Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time
In 1985 I was a seminarian. I wanted to be a priest who celebrated the Mass reverently and preached the gospel meaningfully, but there was more. I wanted to change the world. I wanted to end hunger, work for world peace, and see all humanity as one. And I am still that way. I am an idealist.
It was at the peak of my seminary life in 1991 that I heard a song that spelt out my idealism. It was written and composed by Julie Gold in 1985 and first sung by Nancy Griffith on the David Letterman Show. In 1991, sung by Bette Midler, it won the Grammy. You have probably guessed it by now – its “From a Distance.” Even today, when the I hear the words…
“From a distance, we all have enough
And no one is in need.
And there are no guns, no bombs, and no diseases
No hungry mouths to feed
From a distance, we are instruments
Marching in a common band
Playing songs of hope
Playing songs of peace
They're the songs of every man.”
…I well up with tears.
There is a huge part of me that wants us all to live in peace, to eliminate hunger, and simply treat each other with dignity. Is that too much to ask? And I believe that if we can all get the big picture; if we can all see things from a distance; if we can just see things from God’s eyes, the world and the church can be the Reign of God.
Here are my three points for today:
The Universe through God’s Eyes
Today’s first reading from Wisdom is a ‘big picture’ or ‘from a distance’ kind of reading. Wisdom says, “Before the LORD the whole universe is as a grain from a balance, or a drop of morning dew come down upon the earth” (Wis 11:22). It is God’s ‘from-a-distance’ view of the world. It tells us how God sees the universe. Furthermore, Wisdom says that God has mercy on all; that God overlooks people’s sins that they might repent; that God loves all things that are and loathes nothing that God has created; that everything that remains or exists is by God’s will and all that is preserved is called forth by God; that God rebukes offender little by little, giving people a chance to abandon wickedness and believe. And this is the part that touches my soul the most: “But you spare all things, because they are yours, O LORD and lover of souls, for your imperishable spirit is in all things!”
Our God is a ‘big-picture’ kind of God. God looks at us from a distance and sees differently than we see ourselves. This does not mean that God is distant from us. The incarnation story tells us differently. The point is that if we learn to look at the world with God’s eyes, our entire perspective will change.
Big Picture Spirituality
I would like to interpret Zacchaeus’ story from the ‘big picture’ or ‘from-a-distance’ perspective. Luke tells us that Zacchaeus was short of stature. But his perspective changed when he climbed a tree. He sees life from a distance. He sees Jesus. He sees other people. He sees his faults, his injustices, and his sins. He sees everything differently.
Luke also gives us a peek into those who could not get see the big picture. They complained against Jesus saying, “He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner."
We have all seen the spectacular images of the earth taken from space. Everything that God created is immensely beautiful, including, every human person seated in this Church today. And looking at everything with God’s eyes, we should see each other and the world the way God sees us. Looking at the world from a distance, we can be a people of mercy. We can overlook other people’s faults. We can cherish and protect our beautiful earth, like God does. We can learn to love all that exists and is preserved because they exist and are preserved by God’s will. We can be less judgmental and give people a chance like God does. Most of all, we can recognize God’s imperishable spirit in all things and treat the universe, life, the world, and everything in it with a sense of immense sacredness.
‘Big-Picture-Perspective” can be a spirituality. ‘From-A-Distance’ can be a Christian disciple’s lifestyle. But to develop this kind of spirituality, like Zacchaeus, we must be willing to climb the tree and look at the world from the big-picture perspective. To develop this spirituality, we must be willing, like God, to see the world from a distance.
Salvation is a Big Picture Event
In the final analysis, Zacchaeus story is a story of salvation. It ends with Jesus declaring, “Today, salvation has come to this house!” I want to argue that Zacchaeus story gives us a ‘big-picture’ understanding of salvation.
There are two dimensions to salvation. Our personal salvation begins with an encounter with Christ. Salvation is inviting Christ into our lives, our homes. Salvation is turning over our life to Christ. But that is only one part of the story.
There is an entire social dimension of salvation. Zacchaeus’ story teaches us that salvation is not only about our relationship with God but also with one another. From the top of the tree, from a distance, Zacchaeus not only saw Jesus, but he also saw the people of his society differently. Thus far he had been oppressing them. But encountering Christ had social implications. Zacchaeus must stop exploiting and oppressing the masses. He must right the wrong and repair the harm he had done. Zacchaeus recognized this. He publicly announced, “Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone I shall repay it four times over." Its only then that Jesus said, “Salvation has come to this house!” Only now is Zacchaeus saved!
Salvation is a personal event, but it is equally a communal event. It is not enough to enter into communion with Jesus, but we must also accept every person in God’s world as our brother and sister. Oppression, inequality, and injustice must cease. Wrong must be made right and the harm we have done to the life and dignity of the human person must be repaired. Remember,
“From a distance, we are instruments
Marching in a COMMON BAND
Playing songs of hope
Playing songs of peace
They're the songs of every man.”
Today, there is a paradox unfolding here. The God who watches us from a distance is with us on this altar. Let us receive Him and look at the world and each other with God’s eyes. Amen.
- Fr. Satish Joseph