Every youngster knows what this Monday is: Halloween. In the middle ages, it was All Hallows eve, before All Saints Day, this Tuesday, and then All Souls, Wednesday.
In Irish folklore, on October 31, the dead were thought to come back to life. Irish American immigrants in the 19th century popularized Halloween as we know it, asking for treats or threatening tricks. Make sure children are safe if they go out, and check any goodies they gather to be sure no one is playing a trick.
The Gospels often highlight debates or arguments. I read elsewhere one example of how to start an argument. A wife wanted an SUV; her husband wanted a sports car. After back and forth, he finally said, “I want something that goes from 0 to 200 in four seconds or less! Surprise me.” The wife bought him a bathroom scale. That's when the argument started. The moral: choose your arguments carefully.
Today’s word of God in the book of Wisdom speaks about the all-mighty God of the universe, creator of billions of galaxies with millions of stars in each galaxy, an awesome creator completely beyond us and yet utterly within us, a God who loves us unconditionally. God, the author observes, can be found everywhere: in the beauty of nature, in the diversity of the seasons, in people and other creations.
The message is simple: Repent! Live a God-centered, other-centered life!
St. Paul in his letter prays that God will empower the Christian community in Thessaloniki, Greece, to continue doing good for others and to stop worrying about tomorrow. Carpe diem, seize the moment. Yes, we had yesterdays, and sometimes unfinished matters, and no one knows what tomorrow will bring. But this is the day that the Lord has made. Let us make the best of this gift. Good advice for all of us.
In the Gospel, Jesus meets Zacchaeus, a tax collector and, in the eyes of first-century Jews, a scoundrel. This man’s job was to tax his fellow Jews and turn the money over to their occupiers, who denied many of their basic human rights.
Jesus wants to stay at Zacchaeus' house. The Jericho neighbors must have been shocked: Doesn’t Jesus know this man works for the enemy, makes money off fellow Jews?
But Jesus's call became a transformative moment. From then on Zacchaeus will be generous and honest in his dealings.
Like Jesus, we too can help people transform into the best version of themselves. A good example of this is Dr. Karl Menninger's work. The renowned psychiatrist and mental health guru was asked to visit a woman who had been depressed since her husband’s death years before. As they talked, Menninger noticed the beautiful violets she grew. He wrote an unusual prescription: the widow was to read her local newspaper every day and send a violet to someone who experienced a significant event—a birth, a marriage, a death in the family.
Soon, the widow called Menninger and said she had become excited about life again. Each time she sent a violet, the receiver responded. The widow became known as the “violet lady” and lived her life happily with new friends. In short, she got out of herself by reaching out to others.
Yes, Jesus recognized the potential in people that others failed to see. Christ calls us to conversion, and to help others transform in a similar way by recognizing their gifts and abilities to bring joy and peace and hope to other people. Let the light of faith shatter the darkness.
Jesus challenges you and me to take stock of our lives, to examine our conscience about our priorities, what really matters. We may ponder, what is conscience? We sometimes feel guilty about things we do or don’t do, but conscience is more than feelings. It is our way of judging whether our behavior and our attitudes are in sync with the way we ought to relate to God and to one another. An informed conscience is our moral compass, an almost instinctive judgment about our behavior and attitudes.
The Ten Commandments are a good guide for examining our conscience, so that we can realize the best version of ourselves. The commandments are really about freeing ourselves from attitudes and behaviors that undermine our relationships. Our God demands that we practice virtue: for example, caring for aging parents; cherishing life from beginning to end; being faithful to our promises; speaking the truth; respecting the rights of others; and being generous with what we have.
Today we might pray for the grace to always become the best version of ourselves, like Zacchaeus, so that we can reflect more transparently the glory of God in our lives vis-a-vis our families, relatives, friends and colleagues. AMEN.
