Homily Thirty-Third Tuesday of Ordinary Time (Lk. 19:1-10)
Homily Thirty-Third Tuesday of Ordinary Time (Lk. 19:1-10)
Jericho was one of the most prosperous cities in Palestine. There were groves of palm trees there. Also, there were balsam trees and date trees. All these products were harvested and sent all over the world. The community was very wealthy.
This meant that Jericho was also a center of taxation. Wherever there is great commerce there is great tax revenue as well. Jericho had an abundance of tax collectors. One of them was Zacchaeus. Zacchaeus was a wealthy man we are told.
One thing we know about wealth is that it does not automatically bring happiness. I remember visiting St. Louis years ago. We took a city tour. Several great mansions were in the city. The owners had made massive amounts of money in the brewing industry. The tour guide related stories of the great tragedies that impacted those families, psychological illness, suicides, murders, etc. We all have heard such stories about the rich and famous.
Zacchaeus was wealthy, but he was also miserable. He seemed like a lonely man. None of us would want to be a person that everyone dislikes. Zacchaeus probably received many an insult as he walked down the street. His self esteem must have taken a beating.
He sought out Jesus in his misery. He wanted to be liberated and Jesus offered him the one precious commodity that he wanted more than anything else. He offered him friendship.
Jesus says as the end of the story that he came to save the lost. The word lost in the Greek has a certain nuance to it. It does mean damned or doomed. No, it means misplaced. We hear it said often when people are struggling that they “are not in a good place.” Zacchaeus found the place where he belonged because of Jesus and he was lifted up.
Reflection Questions:
- Do I feel like I am not in a good place today? COVID 19 has us all on edge, have I talked to Jesus about it.
- As we age, we gather more possessions. Am I happy when I have more things to take care of or am I less happy?
Dear Parishioners,
Each day I here about parishioners who have been exposed to COVID 19 or who have been sickened by it. I know of parishioners who have relatives who live far away who have caught the disease. I know fellow priests who are in quarantine or who have COVID. Truly we are all affected.
Yet we all know, people are still denying that the Coronavirus even exists. I heard a doctor from South Dakota interviewed on the radio and he said he has had people who are on their death bed with COVID and they cannot accept that the are dying of the disease. They trust the false information they have been given.
Let’s pray that our nation has a conversion of heart. I listened to the Governor of Iowa last night who was begging for people to follow the protocols. The next days will be critical. Let’s take care of each other out of Christian charity and out of concern for the heroic people who are working in our hospitals.
May Our Lady and All the Angels and Saints take care of us.
Fr. Mark