31st Sunday OT, Year C
Fr. Albert
St. Peter Catholic Church, New Iberia
“We ask you, brothers and sisters… not to be… alarmed either by a ‘spirit,’ or by an oral statement, or by a letter allegedly from us to the effect that the day of the Lord is at hand.” Christians in every age have worried that their time was going to be the end of the world and the second coming of Jesus Christ. They were both right and wrong. They were wrong because the final Judgment still hasn’t happened even after 2000 years. But, Jesus tells Zacchaeus that “today salvation has come to this house.” That salvation is present in the person of Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ wishes to come to us in every era.
The book of wisdom tells us that God warns sinners and tells them to repent. In the Gospel, we see that Zacchaeus hears that warning and converts. What did Jesus do to make him repent? He didn’t say anything all that special. All he did was look up at him and say “Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house.” What about Jesus’ look has so much power? How can inviting yourself to dinner make such an impact on a hardened sinner? Zacchaeus was not just a tax collector, but a chief tax collector. He not only betrayed his own people by working with the Romans, but he helped make others do it too. He even got rich off of this sinful betrayal! But a single look and a single invitation did so much. How?
The only possible answer is love. Jesus looked at him with love and his words to Zacchaeus displayed his genuine interest in being with him, in sharing a meal and growing in friendship. Who knows what kind of little thoughts and feelings had been tugging at Zacchaeus’ heart before Jesus came. We can never really know all the ways that God is “rebuking offenders little by little… that they may abandon their wickedness and believe.” But sometimes, all of those little thoughts and feelings need an outlet, they need an invitation and suddenly a conversion happens all at once.
Zacchaeus must have already wanted to be converted. He was very eager to see Jesus. He probably knew that he was a sinner, but felt too weak to change. But the rumors of Jesus reached his ears and he must have known… this is a man who can help me make the change. Jesus knew this and reached out to him in love.
And what about us? Do we hear the Lord’s rebukes little by little? How many of us are trapped in sins that we can never seem to conquer? Is there any hope of making a change? Yes! There is always hope to be free from sin! God has promised and he is powerful enough to keep his promise. Why can’t we escape then? Well, do you run ahead like Zacchaeus? Are you willing to look foolish? Are you willing to climb the tree to see Christ more clearly? When he calls out to you, do you repent? How often do you repent and go to confession with a sincere desire to change, like Zacchaeus? How often do you dine with the Lord at the holy mass and in the Eucharist?
But there is more. The sacraments are not magic – they are moments of relationship with Jesus Christ. How does Zacchaeus show his conversion? By giving to the poor and making peace with those he hurt. His relationship with Christ is directly affected by his relationship with his neighbors! If you go to confession and mass regularly, but still can’t seem to get better – what are you doing for your neighbors? Our neighbors are like the sycamore tree. They can help us to see Christ better. We see him better by serving him in the poor and by being just toward our neighbors.
But that’s not all! I have many family members who are Christian, but not Catholic. They often tell me that Catholics are bad at being welcoming and at building a community. One of my greatest sorrows as a priest and as a Catholic is that we do tend to be pretty bad at fellowship. I hear too often that people don’t feel welcomed by Catholics; they don’t feel included. Some of that is unavoidable. We can and must believe certain things and this means we have standards that some people are unwilling to meet, especially when it comes to the Eucharist. But the answer to our problem with being welcoming is not about changing the mass – it’s about changing ourselves. The one hour a week we spend at Mass is focused entirely on God, but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t affect the rest of our week and our other relationships. If we want to the Catholic Church to feel communal, we must start by reaching past our comfortable habits to be communal with each other.
How often do you stop to talk to other parishioners? Is your first priority after mass to get as far away as possible? How many people do you share your faith with? How often do you share a meal with others and talk about growing in the faith? Christ ate with Zacchaeus and he wants to share meals with us. Not just at mass, but in our homes and with our friends. Christianity is supposed to be filled with community. If you are stuck in your faith, you might need to be more deliberate about spending time with religious friends. Small groups of Christians can be very powerful – we can be sycamore trees for each other.
And then, that communal spirit will be noticeable. It will also embolden us to recognize and greet visitors. Yes, we priests should strive to do that, but an individual priest simply cannot make a whole parish of people seem welcoming. What makes the difference for a visitor, for someone inquiring into the faith, is how they are received by various individuals within the parish. It is the invitation from ordinary Catholics to be a part of something, even if it isn’t the Eucharist just yet. We really shouldn’t underestimate the impact of small personal encounters and invitations, both on others and on ourselves. If we really want to be saved; if we really believe that the Catholic Faith has the best access to salvation; if we really want others to be saved too; why are we so slow to dive in further and to bring others with us?
Act quickly! God has mercy on us all and he is patient, but one day the world really will end. I don’t know if it will be tomorrow or in a thousand years, but we know it is coming. It is better not to wait for the Lord to come in judgment. Instead, we want him to come here and now. How? By our repentance and by our unity with each other. When we repent, when we serve each other and help each other, Salvation comes to this house.