GOD’S MERCY FINDS US ALWAYS
One of the beauties of our Christian faith is the mercy of God that always finds us wretched sinners when we are lost. God’s mercy finds and reaches us profoundly more than we can ever imagine. The nature and essence of God is mercy. This mercy is the saving and amazing grace that always finds and saves us even when we are spiritually dead, lost or weak.
The readings of this Sunday are not just beautiful but rich in uplifting, hopeful and encouraging words about the Mercy of God. In other words, we are reminded of God´s mercy, compassion and goodness towards a sinner and the response of repentance and conversion expected from us.
SCRIPTURAL TEXTS
FIRST READING: WISDOM 11:22-12:2
The writer, a learned sage from the ancient university city of Alexandria, is attempting to boost the Faith of his fellow Jews by answering the question, “Why doesn’t God do away with evil men?”
The answer is that, unlike men, God is benevolent toward all His creatures. God´s love for what He has created becomes a redemptive love through His mercy. God loves His creation, and because of this love He pardons and is patient with people who have gone astray, so that they may repent.
God’s Providence for all His creatures is clearly shown through His strength and the compassion with which He both can and does deal mercifully with all men. What the Book of Wisdom tells us is that we could not even exist if we were not loved by God.
The reading (Wis. 11:22-12:2) reminds us of the fact that the Lord loves all that exist and would not have made anything if he hated it. Though we are sinners, He knows we can be saints if we cooperate with His grace.
The infinity and immensity of God do not make us irrelevant or insignificant before Him. Instead, his love, care and mercy reach us and he overlooks our sins, weaknesses, and failures because out of love he creates all things.
SECOND READING: 2 THESSALONIANS 1:11-2:2
St. Paul’s second letter to the Church in Thessalonica encourages the Thessalonians to persevere in their Christian Faith, giving glory to God without idly waiting for the “second coming” of Christ in their lifetime.
St. Paul encourages us to be worthy of our Christian calling by glorifying God and doing good works at all times. That is to say, St. Paul in this reading (2 Thess. 1:11-2:2), let us pray that God may make us worthy of His calling as his children.
THE GOSPEL: LUKE19:1-10
The theme of care and mercy dominates the Gospel text of Luke19:1-10, Zacchaeus sought Christ and his mercy and would not give in to despair because of: his stature nor the crowd. The story of Zacchaeus reinforces the lessons of the fifteenth chapter of Luke in which a lost sheep and a lost coin are found, and a lost son is embraced. It also demonstrates the fact that nobody is beyond the possibility of conversion or the mercy of God.
MERCY FINDS ZACCHAEUS
Zacchaeus was wealthy but he was not happy and lonely. As a tax collector who collaborated with the Roman authority, he was a man despised and hated by his pe. He was an outcast, a traitor and considered one of the greatest sinners of all time.
However, he heard about the fame of Jesus with tax collectors and sinners, as a friend who does not judge or condemn them but tells them of God´s love, mercy and grace.
INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL OBSTACLES TO GRACE
When an opportunity presents itself to Zacchaeus to see or meet Jesus, he was determined to see Jesus. He would let nothing stop him: not his wealth or riches, not self-pity, self-condemnation or low self-esteem or self-image, or for being physically challenged person by height and not even the crowd, not public image or opinion of him, not the risk of being attack or bully or mock by the crowd.
Things were not in his favour, but he had the courage of desperation to overall the odds. He climbed the sycamore tree to catch of glimpse of Christ and divine favour or grace found him too. His struggles paved the way for God´s attention.
GRACE’S WAY IN US, AND GOD’S MISSION
Jesus´ surprise meets with his expectation of what he must have heard about him. Zacchaeus took steps to show all the community that he was a changed man: charity to the poor and needy and fourfold restitution for his sin of fraud, corruption and robbery of others.
Jesus declared God´s grace, mercy and salvation on Zacchaeus for his true and honest conversion and the effort he made to amend his past. With a definitive and affirmative remark: “the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost.”
ZACCHAEUS’S LIFE, SPIRIT, AND ATTITUDE
1. As a tax collector Zacchaeus was a wealthy man, but he was not happy. His life was practically emptied of spiritual and human touch.
2. He chose the wrong path of collaborating with a foreign power. He was also a crooked individual who schemes and defraud his people.
3. He was an enemy of the state of Israel as well as its people. A man hated and despised by all.
4. He was a lonely man who was socially, religiously and ethnically ostracized by his plea.
5. However, when he heard of Jesus, a friend and caregiver of a social and religious outcast like him. He was determined to see Jesus.
6. He had many obstacles and limitations against his life height, the crowd, mockery of his haters, and even physical attack from them, yet he was more than willing to overcome them all.
7. Things were not easy for Zacchaeus but the little man had the courage of desperation. He longed to see Jesus, but he saw, met and stay with him.
8. Like many and every destined soul, he struggled with a living conscience and grace, mercy and love of God helped him.
9. Zacchaeus’ search and restlessness payout for him, when he took the most concrete action to climb the tree of grace.
10. The Lord did not only pay attention to his effort but called him by name. Change and transformation came with restoration and forgiveness from Lord despite the objection from the “righteous”.
11. Zacchaeus took the definitive step to show God, Jesus and the community of Israel that he was a changed man.
12. Finally, he found a new, wonderful and lovely friend in Christ who will never condemn or damn him to hell.
OUR LESSONS
One of the strongest lessons from this scriptural text is that Christian testimony is worthless if it is not backed by deeds of sincerity. Secondly, no matter our past, God’s mercy always searches us out through grace. In God through Christ Jesus with the action of the Holy Spirit, there is no condemnation but unfailing and unconditional love, grace and mercy.
The keynote of this Sunday is looking for Jesus as we are and letting Jesus find us as we are too. We are also left with one of the greatest teachings of St Luke’s gospel: God is the Seeker and Saver of those who are lost.
Therefore, we ask our Lord Jesus Christ to grant us the saving grace to welcome him into our lives as Zacchaeus did. May his mercy, grace and salvation come not only into our lives, our homes or houses but also to our communities, our Church, our Nations and our world at large.
OUR PRAYER
Lord Jesus Christ, the road to forgiveness and mercy is not an easy one. It begins with internal discouragement to try or make effort, which is later crippled by what others say, do or think of us. Zacchaeus overcame all to reach your infinite mercy and restorative forgiveness of him and his household. Help me understand that in every moment and in all circumstances, you are the Lord of graciousness and mercy, slow to anger and great in kindness to all without exception no matter their sins, errors and failures. Amen
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