Restoring Sinners to God: 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time
Sermon by Emmanuel Suntheni OSB – Thirty-First Sunday In Ordinary Time – Year C
Sermon And Christian Act In The Word
Theme: God wants us to be transformed! Restoring Sinners to God!
Point of Reflection: How do I handle my sins? Am I ready to receive Christ in my heart? I need to be transformed and be a good collaborator in God’s creation.
First Reading: Wisdom of Solomon 11:22–12:2
Psalm: Psalm 145:1–2, 8–11, 13, 14
Second Reading: 2 Thessalonians 1:11–2:2
Gospel: Luke 19:1–10
Sermon (Reflection): St. Augustine of Hippo is quoted as saying, “There is no saint without a past and no sinner without a future”. We are constantly in the state of becoming. Just as our physical bodies change with time, our inner beings also change with experience. In one way or another, all of us are sinners, but we need to embark on a mission to restore our righteousness and return to God in our daily Christian life.
Visiting Zacchaeus as recounted in the Gospel of today, Jesus continued with his mission to seek and restore sinners to God and the community of God’s people. This mission of salvation is yet another example of how God’s creation is an ongoing process of bringing ever more people under his rule and setting them on the path to final salvation. Jesus carried out this work throughout his entire earthly ministry and, at its end, entrusted his disciples and successors with carrying it on (cf. Lk 24:44-48). This is the project we have as members of the Christian family to continue the mission of our Lord.
Zacchaeus was a chief tax collector. As such, he had subordinates obliged to give him a share of their profits. This made him a wealthy man, but his conscience must have been tainted by much abuse and fraud. No wonder that his fellow Israelites looked at him with disdain and suspicion. He truly was a sinner and an outcast among his own people. Are we not sinners too?
Out of sheer curiosity, Zacchaeus tried to see Jesus, but he could not because he was short in stature. Since he did not want to push his way through the crowd of people who intensely disliked him, he climbed a tree. This is an image of an even deeper alienation, with Zacchaeus on a tree, apart from the crowd of his countrymen. Taking the initiative, and without any invitation from Zacchaeus, Jesus called to him, announcing that he “must stay” at his house. In the biblical language, this formula reflects “divine necessity” – something that must take place because it was decided by God. There was no reason for Jesus to visit Zacchaeus, other than to carry out God’s work.
Jesus’ presence transformed the greedy and fraudulent tax collector, who began to act with extraordinary generosity, first by giving half of his possessions to the poor. Then he decides to give back what he defrauded. According to the Law, Zacchaeus was required to return one hundred and twenty per cent of the amount defrauded. Zacchaeus intends to return four hundred per cent! These acts testify to a fundamental transformation that had taken place in his heart. Jesus acknowledges that change, stating that salvation has now come to Zacchaeus’ house. This salvation consists in Zacchaeus being transformed from an isolated and despised outcast into “a son of Abraham”, that is, a member of God’s people.
The author of the first reading gives special attention to humankind, a special part of creation and transformation. He acknowledges that this world is not perfect because alongside its beauty and goodness, there exists sin, suffering and wickedness. God responds to these ills not with anger and punishment but with mercy, which moves God to act as a patient teacher and mentor.
Thus, God gives people time to repent and change their ways. As Christians, are we ready to repent and change our ways?
From the Scriptural reading, we can note that because he loves his creatures, he gradually corrects and guides people to bring them to a greater understanding of what is good and what harms them. This is well reflected too in the Gospel to today. God does not force anything upon people but reminds and warns so that they can make their own choices. The ultimate goal of this divine education is a deeper relationship with the creator God, a relationship based on understanding and trust. From today on as Christians, let us develop a deep relationship with God our creator and He will transform us.
In the second reading of today, St. Paul addresses the community he founded in Thessalonica. For years, through letters and visits, the apostle has been closely involved in their ongoing Christian formation and development. In today’s passage, Paul first expresses his continuing prayerful concern for their progress in faith, so that they may become “worthy of God’s call”, shown through exemplary life and “works of faith”. Here, Paul implicitly admonishes them to manifest their faith through dignified living according to Christian principles. He motivates them to do so by stating that such life would bring glorification to “the name of our Lord Jesus”. In the biblical language, “name” is often used as a substitute term for the person, while glorification refers to making someone recognised and honoured. Thus, the true goal of the Thessalonians’ righteous living lies in making Jesus known and honoured in the eyes of the world. They are to become the visible manifestation of the invisible Christ.
In the second part of the reading, Paul emphasises that God’s project of the new creation has begun, but it is not yet completed. Some misguided teachers had tried to persuade the Thessalonians that their experience of the Holy Spirit meant that Christ had already come and that they were already “gathered to him”. Paul denies this teaching and tells the Thessalonians to look forward to the future coming of Christ and their full union with Christ. Christ’s second coming will complete the process of transformation of creation and make salvation final. Up to that time, God’s project of salvation is an ongoing one, and the Thessalonians in their quest for an ever more authentic Christ-like living are a part of it.
Christian Act in Word of God “Transformation”
With the Gospel of today, we can note that many people saw Zacchaeus as a good-for-nothing cheat and abuser, but Jesus saw him as good for something. The end product of Zacchaeus, after his encounter with Jesus, was marvellous. He became a man of great generosity, one who was ready to give his all in the service of others. He was transformed into a new creation. This transformation came through God reaching out to this outcast through his Jesus. We can ask ourselves a few questions: Do I see good in others? Or do I only see good in myself? Have I ever had a personal encounter with Jesus Christ? Following the story of Zacchaeus, we can learn that we need to open our hearts to receive a true encounter with Jesus Christ and we will be transformed. What we need now in our lives is transformation, and our way to transformation is through Jesus Christ.
The author of the Wisdom of Solomon speaks of God in these words, “for you love all things that exist, and detest none of the things that you have made, for you would not have made anything if you had hated it.” True love waits, and every artisan knows the importance of patience.
Creation is ongoing, and we need to be patient with one another as God is patient with us. What each person will turn out to be in future is unknown to the human mind, but for the divine mind, everything is clear and well planned, everything has a purpose. God does not play a lottery up there in heaven and leave the work of his hands to chance. He is actively making all things new. We become co-creators when we cooperate with the Creator in bringing people to new birth and a new beginning.
Action: Jesus Christ is coming to my house this week. I will open my heart to receive Christ and allow Him to transform me.
Prayer: Almighty Father, your son Jesus Christ visited Zacchaeus’ home, who was regarded as a sinner, and as we are sinners too, we ask your Son to visit us in our hearts and transform us into good Christians. May the Holy Spirit lead us in completing God’s mission. We ask this through Christ, our Lord, Amen.
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