“Making significant changes in our life, to experience the magnanimous wonders and graces from our ‘Big God!’”

(Based on 2 Macc 6:18-31 and Lk 19:1-10 – Tuesday of the 33rd Week in Ordinary Time, Year 1)

A tourist, in a large city, – elderly, and not very familiar with modern technology – was determined to walk from his place of stay, and visit a famous church.

He had a map with him.
He walked fast, head high, map in hand….
… confident, certain.

But after an hour of walking, nothing looked familiar.

Streets felt strange. Landmarks were missing. His heart began to sink.

Finally, he stopped, enquired regarding the map to a passerby, and realised the truth:
The map was outdated.

The roads had changed.
And he was walking – boldly, proudly – towards the wrong destination.

For a moment, pride whispered: “Don’t turn back… just keep going.”

But truth spoke louder in his heart:
“Better to feel foolish for a minute…
… than being lost for a lifetime.”

He laughed at himself, turned around, changed direction…
… and within minutes, he was standing exactly where he needed to be.

Sometimes the biggest miracle begins with the smallest U-turn.

The Gospel of the Day takes us through a life-changing incident of a Little Man – Zacchaeus.

He was walking in life with ‘a wrong map’…
… but the moment he changed direction, Jesus changed his destiny!

The story begins with Jesus coming to Jericho and intending to pass through the town (Lk 19:1)

Jericho has a long history, especially seen in the Old Testament.

Jericho was the first city to be conquered by the Israelites under Joshua. (Josh 6:1-27)

It was surrounded by a huge wall.

However, with directives from God and under the leadership of Joshua, the city was laid siege.

On the appointed day, Joshua ordered the people to shout & the walls of the city collapsed and the Israelites destroyed it.

Joshua laid a curse on the one who would rebuild this city.

Thus, Jericho bore the brunt of a curse.

It is to this ‘place of curse’ that Jesus makes his entry.

As Jesus makes his entry to this cursed place, a little man named Zacchaeus climbs & hides himself behind the leaves of a sycamore tree.

Zacchaeus was a rejected man.
This rejection was on two levels:

A personal level
A societal level

The Gospel mentions that Zacchaeus was “short in stature” (Lk 19:3)

It is interesting to note that “Zacchaeus” in Greek means…
… the pure – a just one

However when St Luke speaks of him as being “short in stature,” it was a pointer…
… that he was perhaps living a life contradictory to what his own name suggested.

His being short was probably referring to the fact…
… that as a tax collector, he was living a life of corruption
… that as a rich man, he was still quite unsatisfied in life

Being short, he faced a sense of rejection…
… in his own self!

At the same time, Zacchaeus was also rejected by the society.

The Gospel describes him as being a tax collector.

Under the Roman system, tax collecting jobs were outsourced to people…
… who bought the right to collect taxes.

Tax collectors paid a fixed amount of tax to Rome

After that, they enriched themselves by forcing the public to pay far more than what Rome required.

Zacchaeus thus became a tax collector for the hated Roman government

He was probably treated as a heathen…
… isolated from all social life
… equated with the Gentiles at a distance when he went to the temple!

Thus, being a tax-collector, he faced a sense of rejection…
… in his own society and among his own people!

Besides, Zacchaeus was a “chief” tax collector…
… so his rejection was still more “chief” – greater and graver.

Do we also find ourselves to be rejected – just as Zacchaeus was?

Despising ourselves because of our own weaknesses and shortcomings?
… Being despised by the society, when we take a conviction that is opposed to the worldly and materialistic ways?

Despising ourselves, because of the weight of habitual sins and prolonged bad habits?
… Being despised by the society, when we fail to abide by the unholy trends of the modern world?

Zacchaeus, however, stands as an example and challenge to us…
… to not get dejected by such rejections!

Instead to “deeply desire” for the Lord and be ready to climb the sycamore tree of “sadness, rejection, disappointment and dejection” in our lives!

When we climb above our pride, Jesus calls us by name!

The Lord is gazing, addressing and seeking for us.

Am I ready to encounter, to listen and to be found by Him?

A ‘Yes’ to the question, will also mean taking some radical decisions in our life, just like Zacchaeus did…

Giving up of possessions…
Letting go of my undue desire for money, cheap popularity, the riches in my life etc.
Repaying those whom I have cheated…
Forgiving and accepting those whom I hurt, whom I don’t like, whom I am not in good terms etc.

Zacchaeus’ encounter with Jesus made him a transformed person

This same transformation is at hand for us!

Let’s realise that “even the most confident walk becomes a lost walk, if the map is wrong!”

It’s not shameful to turn around…
… it’s dangerous, not to!

Let, us, learn from the ‘little man’ and make significant changes in our life…
… to experience the magnanimous wonders and graces from our ‘Big God!’

God Bless! Live Jesus!

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📖 Discovering the beauty of the Catholic Church through the Catechism
MAN’S VOCATION LIFE IN THE SPIRIT – GOD’S SALVATION: LAW AND GRACE – The Sixth Commandment – You shall not commit adultery- Male and Female He created them

The deliberate use of the sexual faculty, for whatever reason, outside of marriage is essentially contrary to its purpose.”
For here sexual pleasure is sought outside of “the sexual relationship which is demanded by the moral order…

… and in which the total meaning of mutual self-giving and human procreation in the context of true love is achieve. (CCC # 2352)