Nov 17, 1998
33rd Week Year LK 19: 1-10
SAM 6:30 AM
SAM = St Augustine Monastery, Antigonish, Canada
ZACCHAEUS climbed the Sycamore Tree......because he was of Small Stature. He wanted to see what Jesus looked like...but couldn’t because of the crowd....so he climbed up a TREE...to get a better look.
WE OUGHT TO REMEMBER that Zacchaeus.....as far as his fellow countrymen were concerned he had “SOLD OUT”. He was like MATTHEW....a Tax Collector who betrayed his own people. Everyone disliked him........EXCEPT Our Lord!
CHRIST SAW IN ZACCHAEUS the Potential of being a really Good Person, even an Apostle even a Saint! Christ began to FREE Zacchaeus of his GREED.....when He said....“Zacchaeus hurry & come down...for I must stay at your House today. ” Zacchaeus was THRILLED to welcome Jesus into his home!
CHRIST’S LOVE & GRACE...for Zacchaeus...began to change him...because he began to say YES to Christ’s calling. We ought to compare this CHANGE upon Zaccheaus to what happens in the lives of many people today.
WE CAN OFFEND others by all kinds of Uncharitable acts, large & small such as: Greed, Fraud, Arguing or .....shouting in the home where.... PEACE &LOVE should reign supreme all the time. MANY PEOPLE do not “SEE GOD”.... because of the “crowded condition” of their Soul & their Lives. They have let the “CROWDS” of...Persons, Places, & Things...even TIME itself...CREEP into their Souls...in Place of God. When this goes to the Extreme.....to the outer Limits....we call it SIN
GOD CAN BE CROWDED OUT...Obscured by Spiritual Blindness, Ignorance,Laziness or what have you . Sometimes God let’s an Infusion of Grace come into the Soul...& the Soul wakes up...& like Zacchaeus is deeply effected. Then there comes a Desire to REFORM....just like the Prodigal Son. SO....he climbs up the Tree of Grace...up out of the Quagmire of the “CROWD”...& all the many things that can CROWD God out of one’s Life.
TODAY WE SEE A GREAT PUSH to make People....want to BLEND into the Crowd...to be one of the Crowd. Many don’t want to be Morally Different from the Crowd. When this happens....Individual Responsibilty becomes Blurred...even Lost or Forgotten. At this point many are “numbed” into NOT worrying too much about where one’s SOUL stands before God.
THE “CROWD PSYCHOSIS” idea of today has too many people...“Mesmerized” causing a state of Confusion & Mixed up Principles. For Instance, we hear young people say....” everyone’s doing it”....& so they draw the conclusion that it must be OK Morally! We see this Daily on the TV Talk Shows. The question is asked......”How Many think...this is RIGHT”....& Up go the Hands!
THE CORRECT REPLY is:...”NOT Everybody is doing it!” RIGHT would still be right even if...nobody did it....& wrong would still be be Wrong...even if Everybody did it. MORALITY has nothing whatsoever to do with the “Numbers Game.”
GROWTH IN VIRTUE first & foremost is an Individual & Personal matter .......& just HOW much growth depends on.....how much one cooperates with the Grace God gives. Just as Zacchaeus heard God’s Voice....&very quickly gave out with a great BIG YES LORD.....”here I come”.....& he climbed down the Tree....& RAN to meet the Lord!
WE ALL SHOULD WANT to be Like Zaccheous....& say....”Lord....please change me with Your Grace. I Know I can’t do all this by myself...so please help me, your willing servant...
....SO THAT I MAY KNOW YOU MORE....& SERVE YOU BETTER”.
ALWAYS TRY TO STAY CLOSE TO GOD...& HIS GRACE.
ALL THOSE WHO DO SO.....CAN SAVE HIS/HER OWN SOUL...
& EVEN THE SOULS OF OTHERS!