Monday, November 4, 2019

Let Jesus Transform You

Jesus Meets Zacchaeus
Sunday’s word of God brings us the book of Wisdom, a poetic and philosophical meditation about life, the quest for true wisdom, God’s grandeur and our insignificance, and God’s mercy and favor.

Here the author speaks about the all-mighty God of the universe, creator of billions of galaxies with millions of stars in each galaxy, an awesome creator God completely beyond us and yet utterly within us, a God who is a lover of souls. God, the author observes, can be found everywhere. The author's message is simple: Repent! Live a God-centered, other-centered life!

St. Paul in his letter prays that God will empower the Christian community to continue doing good for others and to stop worrying about tomorrow. Yes, we have today as a gift. Make the best of it.

In the Gospel according to Luke, Jesus meets Zacchaeus in Jericho. This man’s job was to tax his fellow Jews and turn the money over to their occupiers, the Romans. Yet Jesus wants to stay at the house of Zacchaeus. His neighbors must have been shocked: Doesn’t Jesus know Zacchaeus works for the enemy?

But the call of Jesus became a transformative moment for Zacchaeus. From now on, Zacchaeus will be generous with what he has and honest in his business dealings.

Like Jesus, we too can help people transform into the best version of themselves. A good example, I think, is Dr. Karl Menninger, the renowned twentieth-century psychiatrist and guru in mental health. Meeting with a woman who had been depressed since her husband’s death many years before, Menninger noticed the beautiful violets she grew. So he wrote an unusual prescription: the widow was to read her local small town newspaper every day and send a violet to someone who experienced a significant life event—a birth, marriage, a death in the family.

Within a month, the widow called Menninger and said her life had changed dramatically. Every time she sent a violet, the receiver responded. The widow became known as the “violet lady” and began to live her life happily with new friends.  In short, she got out of herself by reaching out to others.

The point is simple. Jesus recognized the potential good in Zacchaeus that many failed to see. Christ calls us to transform others in a similar way by recognizing their gifts and abilities and asking them to use these gifts and abilities to bring joy and hope to others. Let the light of our faith in Jesus Christ shatter the darkness in other people.

Nelson Mandela said this clearly in his 1994 inaugural address as president of South Africa: “We were born to make manifest the glory of God within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously encourage other people to let theirs shine.”

And so we might pray for the grace to be transformed, like Zacchaeus, so that we can reflect more transparently the presence or glory of God in our attitudes and behavior vis-a- vis our families, relatives, friends and colleagues. AMEN.