Readings & Reflections with Cardinal Tagle’s Video: Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time C & St. Martin de Porres, November 3,2019

Jesus intended to pass through Jericho, but stopped instead for someone who “was seeking to see who Jesus was.” Wisdom says that God rebukes offenders little by little, and reminds them of their sins so that they may abandon their wickedness and believe in him (Ws 12:2). Thus, Jesus stops, look up, and speaks. And as Zacchaeus peers into the face of Jesus, he recognizes his “Lord and lover of souls.” In his soul he prays, “You have mercy on all… and you overlook people’s sins that they may repent.” The effectiveness of Christ’s mercy is seen in the fact that “sinners drop from the trees like ripe fruit” (Fr. Stephen Dominic Hayes, O.P.). May God “powerfully bring to fulfillment every good purpose and every effort of faith,” especially when we stray. Even in those moments, may we always seek the Son who “has come to seek and to save what was lost.” In his encounter with Jesus, Zacchaeus shows the depth of his repentance by deciding to give half of his goods to the poor and to use the other half for making restitution for fraud. Zacchaeus’ testimony included his change of heart that resulted in a change of life that the whole community could witness as genuine. How about us today? Do we make room for Jesus in our heart, our home, our parish and in every area of our life? “Remember when you leave this earth, you can take with you nothing that you have received only what you have given: A heart enriched by honest service, love, sacrifice and courage” (St. Francis of Assisi).

Who is Mary according to Scripture?

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Opening Prayer

“Lord, come and stay with me.  Fill my home with your presence and fill my heart with your praise.  Help me to show kindness and mercy to all, even those who cause me harm.” In your Mighty and loving Name, I pray. Amen.

Reading I
Wis 11:22-12:2 – You have mercy on all because you love all things that are.

Before the LORD the whole universe is as a grain from a balance
or a drop of morning dew come down upon the earth.
But you have mercy on all, because you can do all things;
and you overlook people’s sins that they may repent.
For you love all things that are
and loathe nothing that you have made;
for what you hated, you would not have fashioned.
And how could a thing remain, unless you willed it;
or be preserved, had it not been called forth by you?
But you spare all things, because they are yours,
O LORD and lover of souls,
for your imperishable spirit is in all things!
Therefore you rebuke offenders little by little,
warn them and remind them of the sins they are committing,
that they may abandon their wickedness and believe in you, O LORD!

The word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 145:1-2, 8-9, 10-11, 13, 14
R. (cf. 1) I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God.

I will extol you, O my God and King,
and I will bless your name forever and ever.
Every day will I bless you,
and I will praise your name forever and ever.
R. I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God.

The LORD is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and of great kindness.
The LORD is good to all
and compassionate toward all his works.
R. I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God.

Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD,
and let your faithful ones bless you.
Let them discourse of the glory of your kingdom
and speak of your might.
R. I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God.

The LORD is faithful in all his words
and holy in all his works.
The LORD lifts up all who are falling
and raises up all who are bowed down.
R. I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God.

Reading II
2 Thess 1:11-2:2 – May the name of Christ be glorified in you and you in him.

Brothers and sisters:
We always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and powerfully bring to fulfillment every good purpose and every effort of faith, that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, in accord with the grace of our God and Lord Jesus Christ.

We ask you, brothers and sisters, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our assembling with him, not to be shaken out of your minds suddenly, or to be alarmed either by a “spirit,” or by an oral statement, or by a letter allegedly from us to the effect that the day of the Lord is at hand.

The word of the Lord.

Gospel
Luke 19:1-10 – The Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost.

Bishop Robert Barron’s Homily: The love of predilection click below:

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

The Gospel of the Lord.

Reflection 1 – Lover of souls

Dr. Scott Hahn’s reflection click below:

Our Lord is a lover of souls, the Liturgy shows us today. As we sing in today’s Psalm, He is slow to anger and compassionate towards all that He has made.

In His mercy, our First Reading tells us, He overlooks our sins and ignorance, giving us space that we might repent and not perish in our sinfulness (see Wisdom 12:10; 2 Peter 3:9).

In Jesus, He has become the Savior of His children, coming himself to save the lost (see Isaiah 63:8-9; Ezekiel 34:16).

In the figure of Zacchaeus in today’s Gospel, we have a portrait of a lost soul. He is a tax collector, by profession a “sinner” excluded from Israel’s religious life. Not only that, he is a “chief tax collector.” Worse still, he is a rich man who has apparently gained his living by fraud.

But Zacchaeus’ faith brings salvation to his house. He expresses his faith in his fervent desire to “see” Jesus, even humbling himself to climb a tree just to watch Him pass by. While those of loftier religious stature react to Jesus with grumbling, Zacchaeus receives Him with joy.

Zacchaeus is not like the other rich men Jesus meets or tells stories about (see Luke 12:16-21; 16:19-31; 18:18-25). He repents, vowing to pay restitution to those he has cheated and to give half of his money to the poor.

By his humility he is exalted, made worthy to welcome the Lord into his house. By his faith, he is justified, made a descendant of Abraham (see Romans 4:16-17).

As He did last week, Jesus is again using a tax collector to show us the faith and humility we need to obtain salvation.

We are also called to seek Jesus daily with repentant hearts. And we should make our own Paul’s prayer in today’s Epistle: that God might make us worthy of His calling, that by our lives we might give glory to the name of Jesus. – Read the source: https://stpaulcenter.com/reflections/lover-of-souls-scott-hahn-reflects-on-the-31st-sunday-in-ordinary-time

Reflection 2 – The call of Zacchaeus

Today, Jesus sets His focus on Zacchaeus, a tax collector who was tagged by his fellowmen as a dreadful sinner.  He was considered a traitor to the Jewish nation as he acted as a mercenary for the Roman government.  He collected taxes from his fellow countrymen and subsequently paid them to the Roman government. In the process, they believed that he enriched himself in his position and exchanged them for the wealth that his position afforded him. They looked down on him because of his livelihood and his low stature. Zacchaeus was therefore not special and not exactly a model for all of us to follow.

However, there was one thing he did which I believe is worth looking into. Maybe, after having heard about Jesus, His teachings and the miracles He has done among the multitudes who sought Him, he likewise felt the urge to do just as what the rest were doing. He realized he had to seek Jesus, see Him and maybe catch His attention. Considering the way he was treated and discriminated by his fellow Jews it could have been a task just to get past them, much more be noticed by Jesus. But Zacchaeus in his sincere desire to know more about Jesus and with some hope in his heart that He will forgiven for his misdeeds, went out of his way so that Jesus will see him.  He made sure he was very creative in order to attain his objective. He climbed a sycamore tree which was along Jesus’ route, in order to see Him. He did what he believed was necessary not only to see Jesus but be noticed by Him.

In our own spiritual journey, how many times have we been quite creative so that we will be where our Lord is, so that we will be along the path He wants us to take, so that we may be truly in communion with Him?   Have we done what is necessary so that we are able to welcome Jesus in our own homes… in our own hearts? Or have we avoided Him and always insisted that it is not yet our time to be with the Lord?

If we make sure that Jesus is welcome in our hearts, I know that there will be nothing that will stop Him from entering our lives. No amount of criticism or discouragement will ever stop Jesus from coming to us. Jesus goes out of His way for sincere and humble people who go out of their way to meet with Him, be with Him and who desire to unite their lives with Him.

Jesus welcomes every man to His fold especially people who acknowledge their sinfulness before Him and those who decide to turn around and do what is good and acceptable to Him and the Father. Rejoice for we have a faithful God Who came for sinners and not for the self righteous, a God Who does not limit Himself to the good and godly but to those who are lost and away from His fold!

Direction

We need to acknowledge our sinfulness and repent. “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost.”

Prayer

Heavenly Father amidst my pride and my self righteousness, make me aware of my sins and repent for them. In Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Reflection 3 – Coming Down Is Coming Home!

This story actually happened to a priest in Samar. Back then, the roads were not concrete and the bridges were made of wooden planks built on columns and beams from coconut lumber. The most convenient way for priests to move around was by motorcycle. On that particular day, this priest was a little distracted when he crossed the bridge, and he fell down the river. Luckily, the bridge was not too high and the river was only waist-high. And most importantly, nobody else was around. When people saw him with his motorcycle in the river, they were alarmed, and asked, “Father, what happened? Why are you down there?” The priest assured them, “Don’t worry! I just stopped by to wash my motorcycle.”

It is always said that climbing up is difficult, but coming down is scary and puts a lot of stress on the legs and joints. This is true in our life in this world. We struggle to go up the ladder of success. We invest a lot of our time, resources and efforts to reach the top. But nobody likes to come down – it is scary, painful and humiliating. No wonder we often hear of famous and powerful people who opted for drugs and even suicide just to escape the ignominy of failure and defeat. The priest in the river would not even admit that he fell off the bridge!

The story of Zacchaeus is a parable in action. He was a little man. But he was the chief tax collector. So he became rich and powerful. He was a great climber, not only of trees but also of the social ladder. All through his life, he has been struggling to reach the top, and in the process he lost the love and company of family and friends. He was the most hated and unhappy man in the city. When Jesus passed by and looked up at the sycamore tree, he did not see a rich and powerful man in Zacchaeus, but a lonely child struggling to stay on top, resisting in vain the pull of gravity. He was tired, unhappy and afraid.

Then he heard the most beautiful and consoling words from Jesus: “Zacchaeus, come down quickly for today I must stay at your house.” These words opened his eyes to the futility of struggling to stay on top. Unlike most people at the top, Zacchaeus was all too happy to come down, having realized there is more meaning and excitement in the life below, together with family and friends. Most especially, he was thrilled at the thought of Jesus staying at his house. In coming down, he found the comfort and peace of the love and mercy of Jesus.

The story of Zacchaeus contains some paradox. He climbed the tree for he “was seeking to see Jesus.” But in reality, it was Jesus who was looking for him. That is why Jesus said to him, “I must stay in your house today.” He deemed it necessary to stay at the house of a sinner precisely to seek and save the lost sheep. Secondly, he welcomed Jesus into his house, but it was actually Jesus who welcomed him back into the loving arms of God. And finally, when he promised to give half of his riches to the poor, it did not diminish his wealth a bit. On the contrary, it opened his heart to receive the true and eternal riches of God’s kingdom – forgiveness, new life, true happiness and eternal salvation.

The realization of the magnitude of God’s graces filled Zacchaeus’ heart with immense joy and gratitude that led him to great generosity: “Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor.” Zacchaeus gives us a beautiful example of the Christian virtues of humility, gratitude and generosity.

In all humility, Zacchaeus admitted his sins and shortcomings, and was truly sorry for them. And he promised restitution: “If I have extorted anything from anyone I shall repay it four times over.” Instead of condemnation, Jesus showed mercy and compassion for him. And among the many people in the crowd, the Lord singled him out and called him by name. The love and forgiveness he received from Jesus made him extremely grateful and he welcomed him into his house with supreme delight and joy. And this gratitude led him to generosity: “Half of my possessions I shall give to the poor.”

These three virtues exemplified by Zacchaeus should be present in us every time we come together to celebrate the Mass. We begin with the Penitential Rite. This is our Lord calling us: “Come down quickly from that tree of pride and sin.” So we humble ourselves and ask God’s mercy and pardon. This act of humility makes us properly disposed for the sacred celebration “for God opposes the proud but bestows favor on the humble” (1Pet 5:5).

Furthermore, the Mass is God’s greatest gift to us – the saving and loving presence of Jesus. It is fittingly called Eucharist, a thanksgiving, for it is the best way to express our gratitude to God for all His gifts. Once, St. Teresa was overwhelmed with God’s Goodness, and asked the Lord, “How can I thank You?” Our Lord replied, “Attend one Mass.”

And the best way to respond to God’s generosity is also by our own, though limited, generosity. Like Zacchaeus, we should be able to generously share our blessings with those who are in need. That is why at the end of the Mass, the priest says, “The Mass is ended. Go in peace.” He sends us on a mission. What we have received in the Mass – God’s abundant love, forgiveness and generosity – we also ought to share with others. Having these three virtues then – humility, gratitude and generosity – we can hope to hear the same words of Jesus: “Today salvation has come to this house.” (Source: Fr. Mike Lagrimas, St. Michael the Archangel Parish, Amsterdam St., Capitol Park Homes, Matandang Balara, Quezon City 1119).

Reflection 4 – What will I do to prepare to meet the Lord Jesus?

November 1st – All Saints & November 2nd – All Souls Day, we commemorate our departed brothers and sisters who are now in heaven or in purgatory because we believe in life after death. The Catechism teaches that our lives are measured by time, in the course of which we grow old, and death seems like the normal end of life. To rise with Christ, we must die with Christ: we must “be away from the body and at home with the Lord” (2 Cor 5:8). In that “departure” which is death the soul is separated from the body (Phil 1:23). It will be reunited with the body on the day of resurrection of the dead (CCC: 1005-7). In death, God calls us to himself and can transform our death into an act of obedience and love to the Father after the example of Christ (CCC: 1011).

In today’s Gospel (Lk19:1-10), Zacchaeus climbed a sycamore tree in order to see Jesus who was about to pass that way. When Jesus reached the place, Jesus looked up and said, “Zacchaeus, come down quickly for today I must stay at your house. And he came down quickly and received him with joy” (Lk 19:5). In his encounter with Jesus, Zacchaeus shows the depth of his repentance by deciding to give half of his goods to the poor and to use the other half for making restitution for fraud. Zacchaeus’ testimony included his change of heart that resulted in a change of life that the whole community could witness as genuine. How about us today?  By coming down quickly to answer this call like Zacchaeus, we can make our parish alive and vibrant by our active participation in Worship, Service and Witness to the Gospel. We can enhance the presence of Our Lord in our midst upon receiving Him in the Eucharist at least every Sunday. Volunteering to serve Our Lord is a gift of faith and the actualization of our being baptized and confirmed to work for His vineyard/parish. “Remember when you leave this earth, you can take with you nothing that you have received only what you have given: A heart enriched by honest service, love, sacrifice and courage” (St. Francis of Assisi). Let us also pray for our faithful departed in Purgatory (cf. 2 Maccabees 12:42-46; 1 Cor 3:11-15; Rom 2:6) and offer masses for them as the Catechism (CCC # 1371) teaches, “The Eucharistic sacrifice is also offered for the faithful departed who “have died in Christ but are not yet wholly purified,” so that they may be able to enter into the light and peace of Christ…..” For more reflection on Purgatory 101: Does the Church even still teach Purgatory and what exactly is the purpose of Purgatory click this link: http://www.pagadiandiocese.org/2015/10/28/purgatory-101-does-the-church-even-still-teach-purgatory-and-what-exactly-is-the-purpose-is-of-purgatory/

Reflection 5 – Zacchaeus story for us

The name Zacchaeus means ‘pure’. Zacchaeus was chief tax collector in Jericho and he was rich. When Jesus came there, Zacchaeus being small of stature climbed a tree to see him. Jesus saw him and invited himself to the house of the tax collector, thus making himself unclean in the sight of the orthodox Jews. His words and his act brought about the wholesome repentance of Zacchaeus (Lk 19:1-10). What is the message of Jesus in this story for us today?

Similarly, the Former Secretary General of the United Nations, Dag Hammarskjold, wrote: “I don’t know who or what put the question. I don’t know when it was put. I don’t even remember answering it. But at some moment I did answer yes to Someone and from that hour I was certain that existence is meaningful and that, therefore, my life, in self-surrender, had a goal.”

In the gospel, Zacchaeus looked around at the admiring crowd, thought of his position and all that he had to lose. But at some point, he decided to play a fool. He simply had to see Jesus and open himself to the invitation of grace and repentance. When he did, he was never the same again.

What Jesus did for Zacchaeus, he has done for us. He has entered our world, which in truth is the home of sinners. We are blessed indeed by this shocking behavior by the Son of God. With the eyes of faith, we see Jesus as our Savior, and with the ears of faith we hear him speak to us. On the day of our baptism he called us by name. He knew who we were because his Father, our Creator, had pointed us out to him. We became God’s sons and daughters.

Baptism opens for us the door to his home, the Church, were Jesus our host invites us to a sacred meal, his body and his blood in the Holy Eucharist. We have this enormous privilege every Sunday, or even every day if we wish.

Jesus expects that we will change whatever we must in order to follow his teachings, just as Zacchaeus did. At the conclusion of Mass, we are told, “Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.” That is our commission to be faithful to the will of God.

Then the Lord is asking us today, when we ever get down from our high position? When will we ever dance in public before the Lord? When will we ever forget our dignity and position and run and embrace another? When will we ever leave everything and jump overboard for Christ? When will we let go of our comfortable life and reconnect with Jesus?

We know the gospel is right. It’s the only way – Jesus can declare that, for us, “today salvation has come to this house” (Lk 19:9).

Reflection 6 – Zacchaeus received Jesus joyfully

What would you do if Jesus knocked on your door and said, “I must stay at your home today”? Would you be excited or embarrassed? Jesus often “dropped-in” at unexpected times and he often visited the “uninvited” – the poor, the lame, and even public sinners like Zacchaeus, the tax collector! Tax collectors were despised and treated as outcasts, no doubt because they over-charged people and accumulated great wealth at the expense of others.

Zacchaeus was a chief tax collector and was much hated by all the people. Why would Jesus single him out for the honor of staying at his home? Zacchaeus needed God’s merciful love and forgiveness. In his encounter with Jesus he found more than he imagined possible. He shows the depth of his repentance by deciding to give half of his goods to the poor and to use the other half for making restitution for fraud. Zacchaeus’ testimony included more than words. His change of heart resulted in a change of life, a change that the whole community could experience as genuine.

Faith welcomes Christ in our heart and home
Saint Augustine of Hippo (354-430 AD) urges us to climb the sycamore tree like Zacchaeus that we might see Jesus and embrace his cross for our lives:

Zacchaeus climbed away from the crowd and saw Jesus without the crowd getting in his way. The crowd laughs at the lowly, to people walking the way of humility, who leave the wrongs they suffer in God’s hands and do not insist on getting back at their enemies. The crowd laughs at the lowly and says, ‘You helpless, miserable clod, you cannot even stick up for yourself and get back what is your own.’ The crowd gets in the way and prevents Jesus from being seen. The crowd boasts and crows when it is able to get back what it owns. It blocks the sight of the one who said as he hung on the cross, ‘Father, forgive them, because they do not know what they are doing… He ignored the crowd that was getting in his way. He instead climbed a sycamore tree, a tree of ‘silly fruit.’ As the apostle says, ‘We preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block indeed to the Jews, [now notice the sycamore] but folly to the Gentiles.’ Finally, the wise people of this world laugh at us about the cross of Christ and say, ‘“What sort of minds do you people have, who worship a crucified God?’ What sort of minds do we have? They are certainly not your kind of mind. ‘The wisdom of this world is folly with God.’ No, we do not have your kind of mind. You call our minds foolish. Say what you like, but for our part, let us climb the sycamore tree and see Jesus. The reason you cannot see Jesus is that you are ashamed to climb the sycamore tree.

Let Zacchaeus grasp the sycamore tree, and let the humble person climb the cross. That is little enough, merely to climb it. We must not be ashamed of the cross of Christ, but we must fix it on our foreheads, where the seat of shame is. Above where all our blushes show is the place we must firmly fix that for which we should never blush. As for you, I rather think you make fun of the sycamore, and yet that is what has enabled me to see Jesus. You make fun of the sycamore, because you are just a person, but ‘the foolishness of God is wiser than men.'[Sermon 174.3.]

The Lord Jesus is always ready to make his home with each one of us. Do you make room for him in your heart and in every area of your life?

“Lord Jesus, come and stay with me. Fill my life with your peace, my home with your presence, and my heart with your praise. Help me to show kindness, mercy, and goodness to all, even to those who cause me ill-will or harm.” – Read the source: http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/readings/2019/nov3.htm

Reflection 7 – Campaign Of Reconciliation

The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost. —Luke 19:10

In Craig Nelson’s book The First Heroes, we read about the Doolittle Raiders who launched the first major counterattack on the Pacific front during World War II. Not all of the “raiders” returned from their bombing mission. Jacob DeShazer was among those who were captured and held in POW camps under difficult and painful circumstances.

DeShazer later returned to Japan after the war, but not to seek revenge. He had received Jesus as his Savior and had come back to Japanese soil carrying the message of Christ. A former warrior who was once on a campaign of war was now on a campaign of reconciliation.

DeShazer’s mission to Japan mirrors the heart of the Savior, who Himself came on a mission of love and reconciliation. Luke reminds us that when Christ came into the world, it was not merely to be a moral example or a compelling teacher. He came “to seek and to save” the lost (19:10). His love for us found its expression in the cross, and His rescue of us found its realization when He emerged triumphantly from the tomb in resurrected life.

In Christ we find forgiveness, and that forgiveness changes our life and our eternity—all because Jesus came on a campaign of reconciliation.  — Bill Crowder

While Jesus hung on Calvary’s cross,
The devil and his demons smiled;
Disciples grieved and mourned the loss,
But God and man were reconciled.  —Sper

We can go to others because Jesus came to us (Source: Our Daily Bread, RBC Ministries).

Reflection 8 – Rabbit-Hole Christians

Jesus . . . said to him, “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.” —Luke 19:5

Rabbits are timid creatures that pop out of their holes every morning, try to avoid everything (except other rabbits), eat their food, and jump back into their holes in the evening. “Whew! We made it through another day,” they’d say if they could talk.

Rabbit-hole Christians are a lot like that. They eat lunch with other Christians at work and relate almost exclusively with fellow-believers in their church. They avoid socializing with unbelievers and wouldn’t think of accepting an invitation to one of their parties. No wonder unbelievers equate being a Christian with a kind of aloof self-righteousness.

No one could say that about Jesus. He actually invited Himself to the home of Zacchaeus, a notorious tax collector. His congeniality among disreputable people earned Him the title of “a friend of tax collectors and sinners” (Matthew 11:19). He reached out to such people because He knew He couldn’t help them without becoming their friend. Jesus never said anything He shouldn’t have said, nor did He laugh at off-color stories. He won people’s respect by caring for them.

Jesus has equipped us with the Holy Spirit and assured us that He’ll be with us so we can follow His example. Let’s guard against being rabbit-hole Christians.
— Herbert Vander Lugt

Help us, O Lord, to live our lives
So people clearly see
Reflections of Your caring heart,
Your love and purity. —Sper

Jesus leaves us in the world to be a witness to the world (Source: Our Daily Bread, RBC Ministries).

Reflection 9 – The Ultimate Physician

I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold. —Luke19:8

Physicians can cure many illnesses, both physical and mental. But only Jesus can bring about the healing that makes bad people good.

A noted psychiatrist recognized his own limitations in a conversation he had with British clergyman William Barclay. “All that a psychiatrist can do,” said the doctor, “is strip a man naked until you get to the essential man; and if the essential man is bad stuff, there’s nothing you can do about it. That’s where you come in.” Barclay later commented, “I think he meant that this is where Jesus comes in.”

Zacchaeus was a bad man who needed inner healing. As a chief tax collector, he could take a cut from what his subordinates had collected. Therefore he was a wealthy man. Apparently he had heard about Jesus and wanted very much to see Him. Being short in stature, he climbed up into a tree to see above the crowd.

I believe Zacchaeus was overwhelmed with guilt when Jesus looked up and told him He was coming to his house. Later, he told Jesus he would give half his wealth to the poor and restore fourfold to any he had defrauded. Jesus said, “Today salvation has come to this house” (Luke 19:9). In that instant Zacchaeus was spiritually healed. Only the ultimate Physician can make bad people good.
— Herbert Vander Lugt

Jesus came to seek and save the lost,
Left heaven’s glory, minding not the cost;
Looking high and low and far and wide,
The Son of Man for all was crucified. —Hess

The ultimate Physician can reach you wherever you are (Source: Our Daily Bread, RBC Ministries).

Reflection 10 – Valuing others

As a young person, Robert had many things working against him – poverty, a broken home, a violent neighborhood. He skipped school often and was difficult to handle. But when a friend was shot to death, he considered it a wake-up call. Determined to change his life, Robert worked hard to bring his grades from failing to top marks.

Yet the school counselor did not believe in him and told him that no college would accept him. But Robert proved him wrong. He graduated from college and pursued a career in education. He chose that career in education. He chose that career because, as he says, “Teachers saw me as a non-entity” – a person of little value. He didn’t want that to happen to others.

Jesus views everyone as significant. Zacchaeus was a dishonest tax collector (Lk 19:1-10). Jesus could have ignored him, but He saw him in the tree and called him by name.

It’s important that Christians acknowledge others as people with value. Brennan Manning writes, “A Christian who doesn’t merely see but looks at another communicates to that person that he is being recognized as a human being in an impersonal world of objects.”

Do the people we interact will know that we view them as valuable to us and to God?

Burdened people everywhere need to know what Christ has done;

They need to feel God’s love and care.

It was for them He sent His Son.

Love people and not things, use things and not people (Source: Our Daily Bread, RBC Ministries).

Reflection 11 – Jesus leaves us in the world to be a witness to the world.

Sin and holiness are felt throughout the Mystical Body

The Book of Wisdom is the very last book of the Old Testament, probably composed within fifty years of the birth of Christ. Wisdom relates universal truths about faith and moral behavior: “You love all that exists, you hold nothing of what you have made in abhorrence, for had you hated anything you would not have formed it” (Wis 11:23). We should remember these words, in a few moments, when we make our Profession of Faith. The Creed invites us to start at the beginning, acknowledging first the existence of God, and then professing belief in God’s creation, which we see all around us, and which we are part of (CCC:198).

The Creed is the inevitable “next step” after the Book of Wisdom. The Old Testament illustrates the process by which God gradually lets us know who he is, and our Catechism sums this up when it says, “God revealed himself progressively … but the revelation that proved … fundamental … for both the Old and the New Covenants was the revelation of the divine name to Moses” (CCC:204).

Scriptural names are extremely important; they reveal something of the nature of the thing or person named. For God to reveal his name to Moses is an affirmation of his care in the past (“I am the God of your fathers”), as well as a pledge for the future (“I will be with you”). In this way, “God reveals himself as the God who is always there, present to his people in order to save them” (CCC:207). In the Creed, when we profess our faith in God, we also affirm our place in this long history of salvation. “All creatures receive all that they are and have from him” (CCC:213).

Like the Book of Wisdom, today’s Gospel teaches invaluable lessons about God’s intelligence and love. “In all his works, God displays not only his kindness, goodness, grace and steadfast love, but also his trustworthiness, constancy, faithfulness and truth” (CCC:214). And it leaves no doubt that when the Word became flesh, God showed himself willing to help us sort out from the inside all the ills our sin brought on creation. Jesus’ reaching out to Zacchaeus is a sign of all God’s goodness we profess in the Creed. It should also prove an attractive invitation to anyone reluctant to acknowledge God’s existence, or who hesitate to rejoice in his mercy. God cannot lie, and, “This is why one can abandon oneself in full trust to the truth and faithfulness of his word in all things” (CCC:215).

When Jesus climbed a tree at Calvary, the world got to see the single unmistakable sign of God’s love. Zacchaeus anticipates that revelation today, by climbing a tree of his own. St. Ambrose read this passage of the Gospel and proclaimed, “As for the crowd, was it not the ignorant multitude, incapable of seeing the heights of Wisdom? Zacchaeus, within the crowd, did not see Christ; lifting himself above the crowd, he saw. In other words, by surpassing common ignorance, he succeeded in contemplating the One he wanted.” St. Luke tells us that when Jesus spoke to him, Zacchaeus responded by addressing him as “Lord.” We do this all the time, so it may seem insignificant. But remember the importance of names in the Scripture. “Lord” is the title the disciples gave Jesus only after the resurrection. When Zacchaeus uses the title today, St. Luke is telling us Zacchaeus recognized him first. Moreover, Zacchaeus’ response is a model for us all, teaching us to acknowledge God’s greatness, to live a life of thanksgiving, to acknowledge the essential dignity of each person, and to make the proper use of created goods (CCC:222-226).

The Gospel ends with two important statements by Jesus. The first is, “today salvation has come to this house because this man, too, is a descendant of Abraham.” There is a social dimension to sin. Sin is never private and it never affects only the sinner. It affects all the world, depriving the sinner of a place in God’s family. Similarly, repentance and restitution also affect the Body of Christ, the means by which the sinner “regains” his or her place within the family of God. Secondly, Jesus proclaims that “the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost.” “Lost,” in this case, does not mean damned, or even doomed. It means misplaced, a wonderful word to describe what happens when we sin. When we leave the “state” of grace, we have lost our way and are always welcome back.

The Book of Wisdom today describes the love of a God who reminds, spares, rebukes and warns sinners because all things are his. We see these words in action in the Gospel, where Zacchaeus’ encounter with Jesus reminds us that revelation leads to recognition, recognition leads to surrender, and surrender to repentance, restitution, and Christ-like love and service of others. (Source: Fr. Reginald Martin, O.P. “Homilies for Sunday Liturgies and Feasts,” Homiletic & Pastoral Review, Vol. CX, No. 10. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, August/ September 2010, pp. 47-49; Suggested Reading: Catechism of the Catholic Church No. 198-209; 222-37).

Reflection 12 – Jesus has come to reverse the ordinary

The Book of Wisdom reminds us that everything God creates, including the sinner, is good. Hence, the sinner is not abandoned or rejected, but rather invited to a gradual process of conversion that will lead him or her back to God.

Psalm 145 confirms the intuitions of the Book of Wisdom and proclaims: “the Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness. The Lord is good to all and compassionate toward all his works.”

At the beginning of his second letter to the Thessalonians, Paul gives thanks to God for the Church in Thessalonica, and exhorts the community to remain steadfast in the faith, and in the practice of good works.

The context of today’s Gospel passage (Luke 18:15-43) shows us that Jesus has come to reverse the ordinary: He welcomes the insignificant (children and the blind beggar); he places heavy demands on the rich, while leaving the door open for their conversion (the rich young ruler and in today’s Gospel, Zacchaeus); and he blesses those who want to see (the blind beggar and Zacchaeus).

Homily
En route towards Jerusalem, Jesus had been busy: he rebuked those who were trying to prevent children from getting near him by saying: “let the little children come to me and do not stop them, for it is to such as these that the Kingdom of God belongs.” Then, he engaged in a conversation with a rich young ruler who wanted to inherit eternal life, but who was ultimately unable to follow him because he was chained to his wealth. Finally, as he drew near Jericho, Jesus heard the plea of a blind man and restored his sight, telling him, “Your faith has saved you.”

Zacchaeus’ story of conversion is a summary of these three stories: in his desire to see Jesus, Zacchaeus is like the blind man and the children. Like the children, however, Zacchaeus is unconcerned with what others may think of him: he climbs a tree without concern for what such silly action may do to his reputation as chief tax collector, and he pays no attention to what others may say with regards to his being a public sinner who wants to get close to a holy man. And finally, unlike the rich young ruler, Zacchaeus offers, without prompting from Jesus, to give half of his possessions to the poor and to repay four times over to all those he may have extorted.

Zacchaeus was a public sinner. He was a mercenary and a thief. No way to deny that. However, his childish enthusiasm and overflowing joy at seeing Jesus, and at being able to welcome him into his home, speaks of a profound readiness to change, to repent, to convert, and to give everything up in order to become a true follower of Jesus. What did Jesus see in Zacchaeus if not a son of God, a creature of the Most High God, a son of Abraham who was ready to come back to the Father’s house?

Moved by grace, Zacchaeus turned toward God, and away from sin, and so accepted forgiveness and righteousness from on high. Jesus’ divine initiative allowed the work of grace to precede, prepare, and elicit the free response of Zacchaeus. Since grace responds to the deepest yearnings of human freedom, calls freedom to cooperate with it, and perfects freedom, Zacchaeus cannot but respond to Jesus’ invitation to dine with him.

Notice that Jesus does not demand a plea for mercy, or a declaration of sorrow on the part of Zacchaeus. Jesus does not even question Zacchaeus about his faith, his level of repentance, his conversion or his desire to be his disciple. Instead, Jesus simply acts with great graciousness, mercy, and kindness. He is compassionate toward Zacchaeus, the public sinner, and does not abandon him or reject him, but offers him the gratuitous gift of life, healing of his sins, and ultimately, sanctification.

The story of Zacchaeus stands as a great challenge for those among us who are often tempted to disregard people as hopeless. It stands as a rebuke to those of us who, having labeled other as “murderers,” “terrorists,” “racists,” “rapists,” ignore the fact that Jesus can, and will, save all those who repent and beg for mercy: “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost.”

Jesus’ central mission was to seek and to save the lost. For this reason, he took great pains to take the initiative to find those who were lost. It is possible for us to imagine that as Zacchaeus was climbing the tree to see Jesus, Jesus was already looking at him, “seeking” him out so that he could be saved. May our participation in this Eucharist give us the sight of Jesus so that we may not label and condemn sinners, but seek them out and help them find their way back to God. Amen!

For further reading, see Catechism of the Catholic Church / Grace and justification, nos. 1987-2029. – Read the source: http://www.hprweb.com/2016/09/homilies-for-october-2016/

Reflection 13 – The Hound of Heaven

The poem “The Hound of Heaven” by Francis Thompson very beautifully and powerfully tells the story of a spiritual pursuit involving an individual person and God. Perhaps the greatest “surprise” of the poem is that it is not about the person pursuing God, but rather about God relentlessly pursuing one single person, even a person who has fled from God. The language of the poem is a little difficult, but it begins this way:

I fled Him, down the nights and down the days;
I fled Him, down the arches of the years;
I fled Him, down the labyrinthine ways
Of my own mind; and in the midst of tears
I hid from Him and, and under running laughter.
Up vistaed hopes I sped;
And shot, precipitated,
Adown Titanic glooms of chasmed fears,
From those strong Feet that followed, followed after.
But with unhurrying chase,
and unperturbed pace,
deliberate speed, majestic instancy,
They beat — and a Voice beat
More instant than the Feet —
“All things betray thee, who bestrayest Me.”

In today’s Gospel, Jesus answers the challenge of the crowd by saying that He, “the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost.” In Jesus Christ, we see that the Son of God is the “Hound of Heaven.” Although He enjoyed a perfect life in heaven, out of love He chose to become one of us in order to save us from sin and death.

And we see in today’s Gospel Jesus’s personal touch. Jesus not only came to save all of us, but also each of us, including Zacchaeus in today’s Gospel.

Now, Zacchaeus may not be exactly like the person described as fleeing from God in the poem “The Hound of Heaven.” After all, Zacchaeus clearly wanted to see Jesus, and even acts with some ingenuity in order to overcome the problem of his, well, to put it delicately, “vertical under-enhacement,” as he climbs up the tree in order to see Jesus. But we should also remember that Zacchaeus, like all of us, was certainly a sinner in some ways, and as a tax collector it is likely that he was involved in more sins than he might have been otherwise, since tax collection at that time was a relatively corrupt profession.

There is another passage from “The Hound of Heaven” that captures the moment of encounter with God after the flight of sin is ended, one that shows the poverty of sin giving way to total surrender to God. Here God addresses the sinner in the following words:

All which I took from thee I did but take,
Not for thy harms,
But just that thou might’st seek it in My arms.
All which thy child’s mistake
Fancies as lost, I have stored for thee at home:
Rise, clasp My hand, and come!

Beginning with his climb up the tree, and then with his coming down at the call of Jesus, his welcoming of Jesus into his home, his pledge to turn his life around and to make up for his past mistakes, and his commitment to live a godly life, we see Zacchaeus doing exactly what God tells the sinner to do in the poem: he clasps God’s hand, the hand stretched out to rescue him.

Many of us, at some point in our lives, have fled from God. And I would venture to say that many of us can point to one or a few significant moments when we were aware of God stretching out His hand to rescue us from what Scripture calls “the pit of destruction.” We should thank God repeatedly for saving us. And from time to time we should remember the very real spiritual danger we were in.

Also, undoubtedly, each of us is close to some people who are fleeing from God right now, who like Zacchaeus cannot see Christ but who may or may not be interested enough to climb the tree in order to see Him. Here we need to shift from placing ourselves in the position of Zacchaeus to the position of a member of the crowd.

We read in the Gospel that Zacchaeus could not see Jesus because of the crowd. We should ask ourselves: is there something about me that blocks other people’s view of Jesus Christ? Each of us is called to be another Christ in the world, to make Christ known to other people. And yet how often do we hear stories about someone who left the Church years ago because someone in the Church treated them badly?

I am very conscious as a priest that, while I need to be a strong leader, I never want to become the subject of the story someone tells twenty years from now about the last time he or she entered a Catholic Church. And so we all need to be careful that we are attracting people to Christ, not repelling them by our unkindness.

Now, being kind does not mean we compromise on the truth of our faith, or that we fail to correct and challenge people when needed. I also don’t mean to say that people have a good excuse for leaving the Church because of someone’s unkindness. Rather, the call of the Gospel is that we are responsible for radiating the love of Christ to other people, even when we challenge them. And all of us are responsible for having the determination of Zacchaeus, determination not to let obstacles keep us from seeking Christ and clasping His hand when He reaches out to save us.

The point of all of this is simple. Jesus has come to us because we could never have gone to Him on our own. He is the “Hound of Heaven,” who has come to seek and to save all who are lost. What we need is to “clasp (God’s) hand” by faithfully participating in the life of the Church, so that we might hear some of the sweetest words imaginable, words that echo the message of Jesus in today’s Gospel: “Today salvation has come to this house.” Today salvation has come to you. – Read the source:   https://www.hprweb.com/2019/10/homilies-for-november-2019/

Reflection 14 – Zacchaeus

An elderly man was walkng along the beach and he discovered and picked up a magic lamp. And of course, as everybody knows, when you find a magic lamp you rub it, and out came the genie. And the genie said, according to script, “Because you have released me from these thousand years of imprisonment in the lamp, you have whatever wish that you desire.”

The man thought for a moment, and then he replied, “My brother and I had a fight some thirty years ago, and he hasn’t spoken to me since. I wish he’d finally forgive me.”

And there was a sudden thunder clap, a big puff of smoke and the genie declared, “Your wish has been granted.” And then he said, “You know, I’ve been around a long time. Most men would have wanted wealth and palaces and jewels.” He went on, “I’m quite touched. You only wanted the love of your brother. Is it because you are old and dying?”

“No way,” the man said, “but he is, and he’s worth about sixty million.”

It’s like Leo Rosten’s Jewish joke about what happened two days after Mrs. Nussbaum’s funeral. The rabbi dropped in to console the widower, and to his astonishment he found the bereaved on the sofa kissing a dazzling redhead.

“Nussbaum,” said the rabbi, “your beloved is not even cold in the grave and already…?”

He says, “In my grief, should I know what I’m doing?”

Of course, the source of the humor of the stories is the turnaround. They give us an unexpected twist, and that’s why we laugh at them. But there’s something similar in today’s gospel. There is a standard understanding which is quite valid. And that understanding is that we have Zacchaeus, who is a dreadful sinner, one who is gouging the people and has become wealthy by squeezing money out of them. He is a sinner. He is a small man, both physically and morally. And he climbs up the sycamore tree, and Jesus sees him; Jesus calls him down; he converts, repents of his sins, and that’s the end of his story.

And as I said, that’s a perfectly good interpretation, but if you listen to the story carefully there’s another turn-around, another reading that’s quite possible here. One of the clues of a different reading is what Zacchaeus has to say. He says, “If I have defrauded any man…? He doesn’t say he has. Notice he has no admission of guilt in the story. He doesn’t strike his breast like another man in another story and say, “Oh God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” He simply says if he’s done anything wrong–with the implication that he really hasn’t–he’ll make up for it. He does not beg for mercy, and he does not express sorrow.

Furthermore, Jesus makes no reference to repentance and to conversion. And so there’s a clue that maybe something else is going on here.

Maybe it’s possible that Zacchaeus, in fact, is a good man, and his reputation for being evil is simply that: pure rumor and backbiting, and lies. And in this interpretation, therefore, what Jesus offers Zacchaeus is not forgiveness, but rather vindication. In fact in this reading Jesus says, “You are really not what they say you are. You’re all right in my book. I’ll dine with you.”

In other words, what we have here is a Zacchaeus story that can be read as being about a man who has been misjudged by people, and to that degree he stands in a long, long history of those who would be misjudged.

In 1842, Congress didn’t take Samuel Morse seriously when he explained to them his plans for a national telegraph system In fact, Senator Smith of Indiana thought he might be mentally ill. In 1876, the president of Western Union laughed at Alexander Graham Bell, calling his telephone a useless toy. In 1878 the British Parliament ridiculed Thomas Edison’s plans for an electric light, calling his invention unworthy of the attention of the scientific community. In 1908, people scoffed at Billy Durant for suggesting that someday it might be possible that cars would replace the horse and buggy. In 1940, military experts scoffed at the notion that the helicopter could possibly be of any kind of military use.

And so it is, you see, with this whole system here in the gospel text. What you have are people who have an impression about Zacchaeus that is way off the mark. Jesus sees through the rumors and the reputation to this man of a good heart. It is only people who have a deep and abiding religious sense who have the ability to do that. So the story turns around and says, if you think about it, that if anybody needed forgiveness, it was those who accompanied Jesus and who had prejudged poor Zacchaeus, those saying that he was a sinner when, in fact, he was innocent. And so Jesus offered Zacchaeus vindication and acceptance where others had judged him wrongly.

This interpretation opens the story in such a way that we can all put ourselves in at least two vantage points in the narrative: We can be with Zacchaeus, “up a tree,” as we say popularly; or we can be on the ground with those who judge Zacchaeus wrongly. We’ve all been up that tree. The times you were misjudged. When people said you said things that you never said. When nasty rumors were attached to your name and no matter how much you explained or what you did, people still believed them even though you were innocent.

Members of your own family who backbite you. Brothers and sisters who haven’t talked to each other for years because of a misunderstanding. Finding yourself sometimes unfairly excluded from certain groups because of what they believe about you, which is not true. Frustrated, that for all the explanations that you give, people will refuse to believe otherwise In that sense, the story of Zacchaeus resonates with us because maybe most of us at one time or another have been “up a tree.”

On the other hand, most of us at one time or another have been on the ground. We have been the accusers, the rash judgers, those who have spread the gossip; we were glad to spread the evil word and were delighted at someone else’s misfortune; we made innuendoes and feigned horror at the situation, but all the while we caused people to think less, or evil, of someone else. Simply put, we wronged someone. We misjudged them. And perhaps very, very badly at times. Some people may carry that on their consciences.

In either case, the gospel message is there. First of all, it offers the vindication by Jesus for those who have been wrongly judged. To everyone who has been slandered and rumored against and spoken evil of, it says that people look at appearances but God reads the heart. What this gospel offers is vindication. If no one else will break bread with you, Jesus says, “Come down, I’ll dine at your house tonight.” If no one else will believe you, Jesus says, “I’ve looked through the appearances and I see a good heart.” If no one else will understand that you’ve turned around and given up your sins, Jesus does. If no one else takes you at your word, he does.

So for all the times you’ve been like Zacchaeus, up in a tree, and you have been wounded by other people’s misinterpretation of your words and deeds, what the gospel offers is the one who really counts, the bottom-line person in your life who looks into your heart and loves you deeply; and vindicates you; and will announce that to the court of heaven someday.

And second, of course, if you and I are on the ground making the rash judgments and spreading rumors, and not defending our family and friends, this gospel offers forgiveness.

So when you read it this way, what the gospel comes down to is invitation. It asks you to accept the Lord Jesus. To accept his vindication or to accept his forgiveness. In either case, the bottom line of the gospel is “mercy is at work.”

And that’s why we call the gospel the good news.(Source: Fr. William J. Bausch. Telling Stories Compelling Stories. Connecticut: Twenty-Third Publications, 2001, pp. 21-25).

Reflection 15 – How enthusiastic are you?

The word “enthusiasm” comes from ancient Greek and means “in God.” If we’re really and truly in the Lord, we’re enthusiastic about it! In fact, we become enthusiastic about everything we do that’s good and worthwhile. There’s no mediocrity in us. We become enthusiastic about our relationships, our work, our involvement in the parish – whatever we do with God and in God and through God.

That’s the point of the messages for both groups in today’s first reading (Rev 3:1-6, 14-22). Without enthusiasm, “you have the reputation of being alive, when in fact you are dead.” Without enthusiasm, “your faith is no faith, and a lukewarm relationship with God is blecchie, ikky, yukky, pukey.”

Why is it better to be cold toward God than lukewarm? Because when people are cold toward something that bothers them, the reason it bothers them is because they care. Jesus can work with cold-hearted people to humble them and set them on fire for his love, but lukewarm people don’t care. Those who hate God care – it’s why they get so angry – but those who prefer to be disinterested are unreachable. They are the living dead.

There is no stimulation for spiritual growth when our relationship with God is lukewarm. Where growth is lacking, life withers. When such a person reaches the time of physical death, there is nothing in their spirit that yearns to spend eternity in God’s love.

Be glad for those who are fighting the truth, who are fighting against God and his ways, who are fighting against you and your faith. At least they still have the energy to fight! In every battle there is hope for a victory in Christ. But when they don’t care any more, we must pray for a crisis that will awaken them and stir up their need for God.

Let’s bring this closer to home. What in our own lives is lukewarm? Whom have we stopped caring about? How have we grown lazy? Where has our spiritual life become lethargic?

Energy is the hallmark of an alive Christian. Sometimes, we lose energy because we’re tired, but instead of becoming lukewarm, we need to recover our enthusiasm. Sometimes, the lack of energy means we’ve been working harder than God wants us to, to the point of burn-out. Sometimes it means we’re no longer doing what God wants us to devote our energies to. We need to be like Zacchaeus, who in today’s Gospel reading was so determined to see Jesus that he found a way over the obstacles. We need to redirect our energy to more fruitful works. We need to ask Jesus to set us on fire.

Notice that once Zacchaeus climbed the tree, Jesus did the follow-up. Jesus zeroed in on him and gave him personal attention and affirmation. How did Zacchaeus respond? He QUICKLY descended from the tree and welcomed Jesus with DELIGHT. He had so much enthusiasm – so much presence of God within him – that he wanted to quadruple the penance for his sins!

Can we pray more fervently? Sing in Mass more loudly? Serve more eagerly? Immerse ourselves in scripture more hungrily? Donate our treasures more generously? The higher our level of enthusiasm, the more we’re living “in God.” (Source: Terry Modica, Good News Ministries). 

Reflection 16 – Let nothing stop you from seeing the Lord!

Notice the determination of Zacchaeus in this Sunday’s Gospel reading. His view of Jesus was obstructed, but that didn’t stop him from seeing Jesus. He had an obstacle (the crowd) and a handicap (his short stature), but he refused to allow any of this to prevent him from reaching his goal of getting a clear view of Jesus.

In fact, Zacchaeus was so eager to experience Jesus that he did something drastic: He climbed a tree! Maybe he felt embarrassed hanging onto a tree limb; maybe onlookers thought he was odd. Maybe someone tried to talk him down. Maybe the tree was rough and tore his clothes and scratched his skin. None of that stopped him.

We all have handicaps — prejudices, misconceptions, bad training, spiritual laziness, fears and doubts, and so on — which obstruct our view of Jesus. And we all have short stature: we are much smaller than God and cannot see the goodness that he sees in and beyond our hardships. In our short-sightedness, we conclude that Jesus has abandoned us, and we feel so very alone.

Instead, we should be like Zacchaeus. In our desire to see Jesus fully, as he really is, we should do everything possible to find a way around all obstacles and overcome all spiritual handicaps.

Notice that once Zacchaeus climbed the tree, Jesus zeroed in on him and gave him personal attention and affirmation. How did Zacchaeus respond? He quickly descended from the tree and welcomed Jesus with delight. He had so much enthusiasm that he wanted to quadruple the penance for his sins!

Do you see Jesus in the Eucharist at Mass? If Zacchaeus’ reaction to Christ’s presence isn’t our reaction, it means our view is still partly obstructed. We need to climb higher.

Questions for Personal Reflection:
What are you “short” on? What in your faith life is too small? What is crowding your life and obstructing an enthusiastic relationship with Jesus? And how can you overcome this handicap so that you can see Jesus and recognize his nearness and hear his affirmation?

Questions for Family & Community Faith Sharing:
Name some signs of spiritual determination that you’ve seen in others. Why are we able to see Jesus better when we pray more fervently, sing in Mass more enthusiastically, serve others more eagerly, immerse ourselves in scripture more hungrily, care about others more cheerfully, or donate our treasures more generously? – Read the source: http://gnm.org/good-news-reflections/?useDrDate=2016-10-29

Reflection 17 – Searching, Man for God, God for Man

With the invitation to live our conversion as hospitality of Christ in our home.

• The humble desire for God leads to conversion

This Sunday as well the Gospel presents us a tax collector as a co-star. Today we read not about a parable, but a true episode of Jesus’s life. Let’s recall briefly the encounter of Jesus with a man named Zacchaeus[1] the head of the tax collectors and a very rich man. Because he was short, he had climbed a tree to be able to see Christ. Then he heard the words of the Master “Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house.” Jesus had taken notice of Zacchaeus’ action, understood his desire, and anticipated the invitation. The fact that he decided to visit a sinner caused surprise. Zacchaeus, happy for the visit, “received him with joy” (Lk 19:6) and opened the door of his house and of his heart to the encounter with the Redeemer. Pope Francis, when he was still the Bishop of Buenos Aires wrote, “As soon as Zacchaues hears that Jesus has entered his hometown, he feels that the desire to see Him has awoken and climbs the tree. His faith will stop Zacchaeus to be a “traitor” at the service of himself and of the Empire and will make him a citizen of Jericho, establishing a relation of justice and solidarity with his fellow citizens”.[2]

The Gospel today presents us Zacchaues who, even if he is a rich man, is missing the meaning of life. The poverty of spirit pushes the wealthy tax collector to climb a sycamore[3] tree to see the Messiah. Material goods didn’t satisfy his thirst of infinity; he became a “beggar of God” and received the gift of living in the grace of the One who, in entering his house, brought him eternal and full life.

Men and women are seekers of the Absolute. Even if they advance with small and unstable steps, they are always on the lookout; they have a “restless heart” as Saint Augustine[4] wrote.

It is significant that at the beginning of the Catechism of the Catholic Church we find the following consideration: “The desire for God is written in the human heart, because man is created by God and for God; and God never ceases to draw man to himself. Only in God will he find the truth and happiness he never stops searching for”. (nr.27). In today’s secular thinking this statement is considered a provocation. Many of our contemporary fellow men and women could say that they don’t feel this desire. In many areas of the secular society He in not anymore the expected, the desired one, but it is a reality that makes us uninterested and that is not even worthy to be considered.

Actually this “desire for God’ has not disappeared and surfaces even today in many ways in the hearts of men and women. The human desire is always seeking tangible and often mundane possessions. However these possessions are not sufficient. They search for the “Good” that will fully and forever satisfy them.

How can this “Good” fully satisfy the desire? In today’s Gospel we find the answer, and I’d like to anticipate it: “The desire, to be satisfied, must be educated”.

• The desire for God must be educated

God is in the High and man is dust that walks on Earth, but between God and man there is love which saves. God has compassion for all because he can do everything; He closes his eyes over men’s sins waiting for their repentance (see Wis 11:22-24). As in this Psalm: “Who is like the LORD our God, enthroned on high, looking down on heaven and earth? He raises the needy from the dust, lifts the poor from the ash heap” (Ps 113:5-7)

As to Zacchaeus twenty centuries ago, also today Christ comes to us and to every one of us says “Today I must stay at your house” (Lk 19:5) Zacchaeus ran home to prepare the welcoming for Christ and received him with on open heart. We must do the same.

Christ educated Zacchaeus’ heart (and ours as well) first by making it learning again the taste of the real things of life, in this case a meal among people that have become friends. “Instilling in someone from a young age the taste for true joy, in every area of life – family, friendship, solidarity with those who suffer, self-renunciation for the sake of the other, love of knowledge, art, the beauty of nature — all this means exercising the inner taste and producing antibodies that can fight the trivialization and the dulling widespread today. Adults too need to rediscover this joy, to desire authenticity, to purify themselves of the mediocrity that might infest them. It will then become easier to drop or reject everything that although attractive proves to be, in fact, insipid, a source of indifference and not of freedom. And this will bring out that desire for God of which we are speaking.” ( Benedict XVI –  General Audience- November 7, 2012) This is what will surface the desire of God of which we are talking about.

Secondly Christ educated Zacchaeus’ desire by opening not only the sinner’s house (and ours too), but also his heart. It is not enough to answer to the question, “how to educate the desire?” There is another pressing question, “Who is able to satisfy the desire?” The answer is Jesus, who shows the good aspect of the Mystery by revealing that the Infinite is Love that gives himself.

It is always Jesus that takes the initiative and He does it for free. He does however insert himself into man’s availability. The encounter with God is at the same time a gift and a fulfillment of a search, the granting of a desire. Zacchaeus desires to see Jesus and then, when called, is ready to welcome him, “he came down quickly and received him with joy.”  The encounter with Jesus changes Zacchaeus’ life. In reality Jesus doesn’t say anything to Zacchaeus, He looks at him with love and the tax collector understands and says: “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.” The tax collector becomes the Christian disciple that doesn’t abandon everything, like others are called to do. He or she remains in his or her house, continues with his or her job, but is a witness of a new way of life: he or she doesn’t considers anymore profit above everything, but justice (“I shall repay it four times”) and sharing with the most in need (“half of my possession, I shall give to the poor”). There is the disciple who leaves everything to become a full time missionary of the Kingdom, and there is the one who lives the same radicalism remaining where he is. It is possible to part the heart from possessions without having the obligation of getting totally rid of them. The most important thing is to trust God that enters into our house bringing salvation.

Without doubt the ones who do as the consecrated Virgins do are a clearer testimony that God is the only Good and that we are the good of God. In fact we are the witnesses of the infinite Love of God. The consecrated Virgins testify that it is possible to give to God all we have and all we are, and by doing so, we receive what He is and we take Him to the entire world. These women live showing that it makes sense to give everything to the Love.

Patristic  Reading: Saint Augustine of Hippo –  Sermon 174 – Zacchaeus

3. But you’re going to say, “If I become Zacchaeus, I won’t be able to see Jesus.” Don’t let that get you down; climb the tree on which Jesus hung for you, and you will see Jesus. And what kind of tree did Zacchaeus climb? A sycamore. It doesn’t grow at all, or very rarely perhaps, in our part of the world. But in those parts this kind of tree and fruit is very common. Sycamores are what a fruit is called that is like figs; and yet there’s a definite difference, which those who’ve seen or tasted them can tell. However, as far as the meaning of the name goes, sycamores translate into English as “silly figs.”†9 Now look at my friend Zacchaeus, look at him please, wanting to see Jesus in the crowd and not being able to. He was lowly, you see, the crowd was proud; and the crowd, as is the way with a crowd, was hindering itself from seeing the Lord well. He climbed away from the crowd and saw Jesus, without the crowd getting in his way.

The crowd, you see, says to the lowly, to people walking the way of humility, who leave the wrongs they suffer in God’s hands, and don’t insist on getting their own back on their enemies; the crowd jeers at them and says, “You helpless, miserable clod, you can’t even stick up for yourself and get your own back.” The crowd gets in the way and prevents Jesus from being seen; the crowd which boasts and crows, when it is able to get its own back, blocks the sight of the one who said, as he hung on the cross, Father, forgive them, because they do not know what they are doing (Lk 23:24). So this was the one then, the one in whom all the humble are represented, that Zacchaeus wanted to see; and so he ignored the crowd that was getting in his way, but instead he climbed a sycamore tree, a tree so to say of silly fruit. We, you see, as the apostle says, preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block indeed to the Jews; now notice the sycamore; but to the Gentiles folly (1 Cor 1:23). Finally, the wise of this world jeer at us about the cross of Christ, and say, “What sort of minds have you people got, who worship a crucified God?” What sort of minds have we got? Certainly not your sort. The wisdom of this world is folly with God (1 Cor 3:19). No, we haven’t got your sort of mind. But you call our minds foolish. Say what you like; for our part, let us climb the sycamore tree and see Jesus. The reason, after all, you can’t see Jesus, is that you are ashamed to climb the sycamore tree.

Let Zacchaeus grasp the sycamore tree, the humble person climb the cross. That’s little enough, merely to climb it; we mustn’t be ashamed of the cross of Christ, we must fix it on our foreheads, where the seat of shame is;†10 yes, there, there above all where our blushes show, that’s where we must firmly fix what we should never blush for. As for you, I rather think you make fun of the sycamore; and yet that’s what has enabled me to see Jesus. You, though, make fun of the sycamore, because you are just a man; but the foolishness of God is wiser than men (1 Cor 1:25).

4. And the Lord saw Zacchaeus too. He was seen, and he saw; but unless he had been seen, he wouldn’t have been able to see. Those whom he predestined he also called (Rom 8:30). He’s the one who said to Nathanael—who was in a way helping the proclamation of the gospel by asking, Can anything good come out of Nazareth?; so the Lord said to him, Before Philip called you, while you were under the fig tree, I saw you (Jn 1:46.48).

You know what the first sinners, Adam and Eve, made themselves aprons from. When they had sinned, they made themselves aprons from fig leaves, and covered their shameful parts; because it was by sinning that they caused themselves to feel shame about them. So if the first sinners made themselves aprons, the couple from whom we derive our origins, in whom we had got lost, so that he would come to seek and to save what had got lost;†11 if they made them out of fig leaves to cover their shameful parts; what else could it mean, When you were under the fig tree I saw you, but “You wouldn’t have come to the cleanser of sin, unless he had first seen you in the shadow of sin”? In order for us to see, we have been seen; in order for us to love, we have been loved. My God, his mercy will go before me (Ps 59:10).

5. So now then the Lord, who had already welcomed Zacchaeus in his heart, was ready to be welcomed by him in his house; and he said, Zacchaeus, hurry up and come down; since I have to stay in your house (Lk 19:5). He thought it was a marvelous piece of good luck to see Christ. While imagining it was a marvelous piece of luck, quite beyond words, to see him passing by, he was suddenly found worthy to have him in his house. Grace is poured forth, faith starts working through love,†12 Christ who was already dwelling in his heart is welcomed into his house. Zacchaeus says to Christ, Lord, half my goods I give to the poor; and if I have cheated anyone of anything, I am paying back four times over (Lk 19:8). It’s as if he were saying, “The reason I’m keeping back half for myself, is not in order to have it, but to have something to pay people back from.”

So there you are, that’s really what welcoming Jesus means, welcoming him into your heart. Christ, I mean, was already there, he was in Zacchaeus, and through him was saying for himself what he was hearing from his mouth.†13 That, you see, is what the apostle says: For Christ to dwell by faith in your hearts (Eph 3:17).

6. So now, because it was Zacchaeus, because he was a head tax collector, because he was very much of a sinner; that crowd being, so it would seem, of sound mind and good health, though it was preventing people from seeing Jesus, that crowd was astonished and expressed disapproval of Jesus entering the house of a sinner. This amounted to disapproving of the doctor entering the house of a sick person. So because Zacchaeus was scoffed at as a sinner, scoffed at though by those of unsound mind after being restored to sound health himself, the Lord answered the scoffers, Today salvation came to this house (Lk 19:9). There you are, that’s why I entered; salvation came to this house. Clearly, if the Savior hadn’t entered, salvation wouldn’t have happened in that house.

So why are you astonished, sick man? Call in Jesus yourself as well, don’t regard yourself as being in good health. It’s with hope that a person is sick who welcomes the doctor; but desperately sick indeed is the one who in a frenzy beats the doctor. So what sort of frenzy must possess the person who kills the doctor? And on the other hand, what must the goodness and power of the doctor be, who from his own blood made a medicine for his crazy killer? After all, the one who had come to seek and to save what had got lost didn’t say in vain as he hung there, Father, forgive them, because they do not know what they are doing (Lk 23:24). “They are in a frenzy, I’m the doctor; let them rave and rage, I bear it patiently; it’s when they’ve killed me that I will heal them.”

So let us be among those whom he heals. The word is human and worthy of total acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners (1 Tm 1:15); whether great or small, to save sinners. The Son of man has come to seek and to save what had got lost (Lk 19:10).

[1] Zacchaeus means “pure, just”, a paradoxical name for one man that was had a job that – by the Jewish Law- was making him impure (regarding purity and impurity in the Bible go to the first consideration of the XXVIII Sunday_ October 13, 2013).  In the Jewish language Zacchaeus also means” the one whom t God remembers”, a true appropriate name for this tax collector. Zacchaeus is the testimony of a real journey from selfishness to sharing, but it is also the interior journey from “curiosity” to conversion.

[2] From the speech” Dios vive en la ciudad” that Cardinal Bergoglio made for the “First  Regional Congress of the urban pastoral” Buenos Aires, 25-28 August, 2011.

[3] The sycamore is a tree of African origins. It has a big trunk, low branches with a lot of leaves, bears sweet fruits similar to the ones of a fig tree that carries the same Greek name (sico). Around this tree takes place the episode of the encounter between Christ and Zacchaeus. In ancient times it was believed that the wood of this tree was incorruptible and was used to build the royal caskets. Every one of us needs to climb a sycamore to see Christ

[4] God has made us for Him and our heart is restless until it finds peace in Him (fecisti nos ad te et inquietum est cor nostrum, donec requiescat in te- Confessions 1, 1) This is also the summary of the events of life described by Saint Augustine in Confessions where we can see the history of every man: a restless and unsatisfying life that finds peace in meeting the infinite love of the living and true God. – Read the source:  https://zenit.org/articles/archbishop-follo-searching-man-for-god-god-for-man/

Reflection 18 – St. Martin de Porres (1579-1639 A.D.)

“Father unknown” is the cold legal phrase sometimes used on baptismal records. “Half-breed” or “war souvenir” is the cruel name inflicted by those of “pure” blood. Like many others, Martin might have grown to be a bitter man, but he did not. It was said that even as a child he gave his heart and his goods to the poor and despised.

He was the son of a freed woman of Panama, probably black but also possibly of Native American stock, and a Spanish grandee of Lima, Peru. His parents never married each other. Martin inherited the features and dark complexion of his mother. That irked his father, who finally acknowledged his son after eight years. After the birth of a sister, the father abandoned the family. Martin was reared in poverty, locked into a low level of Lima’s society.

When he was 12, his mother apprenticed him to a barber-surgeon. He learned how to cut hair and also how to draw blood (a standard medical treatment then), care for wounds and prepare and administer medicines.

After a few years in this medical apostolate, Martin applied to the Dominicans to be a “lay helper,” not feeling himself worthy to be a religious brother. After nine years, the example of his prayer and penance, charity and humility led the community to request him to make full religious profession. Many of his nights were spent in prayer and penitential practices; his days were filled with nursing the sick and caring for the poor. It was particularly impressive that he treated all people regardless of their color, race or status. He was instrumental in founding an orphanage, took care of slaves brought from Africa and managed the daily alms of the priory with practicality as well as generosity. He became the procurator for both priory and city, whether it was a matter of “blankets, shirts, candles, candy, miracles or prayers!” When his priory was in debt, he said, “I am only a poor mulatto. Sell me. I am the property of the order. Sell me.”

Side by side with his daily work in the kitchen, laundry and infirmary, Martin’s life reflected God’s extraordinary gifts: ecstasies that lifted him into the air, light filling the room where he prayed, bilocation, miraculous knowledge, instantaneous cures and a remarkable rapport with animals. His charity extended to beasts of the field and even to the vermin of the kitchen. He would excuse the raids of mice and rats on the grounds that they were underfed; he kept stray cats and dogs at his sister’s house.

He became a formidable fundraiser, obtaining thousands of dollars for dowries for poor girls so that they could marry or enter a convent.

Many of his fellow religious took him as their spiritual director, but he continued to call himself a “poor slave.” He was a good friend of another Dominican saint of Peru, Rose of Lima (August 23).

Comment:

Racism is a sin almost nobody confesses. Like pollution, it is a “sin of the world” that is everybody’s responsibility but apparently nobody’s fault. One could hardly imagine a more fitting patron of Christian forgiveness (on the part of those discriminated against) and Christian justice (on the part of reformed racists) than Martin de Porres.

Quote:

At Martin’s canonization in 1962, Saint John XXIII remarked: “He excused the faults of others. He forgave the bitterest injuries, convinced that he deserved much severer punishments on account of his own sins. He tried with all his might to redeem the guilty; lovingly he comforted the sick; he provided food, clothing and medicine for the poor; he helped, as best he could, farm laborers and Negroes, as well as mulattoes, who were looked upon at that time as akin to slaves: thus he deserved to be called by the name the people gave him: ‘Martin of Charity.’”

Patron Saint of:

African-Americans
Barbers
Hairdressers
Race relations
Social justice

Related St. Anthony Messenger article(s) 

Patron Saints for Modern Challenges, by Thomas Craughwell

Read the source:   http://www.americancatholic.org/features/saints/saint.aspx?id=1188

SAINT OF THE DAY
Catholic saints are holy people and human people who lived extraordinary lives. Each saint the Church honors responded to God’s invitation to use his or her unique gifts. God calls each one of us to be a saint. Click here to receive Saint of the Day in your email.

St. Martin de Porres

Martin was born the son of a Spanish nobleman and a Panamanian ex-slave in Lima, Peru in 1579 A.D. At first his father refused to accept the dark-skinned boy as his own. At the age of sixteen, Martin applied to the Dominican convent and eight years later became a lay brother. Martin prayed for hours at a time before a Eucharist. Yet he also worked tirelessly as almoner, infirmarian, and surgeon. Martin fed around 160 people each day with the alms he collected. He fasted and prayed with abandon. When the convent needed to pay a debt, Martin humbly offered himself: “I’m only a poor mulatto… Sell me.” A contemporary reported that Martin did the jobs of many men, all “with great generosity, promptness, and attention to detail…. It made me realize that, in that he clung to God in his soul, all these things were effects of divine grace.” Upon his death in 1639 A.D., the great personages of Lima came to pay their respects. Martin de Porres was canonized in 1962 as the patron of social justice.

Published on Oct 28, 2015

St. Martin de Porres was born in Lima, Peru on December 9, 1579. Martin was the illegitimate son to a Spanish gentlemen and a freed slave from Panama, of African or possibly Native American descent. At a young age, Martin’s father abandoned him, his mother and his younger sister, leaving Martin to grow up in deep poverty. After spending just two years in primary school, Martin was placed with a barber/surgeon where he would learn to cut hair and the medical arts.

As Martin grew older, he experienced a great deal of ridicule for being of mixed-race. In Peru, by law, all descendants of African or Indians were not allowed to become full members of religious orders. Martin, who spent long hours in prayer, found his only way into the community he longed for was to ask the Dominicans of Holy Rosary Priory in Lima to accept him as a volunteer who performed the most menial tasks in the monastery. In return, he would be allowed to wear the habit and live within the religious community. When Martin was 15, he asked for admission into the Dominican Convent of the Rosary in Lima and was received as a servant boy and eventually was moved up to the church officer in charge of distributing money to deserving poor.

During his time in the Convent, Martin took on his old trades of barbering and healing. He also worked in the kitchen, did laundry and cleaned. After eight more years with the Holy Rosary, Martin was granted the privilege to take his vows as a member of the Third Order of Saint Dominic by the prior Juan de Lorenzana who decided to disregard the law restricting Martin based on race.

However, not all of the members in the Holy Rosary were as open-minded as Lorenzana; Martin was called horrible names and mocked for being illegitimate and descending from slaves.

Martin grew to become a Dominican lay brother in 1603 at the age of 24. Ten years later, after he had been presented with the religious habit of a lay brother, Martin was assigned to the infirmary where he would remain in charge until his death. He became known for encompassing the virtues need to carefully and patiently care for the sick, even in the most difficult situations.

Martin was praised for his unconditional care of all people, regardless of race or wealth. He took care of everyone from the Spanish nobles to the African slaves. Martin didn’t care if the person was diseased or dirty, he would welcome them into his own bed.

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_de_Porres 

“St. Martin de Porres” and “Saint Martin de Porres” redirect here. For other uses, see St. Martin de Porres (disambiguation).

SAINT MARTIN DE PORRES, O.P.
Portrait of St. Martin de Porres, c. 17th century, Monastery of Rosa of Santa Maria in Lima. This portrait was painted during his lifetime or very soon after his death, hence it is probably the most true to his appearance.
MARTIN OF CHARITY SAINT OF THE BROOM
BORN	December 9, 1579 Lima, Viceroyalty of Peru
DIED	November 3, 1639 (aged 59) Lima, Viceroyalty of Peru (modern-day Peru)
VENERATED IN	Roman Catholic Church, Lutheran Church, Anglican Communion
BEATIFIED	1837 by Pope Gregory XVI
CANONIZED	May 6, 1962, by Pope John XXIII
FEAST	November 3
ATTRIBUTES	a dog, a cat, a bird, and a mouse eating together from a same dish; broom, crucifix, rosary, a heart
PATRONAGE	Diocese of Biloxi, Vietnam, Mississippi, black people, hair stylists, innkeepers, lottery, lottery winners, mixed-race people, Peru, poor people, public education, public health, public schools

Martin de Porres Velázquez, O.P. (December 9, 1579 – November 3, 1639), was a lay brother of the Dominican Orderwho was beatifiedin 1837 by Pope Gregory XVI and canonized in 1962 by Pope John XXIII. Patron saint of mixed-race people, barbers, innkeepers, public health workers, and all those seeking racial harmony.

He was noted for work on behalf of the poor, establishing an orphanage and a children’s hospital. He maintained an austere lifestyle, which included fasting and abstaining from meat. Among the many miracles attributed to him were those of levitation, bilocation, miraculous knowledge, instantaneous cures, and an ability to communicate with animals.

Contents

 [hide] 

• 1Early life
• 2Death and commemoration
• 3Iconography
• 4Legacy
• 5In popular culture
• 6See also
• 7References
• 8External links

Early life[edit]

Juan Martin de Porres Velázquez was born in the city of Lima, in the Viceroyalty of Peru, on December 9, 1579. He was the illegitimate son of a Spanish nobleman, Don Juan de Porres, and Ana Velázquez, a freed slave from Panama, of African or possibly part Native American descent.^[1][2] He had a sister named Juana, born two years later in 1581. After the birth of his sister, the father abandoned the family.^[3] Ana Velázquez supported her children by taking in laundry.^[4] He grew up in poverty and, when his mother could not support him, Martin was confided to a primary school for two years, and then placed with a barber/surgeon to learn the medical arts.^[2] He spent hours of the night in prayer, a practice which increased as he grew older.

By law in Peru, descendants of Africans and Indians were barred from becoming full members of religious orders. The only route open to Martin was to ask the Dominicans of Holy Rosary Priory in Lima to accept him as a donado, a volunteer who performed menial tasks in the monastery in return for the privilege of wearing the habit and living with the religious community.^[5] At the age of 15 he asked for admission to the Dominican Convent of the Rosary in Lima and was received first as a servant boy, and as his duties grew he was promoted to almoner.

Martin continued to practice his old trades of barbering and healing and was said to have performed many miraculous cures. He also took on kitchen work, laundry, and cleaning. After eight years at Holy Rosary, the prior Juan de Lorenzana, decided to turn a blind eye to the law and permit Martin to take his vows as a member of the Third Order of Saint Dominic. Holy Rosary was home to 300 men, not all of whom accepted the decision of De Lorenzana: one of the novices called Martin a “mulatto dog,” while one of the priests mocked him for being illegitimate and descended from slaves.^[5]

When Martin was 24, he was allowed to profess religious vows as a Dominican lay brother in 1603. He is said to have several times refused this elevation in status, which may have come about due to his father’s intervention, and he never became a priest.^[1] It is said that when his convent was in debt, he implored them: “I am only a poor mulatto, sell me.” Martin was deeply attached to the Blessed Sacrament, and he was praying in front of it one night when the step of the altar he was kneeling on caught fire. Throughout all the confusion and chaos that followed, he remained where he was, unaware of what was happening around him.^[6]

A mid-twentieth century stained glass representation of Martin de Porres in St Pancras Church, Ipswichwith a broom, rosary, parrot and monkey

When Martin was 34, after he had been given the religious habit of a lay brother, he was assigned to the infirmary, where he was placed in charge and would remain in service until his death at the age of 59. He was known for his care of the sick.^[2]His superiors saw in him the virtues necessary to exercise unfailing patience in this difficult role. It was not long before miracles were attributed to him. Martin also cared for the sick outside his convent, often bringing them healing with only a simple glass of water. He ministered without distinction to Spanish nobles and to slaves recently brought from Africa.^[1] One day an aged beggar, covered with ulcers and almost naked, stretched out his hand, and Martin took him to his own bed. One of his brethren reproved him. Martin replied: “Compassion, my dear Brother, is preferable to cleanliness.”

When an epidemic struck Lima, there were in this single Convent of the Rosary 60 friars who were sick, many of them novices in a distant and locked section of the convent, separated from the professed. Martin is said to have passed through the locked doors to care for them, a phenomenon which was reported in the residence more than once. The professed, too, saw him suddenly beside them without the doors having been opened. Martin continued to transport the sick to the convent until the provincial superior, alarmed by the contagion threatening the friars, forbade him to continue to do so. His sister, who lived in the country, offered her house to lodge those whom the residence of the religious could not hold. One day he found on the street a poor Indian, bleeding to death from a dagger wound, and took him to his own room until he could transport him to his sister’s hospice. The prior, when he heard of this, reprimanded him for disobedience. He was extremely edified, however, by his reply: “Forgive my error, and please instruct me, for I did not know that the precept of obedience took precedence over that of charity.”^[7] The prior gave him liberty thereafter to follow his inspirations in the exercise of mercy.

Martin did not eat meat. He begged for alms to procure necessities the convent could not provide.^[7] In normal times, Martin succeeded with his alms to feed 160 poor persons every day, and distributed a remarkable sum of money every week to the indigent. Side by side with his daily work in the kitchen, laundry and infirmary, Martin’s life is said to have reflected extraordinary gifts: ecstasies that lifted him into the air, light filling the room where he prayed, bilocation, miraculous knowledge, instantaneous cures and a remarkable rapport with animals.^[3] He founded a residence for orphans and abandoned children in the city of Lima.^[3]

Death and commemoration[edit]

San Martin de Porres Catholic Church in Laredo, Texas

St. Martin de Porres Catholic Church in Jensen Beach, Florida

St. Martin de Porres Catholic Church in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Martin was a friend of both St. Juan Macías, a fellow Dominican lay brother, and St. Rose of Lima, a lay Dominican. By the time he died, on November 3, 1639, he had won the affection and respect of many of his fellow Dominicans as well as a host of people outside the priory.^[5] Word of his miracles had made him known as a saint throughout the region. As his body was displayed to allow the people of the city to pay their respects, each person snipped a tiny piece of his habit to keep as a relic. It is said that three habits were taken from the body. His body was then interred in the grounds of the monastery.

After De Porres died, the miracles and graces received when he was invoked multiplied in such profusion that his body was exhumed after 25 years and said to be found intact, and exhaling a fine fragrance. Letters to Rome pleaded for his beatification; the decree affirming the heroism of his virtues was issued in 1763 by Pope Clement XIII.

Pope Gregory XVI beatified Martin de Porres on October 29, 1837, and nearly 125 years later, Pope John XXIII canonized him in Rome on May 6, 1962.^[8] He is the patron saint of people of mixed race, and of innkeepers, barbers, public health workers and more, with a feast day on November 3.

Martin is also commemorated in the Calendar of Saints of the Church of England on November 3.

He is recognised as Papa Candelo in the Afro-Caribbean-Catholic syncretist religion of Santería, which is practised in places where African diaspora culture thrives such as Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, the United States, and his native Peru.

Iconography[edit]

Martin de Porres is often depicted as a young friar wearing the old habit of the Dominican lay brother, a black scapular and capuce, along with a broom, dHe is sometimes shown with a dog, a cat and a mouse eating in peace from the same dish.

Legacy[edit]

Martin’s sometimes defiant attachment to the ideal of social justice achieved deep resonance in a church attempting to carry forward that ideal in today’s modern world.^[1]

Today, Martin is commemorated by, among other things, a school building that houses the medical, nursing, and rehabilitation scienceschools of the Dominican University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines. A programme of work is also named after him at the Las Casas Institute at Blackfriars Hall, University of Oxford.^[9] He is also the titular saint of the parish of St. Martin de Porres in Poughkeepsie, NY,^[10] St. Martin de Porres Marianist elementary school in Uniondale, NY, and St. Martin de Porres Catholic elementary school in Scarborough, ON, Canada. A number of Catholic churches are named after him.

In popular culture[edit]

In the 1980 novel A Confederacy of Dunces, Ignatius Reilly contemplates praying to Martin for aid in bringing social justice to the black workers at the New Orleans factory where he works. In music, the first track of jazz pianist Mary Lou Williams‘s album Black Christ of the Andes is titled “St. Martin De Porres.”^[11]

There are several Spanish and Mexican works regarding his life in cinema and television, starring Cuban actor Rene Muñoz, the most of them referring to his mulatto origin, his miracles and his life of humility. The most known movies are Fray Escoba (Friar Broom) (1963)^[12] and Un mulato llamado Martin (A mulatto called Martin) (1975).^[13]

In the Moone Boy episode “Godfellas”, the character Martin Moon is shown to be named by his grandfather after San Martin De Porres. Humorously, his grandfather is unable to actually remember any of San Martin’s accomplishments, and simply refers to him as “One of the black ones” when asked about him.

See also[edit]

• Saints portal
• Christianity portal
• Peru portal

• Saint Martin de Porres (sculpture) by Father Thomas McGlynn

References[edit]

1. ^ Jump up to:^a b c d “Martin Porres”, Encyclopedia of World Biography
2. ^ Jump up to:^a b c “St. Martin de Porres, the first black saint in the Americas”, African American Registry.
3. ^ Jump up to:^a b c Foley OFM, Leonard, “St. Martin de Porres”, Saint of the Day, Lives, Lessons, and Feast, (revised by Pat McCloskey OFM), Franciscan Media, ISBN 978-0-86716-887-7
4. Jump up^ Fullerton MLIS, Anne, “Who was St. Martin de Porres?”, St. martin de Porres School, Oakland, CA Archived October 19, 2013, at the Wayback Machine.
5. ^ Jump up to:^a b c Craughwell, Thomas J., “Patron Saints for Modern Challenges”, St. Anthony Messenger, American Catholic
6. Jump up^ Biography in The Saint Martin De Porres Prayer Book, pp. 147-152.
7. ^ Jump up to:^a b Granger O.P., Fr. Arthur M., Vie du Bienheureux Martin de Porrès, Dominican Press: St. Hyacinthe, 1941.
8. Jump up^ Dorcy, Jean Marie. “St. Martin de Porres”, St. Dominic’s Family, Tan Books and Publishers, 1983
9. Jump up^ Las Casas Institute at Blackfriars Hall website
10. Jump up^ St. Martin de Porres Parish
11. Jump up^