Worth saving

Today’s readings: Wisdom 11,22 – 12,2; Thessalonians 1,11 – 2,2; Luke 19, 1-10.

The biblical pattern which transpires from today’s three readings and which constantly repeats itself in our life journeys, unfolds through the experience of love and life, to the experience of suffering which brings fear and doubt, and finally to some form of fulfilment or homecoming which tops our heart’s desires.

The encounter between Zacchaeus and Jesus that we read about only in Luke’s gospel stands out among all Gospel stories. In the context of Luke it broadens Christianity’s operating platform and hails the acceptance of pagans converted to the faith. Considering these as mere outsiders and alien to any benefits of salvation whatsoever, the Jews were always irritated with this new behaviour and were adamantly reluctant to accept the evolving situation.

But beyond all expectation and human comprehension, Jesus came on earth as ambassador of the fullness of love on the part of God the creator. Nothing could stop Jesus from going beyond humanly fabricated confines. This is confirmed in today’s reading from Wisdom which sounds like a breath of fresh air in contrast with the Jews at the time of Jesus and the prophets of doom in our days.

God “loves all that exists”, and His “imperishable spirit is in all”. This is really the good news we all need to hear and digest. Today’s readings, particularly Wisdom and Luke, are most welcome in a day and age when we seem to be so disoriented regarding the true search for God.

It is no coincidence that while different forms of traditionalism, verging on integralism, seem to be getting hold of entire factions within our churches, a new militant and mostly aggressive form of atheism is emerging. Between these two extremes, our challenge is to focus on the essential and not give in to cheap responses. In the reading from Thessalonians, St Paul warns about giving heed to rumours and ignoring the truth.

The essential, as it says in Wisdom, is that the lord is “lover of life” and, as we read in Luke, that he “comes to seek out and save what was lost”. Other concerns, including all sorts of ‘adventist’ movements predicting apparitions here and there or even predicting as imminent the end of everything, are petty concerns that lead us nowhere.

In our daily struggles, Jesus evokes in us the dynamic love that otherwise would remain hidden and inactive. This is what happened in Zacchaeus, who in the Gospel is representative of the outcome of a true encounter with the Lord. This encounter takes place in Jericho, Jesus’ last stage before entering Jerusalem for his final destiny.

In our times, Zacchaeus may easily represent the deep desire for God that in spite of all appearances, characterises our culture. Perhaps we are called today to capture the simplest truths that may be escaping our attention. Zacchaeus was “anxious to see what kind of man Jesus was” and had to climb a sycamore tree to catch a glimpse. He could not see because of the crowd. We too are often lost in the crowd. But although Jesus himself was a crowd puller, he made time for everyone.

An effort is always needed so we do not lose the true vision of things. It’s so easy to lose the richness of life’s ordinariness. In his book On Religion, professor of philosophy John D. Caputo, who has published widely on Aquinas and Derrida, writes that “Religion is for lovers”, and for him “lovers are people who exceed their duty, who look around for ways to do more than is required of them”.

He adds: “The mark of really loving someone or something is unconditionality and excess, engagement and commitment, fire and passion. Its opposite is a mediocre fellow, neither hot nor cold, moderate to the point of mediocrity. Not worth saving.” This says a lot about the eagerness of Zacchaeus to see Jesus and about his extra effort to go beyond the crowd hindering him. That’s what made him worth saving.