October 30, 2022, Thirtieth-first Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
The story of creation in the first chapter of Genesis, although not intended to be a scientifically historical account of the evolution of the earth, contains some details which cannot be disputed as being factual. One of these is that everything God has created is identified as being good. Throughout the narrative, God sees the work of His hands – the sky, the water under the basin, the earth, the sea, the fruits of every tree, the sun and the stars, and every creature – God observed them and saw that they were good. And finally, mankind, created in God’s image, both male and female, and having dominion over the rest of creation, “God looked at everything He had made, and found it very good.” (Gen. 1:31). Of course, God created mankind with free will, so that the good that God created, at times, becomes marred through the sins of human actions.
The book of Wisdom from the First Reading (Wis. 11:22-12:2) denotes the reaction of God when the goodness of His creation becomes tainted through the actions of mankind. In the first place, the author of this passage indicates how utterly unimportant certain aspects of God’s creation are as they are miniscule when compared to the vastness of God. Before the LORD the whole universe is like a grain of sand or a drop of morning dew.
Nonetheless, despite their unimportance God loves everything He has created, even the tiniest most insignificant parts of creation are loved by God and sins are overlooked by the Creator because He has created everything. In fact, the author suggests that nothing could remain unless God has permitted it to or preserved it. By dealing with peoples’ sins, rebuking them and allowing them to reform, the LORD even permits the wicked to remain that they may abandon their wickedness and believe.
The point that the author of Wisdom makes is that God cherishes and wishes salvation for all of creation, despite the human penchant for sin. God has mercy on all of us. God does not want us to die or to perish in our sins. Rather, God wants to forgive us and He searches us out in order to do so. This is made evident in the story of the Gospel for today (Lk. 19:1-10)
Jesus is passing through the town of Jericho where there is a man named Zacchaeus who is unable to see Jesus because he is not very tall, so he runs to a tree and climbs it in order to see. Zacchaeus is identified as a “chief tax collector and a wealthy man.” As a tax collector he is suspected of the usual practice of tax collectors to cheat the people in order to make extra money in their business dealings. As with all tax collectors, he is thus assumed to be a traitor and a sinner. One might consider that Zacchaeus has climbed the tree so he can see Jesus, but also so he can keep his distance from Jesus. Both Zacchaeus and his sins can remain hidden behind the branches and the leaves.
But Jesus sees Zacchaeus, and he tells him to come down from the tree because Jesus wants to stay at his house. Now the people witnessing this exchange between Jesus and Zacchaeus are appalled because Jesus is going to stay with a sinner. But Zacchaeus, having been noticed and been invited to spend time with Jesus, has become repentant and vows to give up his sinful habits. He promises to give half of his possessions to the poor and to repay four times over any person he has extorted money from.
Because of these gestures Jesus assures Zacchaeus that salvation has come to his home, after all he is a descendant of Abraham as are all of the Jews, the chosen people. And Jesus has come to “seek and save what was lost” (Lk. 19:10). He has sought the loser of a tax collector and saved him from hiding in a tree.
How many times might we find ourselves identifying with Zacchaeus. We know Jesus and we want to spend time with Jesus, but we are afraid, hiding ourselves and our sins behind a tree. It might be helping ourselves to something which belongs to a co-worker. Or it might be hopping on the gossip train which is running through our neighborhood. It might be taking our loved ones for granted, too exhausted from our day to spend any time with family. Or it might be sheer laziness which keeps us from getting ready for Mass on Sunday.
It could be any number of sins which we prefer would remain hidden from Jesus. But we must come down out of the tree of our sinfulness and welcome the Lord. We must not be afraid to expose ourselves and seek repentance and reform For Wisdom reminds us that He is a lover of souls, whose imperishable spirit resides in all things. His is a love which has existed from the formation of the world. A world in which all that exists remains good in the eyes of the Lord.
