Homily For Thirty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C, 30th, October 2022

 Readings: Wis.11:22-12:2; Ps.145; 2 Thess. 1:11-2:2; Luke:19:1-10

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

WHEN A SINNER HUMBLY CLIMBS THE SYCAMORE TREE OF GRACE THE LORD RESPONSE TO HIS INNER DESIRE FOR SALVATION

Last Sunday the Lord made us to know the important of having the right disposition towards prayers using the parable of the prayers of a Pharisee and a tax collector. The Pharisee had a wrong disposition and was not at peace with God, but the tax collector went home at peace with God for he humbled himself before God saying: “be merciful to me a sinner”. In continuation to this teaching, Jesus today in our Gospel passage teaches us how God response to the inner desire of a humble sinner who wishes to be saved, for the Lord is not like us who are judgmental and selfish. 

For oftentimes we are quick to criticize, condemn and label people as sinners, outcast and good for nothing. But this is not the attitude of Jesus who is always compassionate especially to sinners and those rejected in the society and wants us to do the same. This is evident in the story of Zacchaeus. A man who was regarded as a public sinner.  Wanting to see Jesus, but being small in size, he ran ahead and climbed up a sycamore tree and waited for Jesus to come by. He really had great desire to see Jesus. 

Truly, I must confess that the attitude of Jesus upon seeing Zacchaeus on the tree was very touching. For Jesus did not condemned or criticize him, nor  demanded anything from Zacchaeus. He only responded to the inner desire of a sinful man who seeks to see him and he said to him: “Zacchaeus come down. Hurry, because I am to stay at your home today”.  Zacchaeus quickly came down and with great joy received Jesus.

No doubt, people complained and criticized Jesus saying “He has gone to stay in the house of a sinner”. But Jesus does not care about the their criticism. He went to the house of Zacchaeus and defended him from people’s criticism. And rather than calling him a sinner, he called him “son of Abraham”. Here we see how Jesus accepts those who were reject by the society. He offers a place to those who do not have. He receives as brothers and sisters people whom the society and religion rejected. For sometimes in our lives when we struggle with our inner desires and weaknesses all we need is to sacrifice our pride and humbly climb the sycamore tree of grace for on it we find the satisfaction and peace that we desired just like Zacchaeus.

But what can we learn from this story, we can learn that no one is beyond God’s redemption. We can learn that whenever sin has made us short of courage to reach God, we must do whatever it takes to get to Jesus no matter the obstacles. We must learn to welcome Jesus into our heart and our homes. We must be prepared to confront and overcome the obstacles and challenges along the path towards our salvation. We must do whatever it takes to change our ugly ways of life to be better and positive . We must be willing to accept and accommodate other people when they repent from their ugly attitudes. We must know that sin makes us short of courage to reach out to God, so we must learn to climb the sycamore tree of grace just like Zacchaeus. We must not be comfortable with ugly and sinful situation we found in and around us.  We must learn to make restitutions of all the things we have done wrong.

But how many of us will be ready to say just like Zacchaeus: Lord I am going to give half my property to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody I will pay him back four times the amount? We must know that it is necessary and mandatory for us to make restitutions for all the bad things we have done. So, having listened to the story of Zacchaeus, how many of us will make restitutions of all the things we have acquired through sinful and corrupt means? How many of us will make restitutions for all the wealth we acquired through corruption and greediness? How many of us will stepdown or resign from our present position which we acquired through corruption and bribery. 

How many of us will make restitutions for the things we achieved with fake certificate and deception? How many of us will make restitutions of our houses, cars and other properties we acquired through bribery, corruption, wickedness, falsehood and cheating of others? How many of us today will make restitutions of all our ugly and immoral behaviours against your wife, your husband, your children, our parents, friends, neighbours, colleagues, workers, employer, lecturers and students? How many of us dear friends will make restitutions for the souls we have sent away from this passing world through wickedness, negligence, killing, kidnapping and abortions, ? How many of us will make restitutions to the people we have ruined their lives and left hopeless and miserable out of pride, greediness and jealousy?

Dear friends, we must learn from Zacchaeus, how to make honest restitutions. How to remain faithful and not live a life of pretense. We must learn to be a good example to other people and try to accommodate people’s differences and weaknesses. We must learn to accept people who are despised and marginalized in our society? Also, can we, like Jesus, perceive people’s inner desire for compassion and give them attention? 

Zacchaeus made restitutions of all he had acquired illegally, and he was giving a new label, a new statues, new friends, new family and a new life. We too should not be afraid to do the same and so make a new name, new family, and a new life for ourselves. For this may bring about the peace, hope, joy, love and new life that we desire to have today. But oftentimes because of what people will say we find it difficult to do the right thing even when we wish to do so. We must learn to be courageous and sincere like Zacchaeus. 

For we are told in our first reading today that little by little, the Lord corrects those who sin against him. He admonished and remind them of how they have sinned, so that they may abstain from evil and trust in him. Little wonder St. Paul in our second reading says: “we pray continually that our God will make you worthy of his call, and by his power fulfil all your desires for goodness and complete all that you have been doing through faith”. Remember that, it was the compassion and loving heart of Jesus that brought about a total change in the life of Zacchaeus. Why not show some compassion to those we meet today and make some restitutions for our sins, for it may be the only opportunity to embrace the salvation that we will ever have in this passing world. 

LET US PRAY: Lord God, we are sinners in need of your mercy. As we climb the sycamore tree of grace with contrite hearts, may you find in us the inner desire for mercies and in your compassion purify us and welcome us back to your kingdom. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a blessed Sunday celebration.