Dedication of the Churches of Sts. Peter

and Paul, Apostles

“Come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house.” – Luke 19:5

       Our two popes, Benedict XVI and Francis, have one virtue in common: humility. The first was humble enough to resign from the papacy because he could no longer function well due to old age. The other asked the crowd in Rome to bless him first before he gave his first papal blessing.

       Humility is the willingness to bow down in any circumstance. Zacchaeus, a high official of his day, was quick to respond to Jesus’ call to come down from the sycamore tree and receive the Master at his house. Right then and there, Zacchaeus encountered Jesus, felt His love and received salvation. His transformation was instant.

       We don’t need to climb to the top to be able to see God. Like  in our story today, God will make the effort to meet us halfway. “The Son of Man has come to seek and save the lost.” I know this to be true when I was forced to give up my ambition to be a famous scriptwriter after I had a stroke in 2003. I humbly detached myself from mundane concerns and focused on seeking the Lord in a more intimate way, through prayer and service. Banjoy N. Santillan (pasantillan58@yahoo.com)

Reflection: “The promise (of seeing God) surpasses all beatitude… In Scripture, to see is to possess. Whoever sees God has obtained all the goods of which he can conceive.” (St. Gregory of Nyssa)

Lord, let me bow down in humility that You may live gloriously in my life forever.

St. Rose Philippine Duchesne, pray for us.

Jesus calls each of us to make a decision to either follow where He leads or go our own way. Obviously He wants us to choose the former but love demands that we be given the choice and He will respect that. However, He will never stop trying to convince us to change our minds and repent. This is the nature of His undying love for us. Let us pray that we will open our hearts to it always.

1 I, John, heard the Lord saying to me: “To the angel of the Church in Sardis, write this: ‘The one who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars says this: “I know your works, that you have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2 Be watchful and strengthen what is left, which is going to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God. 3 Remember then how you accepted and heard; keep it, and repent. If you are not watchful, I will come like a thief, and you will never know at what hour I will come upon you. 4 However, you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their garments; they will walk with me dressed in white, because they are worthy. 5 The victor will thus be dressed in white, and I will never erase his name from the book of life but will acknowledge his name in the presence of my Father and of his angels. 6 Whoever has ears ought to hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”’ 14 To the angel of the Church in Laodicea, write this: ‘The Amen, the faithful and true witness, the source of God’s creation, says this: 15 “I know your works; I know that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either cold or hot. 16 So, because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. 17 For you say, ‘I am rich and affluent and have no need of anything,’ and yet do not realize that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. 18 I advise you to buy from me gold refined by fire so that you may be rich, and white garments to put on so that your shameful nakedness may not be exposed, and buy ointment to smear on your eyes so that you may see. 19 Those whom I love, I reprove and chastise. Be earnest, therefore, and repent. 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, then I will enter his house and dine with him, and he with me. 21 I will give the victor the right to sit with me on my throne, as I myself first won the victory and sit with my Father on his throne. 22 Whoever has ears ought to hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

R: I will seat the victor beside me on my throne.

2 He who walks blamelessly and does justice; who thinks the truth in his heart 3 and slanders not with his tongue. (R) Who harms not his fellow man, nor takes up a reproach against his neighbor; 4 by whom the reprobate is despised, while he honors those who fear the Lord. (R) 5 Who lends not his money at usury and accepts no bribe against the innocent. He who does these things shall never be disturbed. (R)

Zacchaeus is an interesting study. It is evident that the sin of corruption had somehow captured his heart and that, as a tax collector, he had ample opportunity to practice this vice. However, something new has happened and he has been convicted of his sinful ways. It is good for us to see that Zacchaeus decides that repentance is not enough. He needs to make restitution for the sins he has committed. Let us also seek to repair the hurt our sins have caused wherever possible.

God loved us, and sent his Son as expiation for our sins.

1 At that time Jesus came to Jericho and intended to pass through the town. 2 Now a man there named Zacchaeus, who was a chief tax collector and also a wealthy man, 3 was seeking to see who Jesus was; but he could not see him because of the crowd, for he was short in stature. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree in order to see Jesus, who was about to pass that way. 5 When he reached the place, Jesus looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house.” 6 And he came down quickly and received him with joy. 7 When they all saw this, they began to grumble, saying, “He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner.” 8 But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “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.” 9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house because this man too is a descendant of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost.”

think:  Jesus calls each of us to make a decision to either follow where He leads or go our own way.

READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Jeremiah 35-38

UTMOST FOR HIS HIGHEST!

The trip to Jericho is still true for today’s tourists and pilgrims in the Holy Land. One feature of that trip is the sight of an old, big sycamore tree.

       Zacchaeus was a small man, but he had huge assets as a chief tax collector. But more than this, Zacchaeus sure knew how to add more than just a few inches to his low stature. He clambered up one of those trees to catch a glimpse of the Lord who was passing by.

       Those of you who have been there would know that it is not easy to climb up a tree with such a massive trunk. Presumably, Zacchaeus was able to do so with a little help from friends. After all, what were a few shekels for, if they could buy you a willing shoulder or two to step on as you move up higher, literally heads and shoulders above the rest of the crowds?

       But I do not intend to bash Zacchaeus today. In fact, I intend to honor him and offer him as an example for you and me. At the very least, Zacchaeus was a man who looked actively for the Lord and did everything to achieve his dream. I really couldn’t care less how he did it, whom he used, and whose shoulders he turned into a makeshift stirrup.

       But I do admire the man’s curiosity and deep interest to see the Lord, even from a distance. His desire was laudable, and his commitment and dedication to do whatever it took to catch a glimpse of the Lord even commendable.

       We all have pious thoughts and desires. We come up with resolutions each time we celebrate Holy Week or Christmas, or even New Year. But often we lack resolve. Resolutions go the way of most political promises during campaign periods. We lose sight of them and we end up exactly the way we were.

       We should give credit to Zacchaeus for showing an efficacious desire that was translated into concrete actions. He did all he could and used whatever he had just to see the Lord. Fr. Chito Dimaranan, SDB

REFLECTION QUESTION: When was the last time you did the utmost for His Highest?

Grant me a resolute heart, O Lord, to do my best to live as a real Christian every day.