WEBVTT 00:00:03.470 --> 00:00:07.849 It may come as a surprise to you that we're already 00:00:07.849 --> 00:00:11.570 at Zacchaeus Sunday. Zacchaeus Sunday is the 00:00:11.570 --> 00:00:15.650 signal, not official. There's no hymnography 00:00:15.650 --> 00:00:20.710 about it. We have a fresco up there. You see 00:00:20.710 --> 00:00:25.829 Christ is entering Jericho, and there's Zacchaeus 00:00:25.829 --> 00:00:29.629 who runs. Can you imagine a man at that time 00:00:29.629 --> 00:00:33.509 running? He wasn't going to be caught in the 00:00:33.509 --> 00:00:36.130 crowd when he can't protect his back. He wasn't 00:00:36.130 --> 00:00:41.969 popular. And he climbs up into a tree. Well, 00:00:42.109 --> 00:00:45.969 Zacchaeus Sunday is sort of the signal that next 00:00:45.969 --> 00:00:50.689 week we're going to begin hymns from the book 00:00:50.689 --> 00:00:52.810 called the Lenten Triodion, the hymn book of 00:00:52.810 --> 00:00:57.369 Lent. And we have next week the publican and 00:00:57.369 --> 00:01:02.880 the Pharisee, followed by the prodigal son. Reading, 00:01:02.979 --> 00:01:06.180 followed by the Sunday of the Last Judgment, 00:01:06.299 --> 00:01:09.780 followed by Forgiveness Sunday. We are approaching 00:01:09.780 --> 00:01:14.140 Great Lent, and the Church is giving us an encouragement 00:01:14.140 --> 00:01:21.159 as we come toward that date. And what consoling 00:01:21.159 --> 00:01:26.079 words we heard today. What consoling words. The 00:01:26.079 --> 00:01:31.799 Son of Man has come to seek and to save. that 00:01:31.799 --> 00:01:37.599 which was lost. I was lost. I keep trying to 00:01:37.599 --> 00:01:40.659 get lost for some reason. But the Son of Man 00:01:40.659 --> 00:01:48.159 also says that he is the Savior, the way, the 00:01:48.159 --> 00:01:51.680 truth, the life. And St. Paul, also comforting 00:01:51.680 --> 00:01:55.500 and consoling words, says he desires, Jesus desires 00:01:55.500 --> 00:01:58.980 all men, all people to be saved and come to the 00:01:58.980 --> 00:02:04.599 knowledge of the truth. We never, we can't say 00:02:04.599 --> 00:02:11.719 ever, ever that God has abandoned us. St. Timothy's, 00:02:11.860 --> 00:02:14.840 the epistle to St. Timothy, he hears from St. 00:02:14.979 --> 00:02:19.340 Paul that Jesus Christ is the Savior of all men, 00:02:19.580 --> 00:02:23.379 all people, especially of those who believe. 00:02:24.460 --> 00:02:29.740 I'll explain that in a moment. Consoling words 00:02:29.740 --> 00:02:34.740 on this day. of Zacchaeus, a man that Christ 00:02:34.740 --> 00:02:37.819 came to save, just as he came to save that woman 00:02:37.819 --> 00:02:40.479 we heard about last week and that blind man we 00:02:40.479 --> 00:02:44.300 heard about the week before. Salvation is God's 00:02:44.300 --> 00:02:49.900 business. The salvation of Christ is said to 00:02:49.900 --> 00:02:54.759 be two things. It's extensive and it's intensive. 00:02:55.620 --> 00:02:59.360 That is, it's universally offered to everyone. 00:03:00.300 --> 00:03:02.759 He is the Savior of all, especially those who 00:03:02.759 --> 00:03:06.180 believe. And it is even offered to the worst 00:03:06.180 --> 00:03:13.639 of sinners, extensive and intensive. St. Paul 00:03:13.639 --> 00:03:16.180 says that Jesus is the Savior, especially of 00:03:16.180 --> 00:03:19.840 those who believe. What he means is that we who 00:03:19.840 --> 00:03:22.199 are the servants of God, who have given our lives 00:03:22.199 --> 00:03:25.259 to Christ, who claim that he is our Lord and 00:03:25.259 --> 00:03:28.689 Master, That we spit upon the devil, we turned 00:03:28.689 --> 00:03:35.729 our back on the devil. We fall maybe away in 00:03:35.729 --> 00:03:40.629 sins, but we come back in repentance. Our baptism, 00:03:40.909 --> 00:03:43.810 our chrismation, we have put on Christ. We've 00:03:43.810 --> 00:03:46.090 been given the seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit 00:03:46.090 --> 00:03:50.069 who cleanses us and unites us to the Father and 00:03:50.069 --> 00:03:54.830 the Spirit. Our soul is cleansed with confession. 00:03:56.620 --> 00:04:00.280 We are joined to God in communion, without which 00:04:00.280 --> 00:04:02.759 these holy mysteries, we cannot be saved, brothers 00:04:02.759 --> 00:04:06.379 and sisters. We have given our life to Christ, 00:04:06.539 --> 00:04:10.060 and there's something expected of us. To whom 00:04:10.060 --> 00:04:14.039 much is given, much will be expected. And when 00:04:14.039 --> 00:04:17.639 there are obstacles, we confess, we commune all 00:04:17.639 --> 00:04:26.139 the time to be cleansed. We receive. God's love 00:04:26.139 --> 00:04:32.639 all the time. Especially those who believe. Everyone 00:04:32.639 --> 00:04:36.160 is a recipient of the incarnation and Christ's 00:04:36.160 --> 00:04:39.459 victory over sin and death. That's given to every 00:04:39.459 --> 00:04:49.519 single person. We have decided that we will cooperate 00:04:49.519 --> 00:04:55.220 with that. We are the ones who believe. Christ 00:04:55.220 --> 00:04:59.180 comes to this man, Zacchaeus. You know the story. 00:05:00.279 --> 00:05:04.360 I'm not going to review it for you. I just want 00:05:04.360 --> 00:05:09.240 to make a couple of points. There's a contrast 00:05:09.240 --> 00:05:13.079 with a character in the previous chapter of St. 00:05:13.180 --> 00:05:16.339 Luke. The rich young ruler. Perhaps you remember 00:05:16.339 --> 00:05:20.540 that reading we had not terribly long ago. What 00:05:20.540 --> 00:05:25.470 a lesson in true repentance means. We hear today 00:05:25.470 --> 00:05:29.569 in the contrast with Zacchaeus. Remember, the 00:05:29.569 --> 00:05:32.649 rich young man told Jesus, and I imagine with 00:05:32.649 --> 00:05:34.970 some humility, I've kept all the commandments 00:05:34.970 --> 00:05:42.529 from my youth. I'm good. Jesus says, well, you 00:05:42.529 --> 00:05:47.029 lack one thing. Give everything to the poor. 00:05:48.949 --> 00:05:53.490 Come and follow me and have riches in heaven. 00:05:54.860 --> 00:05:59.339 The man went away very sad because he had invested 00:05:59.339 --> 00:06:02.439 himself in the material wealth which comes and 00:06:02.439 --> 00:06:06.920 goes and usually goes and did not make an investment 00:06:06.920 --> 00:06:10.800 in the riches of the kingdom of heaven. You have 00:06:10.800 --> 00:06:14.920 this good man, rich. And remember, Jesus says, 00:06:15.079 --> 00:06:18.000 woe to you that are rich. How hard it is for 00:06:18.000 --> 00:06:19.860 a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven. 00:06:19.959 --> 00:06:22.750 And then you have Zacchaeus, rich. And having 00:06:22.750 --> 00:06:26.470 probably not kept any commandments. Who knows 00:06:26.470 --> 00:06:29.529 how he fell into a sinful way of life? Who knows? 00:06:31.730 --> 00:06:36.910 And what happens? Jesus says, after he sees Zacchaeus 00:06:36.910 --> 00:06:39.949 in the tree, hurry down. Now, a man running to 00:06:39.949 --> 00:06:43.529 climb up a tree in a crowd has to put his pride 00:06:43.529 --> 00:06:47.029 aside. And a man told to hurry down from the 00:06:47.029 --> 00:06:51.100 tree has to do it again. It's not easy. I must 00:06:51.100 --> 00:06:55.839 abide at your house. Imagine if I called you 00:06:55.839 --> 00:06:59.779 up on a Sunday. Jeff, I must abide at your house. 00:06:59.819 --> 00:07:05.300 I'm coming over. I know I would be. But it's 00:07:05.300 --> 00:07:09.160 Jesus. I must abide at your house. And he came 00:07:09.160 --> 00:07:14.160 down and it says he received him joyfully. What 00:07:14.160 --> 00:07:17.720 a contrast with that man who walked away sad. 00:07:19.009 --> 00:07:22.550 Zacchaeus was able to then say, receiving him 00:07:22.550 --> 00:07:26.829 joyfully, standing up, it says in the gospel. 00:07:27.149 --> 00:07:32.470 Lord, he calls him. Notice, Lord. Not just good 00:07:32.470 --> 00:07:39.269 master, but his Lord. Gave it all away. He was 00:07:39.269 --> 00:07:42.649 left with nothing, probably. Oh, Jesus went to 00:07:42.649 --> 00:07:47.550 have dinner with a sinner. What hypocrites. Who 00:07:47.550 --> 00:07:49.730 knows how Zacchaeus fell into that sinful way 00:07:49.730 --> 00:07:56.569 of life. Imagine. What a mental effort. A physical 00:07:56.569 --> 00:07:59.730 effort that Zacchaeus took. He had to make to 00:07:59.730 --> 00:08:02.829 be with Jesus Christ. First off, even to have 00:08:02.829 --> 00:08:06.449 the idea, the inspiration to see who Jesus was. 00:08:06.850 --> 00:08:13.769 And to say, who is he? The desire, we know brothers 00:08:13.769 --> 00:08:18.430 and sisters, that come to us. They can go all 00:08:18.430 --> 00:08:25.329 sorts of ways. We have to be very careful. The 00:08:25.329 --> 00:08:28.009 church fathers, the spiritual writers, the monastics 00:08:28.009 --> 00:08:31.170 tell us, they tell us, not just themselves, but 00:08:31.170 --> 00:08:37.750 us. After Jesus' words, be watchful, for you 00:08:37.750 --> 00:08:40.750 don't know the day nor the hour when the Son 00:08:40.750 --> 00:08:44.149 of Man comes, or when we... might depart individually 00:08:44.149 --> 00:08:47.009 each one this life. Be watchful. We have to be 00:08:47.009 --> 00:08:51.450 careful because not everything we think or desire 00:08:51.450 --> 00:08:54.509 is true. I've mentioned this to you many times. 00:08:54.649 --> 00:08:57.389 I was driving along, car in front of me had a 00:08:57.389 --> 00:09:00.110 bumper sticker. It said, don't believe everything 00:09:00.110 --> 00:09:06.309 you think. We need to be watchful because our 00:09:06.309 --> 00:09:09.250 thoughts enter our heart and that heart becomes 00:09:09.250 --> 00:09:13.200 the battleground. And if we're not discerning 00:09:13.200 --> 00:09:18.200 and careful, we fall into sin because we believe 00:09:18.200 --> 00:09:23.759 what we think is true. The logismos, the logismi. 00:09:27.379 --> 00:09:30.740 Zacchaeus, blessed Zacchaeus. St. Clement of 00:09:30.740 --> 00:09:34.779 Rome tells us that Zacchaeus, as a result of 00:09:34.779 --> 00:09:36.860 knowing Christ, repenting of Christ, didn't just 00:09:36.860 --> 00:09:38.899 say, goodbye, Lord, I'll see you some other time. 00:09:39.340 --> 00:09:41.759 and go back to his way of life. No, he became 00:09:41.759 --> 00:09:45.039 a companion of the holy apostle Peter, who was 00:09:45.039 --> 00:09:49.100 no doubt there at that dinner. And together with 00:09:49.100 --> 00:09:52.559 that holy first among the apostles, Peter, he 00:09:52.559 --> 00:09:55.559 preached in Rome, where during Nero's reign, 00:09:55.820 --> 00:10:02.480 he accepted a martyr's death. He became discerning. 00:10:02.860 --> 00:10:06.659 He put his pride aside. He climbed that tree. 00:10:07.320 --> 00:10:10.159 He did everything he could, no matter what the 00:10:10.159 --> 00:10:14.879 obstacle to know Christ. This is the basic lesson 00:10:14.879 --> 00:10:18.720 if we're going to approach Lent. There are many 00:10:18.720 --> 00:10:21.440 obstacles for each one of us. You know them. 00:10:22.460 --> 00:10:27.379 Maybe I know some of them in you as well, which 00:10:27.379 --> 00:10:29.399 is why I pray for you and which is why you pray 00:10:29.399 --> 00:10:32.179 for me. You know my obstacles better than I know 00:10:32.179 --> 00:10:37.600 them myself. As Lent approaches, As we experience 00:10:37.600 --> 00:10:42.720 the love of God, the Savior of all, the one who 00:10:42.720 --> 00:10:47.220 seeks and saves, one who's always giving us love, 00:10:47.379 --> 00:10:50.860 in the encounter with the loving God in prayer, 00:10:51.039 --> 00:10:54.480 we begin to see ourself, we begin to see which 00:10:54.480 --> 00:10:58.299 thoughts we have and desires are ungodly. We 00:10:58.299 --> 00:11:01.320 know those pretty well. It's the subtle ones 00:11:01.320 --> 00:11:07.080 that we don't seem to get. If it's avarice and 00:11:07.080 --> 00:11:10.940 love of money like Zacchaeus, we start to give 00:11:10.940 --> 00:11:13.720 some away according to the law of the scripture. 00:11:15.240 --> 00:11:18.259 If it's some other sin, you start to make an 00:11:18.259 --> 00:11:21.480 effort on it with repentance. Whatever it is, 00:11:21.679 --> 00:11:25.460 whatever obstacle is between you and God so that 00:11:25.460 --> 00:11:28.860 you can't experience what St. Paul says here. 00:11:30.860 --> 00:11:33.440 That Jesus Christ is the Savior of all men, especially 00:11:33.440 --> 00:11:38.759 those who believe, the one who is seeking us 00:11:38.759 --> 00:11:43.500 all the time. We have work to do, brothers and 00:11:43.500 --> 00:11:47.860 sisters. This gospel today and this epistle simply 00:11:47.860 --> 00:11:52.259 highlight for us in a very simple way with a 00:11:52.259 --> 00:11:56.779 simple man who conceived of a desire to be with 00:11:56.779 --> 00:12:01.960 Christ and remained. The whole time. To the end. 00:12:03.240 --> 00:12:07.299 I encourage you, read this gospel again. When 00:12:07.299 --> 00:12:10.460 you get home this evening, ponder it all week 00:12:10.460 --> 00:12:14.580 long. Get as much benefit as you can. These gospels 00:12:14.580 --> 00:12:17.179 aren't just chosen randomly. No, they're there 00:12:17.179 --> 00:12:19.220 at the time we need, in the time of our life 00:12:19.220 --> 00:12:21.759 we need, in the time of the situation that we 00:12:21.759 --> 00:12:24.639 find ourselves in this country, in this time. 00:12:26.580 --> 00:12:29.759 Your consolation is there. Your hope is there. 00:12:29.919 --> 00:12:34.299 Your guidance is there. Give glory to God, who 00:12:34.299 --> 00:12:39.919 is the Savior of all and loves us unconditionally. 00:12:40.120 --> 00:12:40.700 Amen.