Climb the Tree

Today’s Gospel Text:  He entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 And there was a man named Zacchae'us; he was a chief tax collector, and rich. 3 And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not, on account of the crowd, because he was small of stature. 4 So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was to pass that way. 5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchae'us, make haste and come down; for I must stay at your house today." 6 So he made haste and came down, and received him joyfully. 7 And when they saw it they all murmured, "He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner." 8 And Zacchae'us stood and said to the Lord, "Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have defrauded any one of anything, I restore it fourfold." 9 And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of man came to seek and to save the lost." Luke 19:1-10

Reflection: So often in life we feel we do not meet up to God’s standards and demands and we tend to keep away from God and thus are loser's that could have found transformation in the love of God..

We look at our own sinfulness and poverty of spirit and think that the Lord will not accept us nor welcome us in love.

Many a times we look at ourselves in the light of other men who are either holy or appear to be holy and we think we are our poor self in comparison to them and we do not fit into God’s plan in any way.

The Gospel text teaches us that we are wrong: No matter and whatever our stature, whether in our own eyes or in the eyes of others, we are still welcome in God’s eyes.

The fact that Jesus looked at Zacchae’us and welcomed him by assuring to go to his place is proof of God’s love and mercy towards the unrighteous sinner.

This could be a reasonable argument: “Well Jesus could look at the short in stature Zacchaeus because he could climb the tree and make himself visible.”

Though God could fail to look at the short in stature on account of their sinfulness, even though he loves them, yet he has given them various means to turn to his love.

And one of the best means that he has given us is the tree on which each one can climb on in order to draw God’s attention towards us just the way Zacchaeus did. 

The tree that God offers us is much more wonderful than the tree that condemned Adam or the tree that saved Zacchaeus.

It is the tree of the cross which every sinner can come to, no matter how big their sin or dark their sinfulness,  no matter how short in stature they may be, in God’s plan we are offered a tree which he embraced through the death of his Son Jesus on it.

Countless generations have found their Salvation at this tree of God's love, manifest in all its perfection, which only exudes life and attracts God’s total attention.  

Prayer:  Lord, as I bow low before thy Holy Cross, transform me by thy love manifested on the cross and cleansed by thy blood strengthen me to serve you with unfailing zeal.

DD = Dedicated Discipleship:  Come grow in the Lord with us

Cross of Christ

Today’s Gospel Text: Now it happened that as he was praying alone the disciples were with him; and he asked them, "Who do the people say that I am?" 19 And they answered, "John the Baptist; but others say, Eli'jah; and others, that one of the old prophets has risen." 20 And he said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" And Peter answered, "The Christ of God." 21 But he charged and commanded them to tell this to no one, 22 saying, "The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised." Luke 9:18-22

Reflection: “But he charged and commanded them to tell this to no one.” (vs.21) Jesus asks them after  they have answered then instructs them strictly to tell no one about him.

What is this big idea of asking his disciples to tell no one when he himself has asked them?

I can only think about the greatest information Jesus himself may be having about himself, namely that of his impending death: "The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised." (vs.22)

If that is so then everything else can wait, every kind of knowledge about himself can wait, even if it is the best knowledge about himself. At the same time no knowledge about himself, no matter how good and fantastic it may be, is not worth its salt, unless it is salted by the fire of the cross.

Did St. Paul mean the same, when he said: “For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles,but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.”1 Cor 1:21-24

Whatever good we may do in life and even the most marvelous works in his name but if our work is not salted by the fire of the cross of Christ and the love of it then we are useless and our work a rubble.

The dedicated disciples of Jesus, must have picked up the value of the message of the cross much later than his resurrection, some of them as they went along proclaiming Christ Jesus.

Nevertheless they were all salted at some point or the other as they went along and this added power to their ministry which still shines forth in the Church down till this age.

Prayer: Lord, as I meditate on your cross, may I grow in loving you and your great sacrifice celebrated at every Eucharist.

DD = Dedicated Discipleship:  Come grow in the Lord with us