The Catholic Calendar for Tuesday, November 18, 2003
Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time
Dedication of the Basilicas of the Apostles Peter and Paul in Rome
St. Rose Philippine Duchesne, virgin

Scripture from today's Liturgy of the Word:
2 Maccabees 6:18-31
Psalm 3:2-8
Luke 19:1-10

A reflection on today's Sacred Scripture:

Today salvation has come to this house....
this man too is a descendant of Abraham. (Luke 19:10)

Some `religious thinkers' today enjoy changing basic moral tenets to fit their agenda of the moment; they would label Eleazar a fool for choosing torture over such a trivial matter as eating or pretending to eat pork. These fail to see and honor that Eleazar loves God deeply and so is totally committed to keeping His laws; any pretense or disobedience would be a betrayal of his love for God. Also such behavior would tell his observers that one may compromise God's laws for one's benefit, that self-love takes precedence over all other loves. This has a distressingly familiar ring today.

Zacchaeus, the tax collector, at first appears to be at the opposite pole from Eleazar but proves himself to also be a true son of Abraham. While coming late to conversion, when confronted by the living Word of God, he saw, admitted to and repented of his sin by promising to make full restitution of any ill-gotten money.

Truly, Christ came to seek what was lost, not simply to repopulate His Father's kingdom. He came to impart to us God's love, the love that we evicted from our hearts through sin. Like Christ, and with Him we are called to the cross, to die to our grasping ways, to live in God's truths which are inseparable from His love. Then, the Father, seeing our resemblance to His Son, will recognize us also as His children and welcome us into His eternal home.

Blessed Redeemer,
pour out Your graces upon us;
open our hearts to the genuine love
that only comes to us through our Father.
Amen.

- Marie Bocko, ocds (mlbocko at borg dot com)

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posted by joachim at 5:17 AM