THE SHORT AND THE TALL OF IT
Wow! See what can happen when we let Jesus into our lives?
Zacchaeus has a change of heart that resulted in a change of life and God wills
the same for us!
Zacchaeus was
"short in stature," but he certainly stands out in the Gospel of Luke
today! Jesus often "drops-in" at unexpected times and, oftentimes, He
visits with the "uninvited" - the poor, the lame, and even with sinners
such as Zacchaeus, the tax collector! Tax collectors were despised and treated
as outcasts in society. Undoubtedly, because they overcharged people and
accumulated great wealth at the expense of others. Zacchaeus needed our
heavenly Father's merciful love and forgiveness. In his encounter with Jesus
Christ he finds more than he could have ever imagined possible.
He shows the depth of
his repentance by deciding to give, and give generously. He said he would give
half of his goods to the poor and use the other half for making restitution.
Wow! See what can
happen when we let Jesus into our lives? Zacchaeus has a change of heart that
resulted in a change of life and God wills the same for us! Short or tall, it
is really each one of us with whom Jesus comes to stay. Our challenge is, like
Zacchaeus, to receive Jesus into our hearts with joy. May we also imitate the
generosity of Zacchaeus to the poor.
In addition to this
Christ-centered Gospel is today's memorial of the Dedication of the Basilicas of
Saints Peter and Paul. The original oratory over Peter's tomb dates back to the
late first century AD. It was replaced by the basilica of the Emperor
Constantine and dedicated in 326. Thirteen hundred years later, in 1626, the
present Saint Peter Basilica in the Vatican was consecrated. The
largest church in Rome after St. Peter's is the
basilica of St. Paul
Outside-the Walls, built near the site of Paul's martyrdom. When a later
basilica was destroyed by fire in 1823, the present building was consecrated in
1878. This is great history for us to reflect upon!
That's the short and
the tall of it!