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30th October 2022

Homily for the 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time

READ: (Wis 11: 22-12:2; 2 Thes 1: 11-2:2; Lk 19: 1-10)

REFLECT: Jesus is in search of us to save

Dear friends, we are all in search of someone or something or the other in life…We search because we look for something that we have lost, we look for what we want or wish, we look for what we would like to explore or examine in order to discover something new and special. Our search can be about a place, a person, a thing for that matter. We feel quite content and happy, if our search is achieved or accomplished, if not we feel disturbed or discouraged or we make tireless efforts to find what we are in search of until we find it or sometimes we give up our search.

Just as we are in search of something or someone, so is God.  God is in search of us in particular, because we have lost the way; we haven’t learnt the ways; we have taken lightly the ways that leads to eternal life. God seeks after us, so that we be found by him and could get closely connected with God and move towards God. The liturgy of the word invites each one of us to pay attention to find God who is in search of us, to respond and find ourselves in God. So based on the word of God, I would like to share with you three points of reflection.

1.     Trust in God’s mercy:

God is in search of us all, but in a special way the one who trusts in God’s mercy. Trusting in God’s mercy would mean that we rely on God for everything for all that we want. Therefore, God assures of his mercy, coming after us and giving us all that we need. Something similar we find in the first reading, a beautiful analogy from the book of wisdom as how the world is so small before God like a speck that tips the scales and like a drop of a morning dew that falls to the ground. But God’s mercy encompasses all, because he overlooks the sins of the people so that they repent and return to Him.

Yes, God overlooks the sins, sinners and our sinfulnesses, so that we repent, return and renew our lives in God.  God loves us all and does not hate anyone; because God willed our existence on earth, otherwise you would not have created or willed our existence. Therefore, we are called to live like his children. God is in search of everyone, those who trust in his mercy to show his merciful love, to those who entrust life into His hands the abundance of blessings He gives, to those who distrust and mistrust him God gives grace to have trust in him and be satisfied with the life we live. That’s what we find at the end of the first reading from the book of Wisdom that God spares us all because he loves us all. God corrects us little by little, so that we may be freed from sinfulness and wickedness, thus trust in God at the end. So today, we need to search for God’s mercy and trust in God’s mercy. It does not cost any financial aid or base but to seek God’s mercy and trust in his mercy. What we need to invest is our time with God. We all of us need an open, sincere and pure heart without stain or sin.  That’s quite sufficient to obtain God’s mercy for us. So let us seek and trust in God’s mercy for life in fullness. God ensures his blessings and love to all who trust, mistrust, provided we entrust his life into his hands and heart full of mercy.

Pope Francis very lovingly says, “There are no situations we cannot get out of, we are not condemned to sink into quicksand, in which the more we move the deeper we sink. Jesus is there, his hand extended, ready to reach out to us and pull us out of the mud, out of sin, out of the abyss of evil into which we have fallen. We need only be conscious of our state, be honest with ourselves, and not lick our wounds. We need to ask for the grace to recognize ourselves as sinners.

The more we acknowledge that we are in need, the more shame and humility we feel, the sooner we will feel his embrace of grace. Jesus waits for us, he goes ahead of us, he extends his hand to us, he is patient with us. God is faithful. Mercy will always be greater than any sin, no one can put a limit on the love of the all-forgiving God. Just by looking at him, just by raising our eyes from ourselves and our wounds, we leave an opening for the action of his grace. Jesus performs miracles with our sins, with what we are, with our nothingness, with our wretchedness.”

Yes, there is nothing that can bind us as chains, because God’s mercy is more powerful than anything, if we trust in God’s mercy, God’s mercy surrounds us and we become sound in heart, body, mind and health. Let us experience such divine moments and blessings from God.

2. Be steady and steadfast

God is in search of us but in a special way the one who is ready to listen to his voice and words, the one who is steady and steadfast in the faith one professes. Because, the one who is ready, steady and steadfast in faithfulness to God and his ways obtains God’s mercy and God is in search of such people. Such people find God’s strength and strengthen God’s people.  The second reading from St. Paul’s letter to second Thessalonians is a poof of such an act, where St. Paul encourages the community at Thessalonica that the community is remembered in prayer and the Lord will make them worthy of his calling, their good resolve and every work of faith will be glorified by the power of Christ according to the grace of God and our Lord Jesus Christ.

Moreover, St. Paul cautions and makes them alert as not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed either by a spirit or a spoken word or a letter seeming to be from us. Yes, it was a reminder of Paul to the community at Thessalonica not to get carried away by people who would lead them astray from the faith that they profess or inherited from the words and teachings of Paul about Jesus Christ. The reason why Paul warns the people at Thessalonica is because of the disturbance, confusion, persecution that the people at Thessalonica faced concerning the faith, hope and love, very specially of the rumors about Parousia that the Lord’s coming is imminent or immediate.

Yes, it is a caution to all of us too to be steady and steadfast in the faith we received from God, ancestors, apostles, Catholic Church without losing God’s grip on us. Today we experience or hear lots about sheep-stealing or spoon speeding in Christianity communities at different sects, in different parts of our world. We find Sheep-stealing as many of the Catholics are being stranded to different protestant denomination or religion for different opinions about faith, for the lack and loss of faith in Jesus Christ. It is because of the false prophecy, our state of unpreparedness to understand and accept the faith handed on to us by Christ, through the apostles in the Church. There is also a kind of spoon feeding of the faith that we find in the catholic churches and institutions. I don’t mean to underestimate the spoon feeding of faith as something in itself is wrong but when it’s repeatedly done, the act become monotonous, it questions the credibility and maturity of faith, steadiness and steadfastness of faith in Christ.

Today, we expect everything to be dictated or directed time and again, we forget the faith that we profess, we become ignorant of what we profess, we show least interest to the faith we profess. Some of us sway in the air and are not steady in faith. We become convenient Christians rather than convinced Christians with the convictions and values of Christ. Oscillating in the air by the wind can be dangerous to our faith because it does not in any way foster our faith strong but weakens. So we need to mature our faith day by day, being convinced of our vocation as Christians. Today the Lord is in search of each one, who goes astray from him in different ways for different reasons. To some God encounters directly, to some through different persons, events and situations, but we need to open our eyes to see and ears to hear and listen to God’s voice and words, so that, our faith in Jesus becomes steady and steadfast throughout our lives.

3. Desire to see Jesus

Just as a single step matters a lot to reach the destination or the goal we want to achieve, a single step towards Jesus brings in manifold blessings in return. For when we take a single step to move towards Jesus, God comes close to us taking thousands of steps. The single step of our move is because of the desire that is created in us, the desire that we have in us for Jesus will light up our ways. That’s what we find in the gospel reading of the day.

The Gospel reading narrates to us the story of Zacchaeus, the chief-tax collector and the rich man. Although he was holding office as a tax-collector and was rich enough to reach out to people, he had the desire and eagerness to See Jesus by climbing a sycamore tree. But what a blessing in disguise, Zacchaeus’ happiness is widened and was a surprise that Jesus sees him and all the more, Jesus tells him, “Hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today,” “Today, salvation has come to this house, since he also is the son of Abraham.”

I feel personally that the desire of Zacchaeus to see Jesus brought two most important gifts to his life. The first one, Jesus’ stay with Zacchaeus and the second is assurance of Salvation to Zacchaeus. Firstly, Jesus’ stay with Zacchaeus was definitely a privilege for Zacchaeus. In the midst of many who envied and disliked for the profession he held as a tax-collector, Jesus wishes to stay with him in his house. It is like Emmanuel or God-with-us experience for Zacchaeus. The stay of Jesus with Zacchaeus is for a change of life, change of attitude about Zacchaeus himself, change of attitude of others about Zacchaeus, a change in the perspectives of others that God loves all. Just as Jesus pitched his tent among us to save us all, so also, Jesus wishes to stay with Zacchaeus to save him.

Secondly, the assurance of salvation to Zacchaeus; By the assurance of salvation, Jesus destroys evil or the evil intentions and hateful feelings about Zacchaeus by his own native people, his sins and sinfulnesses are washed away, grants him recovery and redemption of life. We see here that Jesus was not prejudiced by people’s opinion and their prejudices about Zacchaeus but looks at his heart, his intent, his desire to see Jesus, seek Jesus and saves him forever. It was like a bumper crop for Zacchaeus that with a single sight of Jesus and a single step of Zacchaeus, he obtains salvation from Jesus.

Yes, if we have the desire to see Jesus, seek Jesus and be saved by him, Jesus will also stay with us and assure of us his salvation. Just as the eagerness and desire to see Jesus changed the life of Zacchaeus, we need to have as well the desire to see Jesus and be saved. Just as Zacchaeus manifested the good qualities unseen in him by saying that he would give half of his property to the poor and was ready to pay four times back if he had cheated anyone, so also we need to be ready to manifest the hidden qualities in us as human persons with good traits and behaviors to reach out to people whomsoever we have defrauded, lost sight of, cared and considered the least. So that we are assured of Jesus’ stay and saving act for us.

Today most of us face the common problem of forgetfulness and lack of desire for someone or something that is most significant for life. We forget good people and good moments and good events easily; we lack desire to pursue and practice that is worthwhile and noble. Let us realize today that the most significant person in our lives is Jesus and most significant thing that can enrich life is the presence of Jesus and his redemptive act. “If God is with us who can be against us,” (Rom 8:31). Yes, if God is with us, we will have people who would support, encourage and strengthen us. God’s presence in us will never make us forget him. The remembrance of God’s presence will create in us good desires to see Jesus, seek Jesus and be saved by Jesus. May God give us the desire to see, seek and be saved by Jesus.

RESPOND:

Do we trust in God’s mercy that God is in search of us to show his mercy and love?

Do we remain steady and steadfast in the faith that we profess and believe in Jesus Christ?

Do we replace our desire to see Jesus and be saved with desires of the world, events, persons that deviate or divide us?

Let us move towards God who is in search of us to fill us with his mercy, remain steady and steadfast in faith and obtain the desire to see Jesus in others, seek Jesus and be saved by Jesus. Amen.

“We must intend our own salvation, Theotimus, in the way God intends it. God desires that we should be saved; we too need constantly to desire what God desires. Since God wants to us to be saved, we should want to be saved; we should also welcome the means to salvation that God intends us to take.” (St. Francis De Sales, TLG, Book VIII, Chapter 4, pp. 255-256).

God bless us all…

Live Jesus