04/11/ 2007 - 31st Sunday O.T. - year C
First Reading: Wisdom 11,22 - 12,2 Psalm 145
Second Reading: II Thess 1,11 - 2,2 Gospel Reading: Luke 19,1-10

The prayer Jesus teaches us ends with the petition "deliver us from evil" and from all enticements or threats, from temptation and violence. Now we can freely abandon ourselves in the Father and to start again with "Our Father…."! Even if we repeat this prayer ten or thirty times, each time the tone of voice with which we say "Father" is different, because every time our relationship with him grows and matures and takes on different shades! When we draw close to God we do not draw close to "the tangible, blazing fire of Sinai with its darkness, gloom and whirlwind, its trumpet blast and oracular voice" (Hebrews 12,18) . We are not afraid of God, because we know that he does not wish us ill. He loves us like a Father and is affectionate like a mother so the prophet Hosea would say. We know that he observes us constantly. He wishes to have us with him, like the Father and the prodigal son and longs to share with us his love and the joy of celebrations with the elder brother. In approaching the Father we know we are close to the happy gathering of his children in heaven! Our holiness is a joyful holiness as St John Bosco recommended to the schoolboys and as we were shown by the Saints Philip Neri and Frances di Sales. Joy should not be lacking in the life of believers: it witnesses to the salvation Jesus gave us, it is a sign that we take the goodness and paternity of God seriously, it is what he uses to make the good news attractive. Joy is the fruit of the presence of the Holy Spirit in us: it is necessary to cultivate this presence just as we would any plant so that it will bear fruit. If we look for news of the world all day, we will become sad and depressed; and if we don't entrust what happens to us immediately to the mercy of God we will be left feeling oppressed and tired. And although we live in this world which bears the signs and consequences of sin, we must look up and bring down to the world the light and joy that are the signs of the wisdom and love of the Father and of Jesus! May the Holy Spirit help us to do this!

The book of Solomon's Wisdom teaches us about God's intentions: we are sinners, but he doesn't despise us for this, rather, he tries to draw us away from sin and to remove our guilt. "You correct offenders little by little, disciplining them and reminding them of their sins in order that they may abandon their evil ways and put their trust in you, Lord". Knowing the goodness of God and his love for all creatures, we can hope in salvation, even when we realize how far we have wondered from him or have despised his Word or his presence.
In what way does God try and free us from the weight and pain of sin? The answer lies in the gospel reading. A man is desperate because of what he has done. Having the opportunity to see Jesus he does everything he can to meet him: he does something that might have made him seem ridiculous. Jesus had become more important to him that his own reputation. And Jesus appreciates the wish of this man who ironically enough is called Zacchaeus which means "pure". He, a sinner, was called "pure"! Now his name becomes appropriate. When he meets Jesus he becomes what he was meant to be! Those who receive Jesus and commit to him, receive the love of the Father and are pleasing to him and are at peace with themselves. Jesus is God's answer to our sins. You look for a solution for your disobedience to him and he will give you Jesus, who is truly God with us, Emmanuel, whose look purifies and heals and renews!
St Luke describes the meeting of Jesus with a sinner for it is a meeting which repeats itself constantly in Christian communities. People who are despised because they have been dishonest, meet Jesus, their lives change and they become examples even for those Christians who have always observed the commandments! Zacchaeus is an example, not only because he gave back what he had taken from people by cheating or because he gave half of his belongings to the poor, but because he took Jesus seriously and let himself be influenced by his Spirit, he let the wisdom of God enter his affairs. The importance of this meeting lies here: to live with Jesus transforms our lives, changes them, renews them. How? We don't know how our lives will be changed: it is the Holy Spirit who suggests what we can do to witness to Jesus and to glorify him. To meet Jesus every day, to be observed by him, to open the door of our house to him, to lay before him what we are and what we have so that he can decide about our time, our money, our affections, our qualities and abilities! Zacchaeus became "pure" by receiving Jesus. I too, a sinner, can become better than I could possibly imagine when I meet and receive Jesus with all my heart. He is truly the love and compassion of God for sinners who suffer in this world!

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