4th June Trinity 2021, Healing to This House

 

June Trinity, additional
Luke 19:1-10
 

And he came to Jericho and went through the town. See, there was a man called Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax-collector, and a rich man. He wanted to see Jesus to know who he was; but because he was small of stature, he could not see him in the great crowd. So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a mulberry-fig tree to see him, for he had to come past there. 

And when Jesus came to the place he looked up to him and said, `Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must be a guest in your house!' 

And he came down hurriedly and made him welcome in his house with great joy. All who saw it became indignant and said, 'He has gone in to be a guest in the house of a sinner.' 

Then Zacchaeus stood before the Lord and said, 'Lord, see, half of all that I have I give to the poor, and if I have taken too much from someone, I give it back to him fourfold.' And Jesus said to him, 'So today healing has come to this house. This man, too, is a true son of Abraham, and the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost.'

4^th Trinity II
June 20, 2021
Luke 19:1-10

This lovely episode in the Gospels is encouraging on so many levels: The 'little guy' gets noticed. His efforts at running ahead and raising himself are rewarded. Not only does Jesus notice him but says that He will visit his house and dine with him.


Meanwhile, Zacchaeus had also prepared himself inwardly for an encounter with Christ. Half his riches he shares with the poor—a sign of his awareness that he is embedded in a community from which his wealth is earned; and a community for which he is in turn responsible. He makes recompense for his wealth. He also acknowledges any mistakes or errors toward individuals and makes fourfold restitution.

Zacchaeus has schooled himself in creating right relationships to the divine and to his fellow humans. His open-hearted generosity and willingness to make restitution have brought healing. They are the openings through which Christ is able to commune intimately with him.

Openheartedness is the first step toward an encounter with Christ—Christ on the Way, Christ in us, Christ in others. He is always ready. He says: "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me" (Rev 3:20).

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3rd Trinity II 2021, Come and See

 

June Trinity II, additional

John 1:43-51

The next day Jesus wanted to set out for Galilee. And he found Philip and said to him, "Follow me!"

Philip was from Bethsaida, the town of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote. It is Jesus, the son of Joseph from Nazareth."

Then Nathanael said to him, "Can good come out of Nazareth?"

Philip said to him, "Come and see."

When Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him, he said of him, "He has reached the stage of an Israelite in whom there is no untruth."

Then Nathanael said to him, "From where do you know me?"

And Jesus replied, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you."

Then Nathanael said, "Master, you are the Son of God; you are the spiritual leader of Israel."

And Jesus answered, "Because I said to you I saw you under the fig tree, have you found confidence in me? You will experience greater things than this." And he said to him, "Yes, I say to you all: You will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending above the Son of Man."

3^rd Trinity II

June 13, 2021

John 1:43-51

Out of all the facts, all the things we have experienced, all the things we know, our souls construct a coherent story that makes sense to us. For Nathaniel, in this gospel reading, the One whom they were awaiting wasn't expected to come from Nazareth. It didn't fit with the narrative. Not until Nathaniel experienced Christ Jesus himself, not until Jesus supplied additional knowledge and facts, could Nathaniel expand and change the whole narrative. His encounter with Christ changed not only his view of the Messiah but also changed the subsequent storyline of his own life.

In our lives, too, we have built up stories, both individually and culturally. As new experiences arrive, the stories through which we make sense of the world need to be constantly revised and expanded. We need to be open to incorporating new events and facts, especially when they are life-changing.

At the center of this gospel reading is an invitation: Come and see. Come—approach the One you are hoping for. See for yourself. Perceive Him, listen to Him, converse with Him.

Today the invitation still goes out: come and see for yourself. Converse with Him—in your own personal encounters, in the gospels, in the narrative of the Act of Consecration. Perceive Him in the changing life and color of nature and the seasonal prayers. We can hear His invitation in the words of Hafiz: 

Tissot

…our Beloved,

… eternally says, 

"Yes, dear ones, come this way,

Come this way toward Me and Love!"*

 

* Hafiz, in I Heard God Laughing - Renderings of Hafiz, by Daniel Ladinsky

 

 

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