31st Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year C
Where would you be today without the love and mercy of God? Who would you be today without His infinite blessings, graces and mercies upon you? What would you possess today that God didn’t give you because He loves and cares for you? As Christians, we are continually reminded of God’s mercy and love for us shown in our creation as He made us in His image and likeness; Shown us in our redemption as He sent His only begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, to suffer and die on the cross for us. And shown us in our sanctification and illumination as He bestowed the Holy Spirit and His gifts upon us His children.
He also continues to show us His love and mercy in and through the Sacraments of the Church especially the Holy Eucharist. We are also reminded of the need to reciprocate that love by changing our lives and going back to God. So in order to do so, we need to repent of our sins and go back to God.
Today’s gospel reading from the gospel of Saint Luke 19:1-10 teaches us about God’s love for us and what we need to do to go back to Him. Jesus firstly reaches out to Zacchaeus as he was on the tree saying, “Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house.” With these words, Jesus gives Zacchaeus an opportunity for repentance by initiating the contact with him in an atmosphere of acceptance, and not condemning or judging him for his past. Because of this approach, Zacchaeus showed his contrite willingness and persistence in going back to God and repenting from his sins saying, “Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone, I shall repay it four times over.”
Jesus’s approach and attitude towards Zacchaeus emphasizes God’s mercy and love for us. Jesus action shows us how God is always reaching out to us to repent of our sins, how ready He is to welcome us back, not judging or condemning us and how forgiving He is to us. On another note, Zacchaeus’s decision to see Jesus, which was a total act of God’s grace that would eventually lead to his conversion and repentance, teaches us how to truly and sincerely repent of our sins and go back to God.
Zacchaeus shows us the best way to go back to God in repentance. He shows us that in order to sincerely go back to God, Firstly, we have to seek for God, which means going after Him like he Zacchaeus did as he sought to see Jesus, and not letting anything or anyone stop him from seeing Jesus. Secondly, we have to contritely accept our faults. Remember contrition is a virtue which moves one to sorrow for having offended God by sin. Thirdly, we have to be willing and humble as we journey back to God like Zacchaeus did. And lastly, we have to make reparations for our sins through acts of Charity like Zacchaeus promised to do when he said, “Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone I shall repay it four times over.”
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, since God is always reaching out to us, ready to welcome us back, not judging or condemning us, and willing to forgive us our sins, let us like Zacchaeus contritely search for Him, hear Him calling us, answer His call, go back to Him in repentance and live out His love for us by our acts of charity.
