salvation. God does not deprive anyone of
salvation and fullness of life.
In the first reading, we read that in His sight, “the whole world is like a
grain of dust that tips the scales, like a drop of morning dew falling on the
ground.” Yet, as the author says, in spite of His greatness, “you
are merciful to all, because you can do all things and overlook men’s sins so
that they can repent. Yes, you love all that exists, you hold nothing of what
you have made in abhorrence, for had you hated anything, you would not have
formed it. And how, had you not willed it, could a thing persist, how be
conserved if not called forth by you? You spare all things because all things
are yours, Lord, lover of life, you whose imperishable spirit is in all. Little
by little, therefore, you correct those who offend, you admonish and remind
them of how they have sinned, so that they may abstain from evil and trust in
you, Lord.” This is the mercy and compassion of God. The psalmist
praises God saying, “The Lord is kind and full of compassion, slow to anger,
abounding in love. How good is the Lord to all, compassionate to all his
creatures.”
God is the one who takes the initiative to
reach out to us even before we reach out to Him. Jesus invited
Himself to the house of Zacchaeus. He did not wait to be invited. He came to
his house, sitting among the other tax-collectors so much so the people
complained, “He has gone to stay at a sinner’s house.” And in their
presence, the Lord did not reprimand them. He extended His friendship and
love without being judgemental. As a consequence, Zacchaeus was deeply
moved by His love and mercy. He was already receptive of the Lord but
when he encountered the Lord personally, receiving His unconditional love and
mercy, and gracious presence in his house, he was totally transformed.
Conversion of heart takes place whenever one comes into contact with God’s
mercy and love.
Truly, anyone who encounters the Lord
would be transformed like Zacchaeus. He
was then holding on to his money. It had taken him many years to accumulate so
much money. But within a few minutes, Zacchaeus was ready to undo all the
efforts that he put in to acquire his wealth. He said, “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.” This is because Zacchaeus now
understood and has reclaimed his identity as the son of Abraham, a member of
the Chosen Race. And this happened only because the Lord had made His
home in him. When the Lord takes over our life, we will be able to live
freely, authentically, meaningfully and joyfully. Indeed, St Paul wrote,
“We pray continually that our God will make you worthy of his call, and by his
power fulfil all your desires for goodness and complete all that you have been
doing through faith; because in this way the name of our Lord Jesus Christ will
be glorified in you and you in him, by the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus
Christ.”
Today, we are invited not just to respond
to His mercy and love and to come back home; we are called to call others back
to the Lord. This is the
Lord’s wish, “for the Son of Man has come to seek out and save what was
lost.” In a special way, we are to invite all sinners, especially the
rich and powerful who live futile lives, to make room for the Lord to enter
into their hearts. This is the only way they can recover their true
identity instead of living under the mask of self-sufficiency expressed in
wealth, power and influence.
But we must invite them with unconditional
love, in a non-judgemental non-intimidating way. We need to find ways to remove the
obstacles that prevent the rich from returning home. We will be surprised that
if we reach out to them sincerely and without ulterior motives except to share
the love of Christ, their hearts will be touched and moved by our simplicity in
faith and love. The rich and powerful are like Zacchaeus who already have
the seed of faith. They just need someone to invite them, to tell them
about Jesus and to join RCIA or a church organisation. Indeed, this is the
problem with Catholics. We are so respectful of others that unlike the
Protestants, we never invite others to join our Faith. I have many
Protestants who shared with me that they came from Catholic background,
Catholic schools and organisations but have joined the Protestant church simply
because all these years with us, no one invited them to be Catholic!
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All
Rights Reserved
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