October 16 - 31 , 2016 PHILIPPINE ASIAN NEWS TODAY FAITH AND RELIGION B13
Dayspring
By Ed Malay
“ Today salvation has come to this house .” ( Lk 19:9 )
This gospel passage may very well apply to how the coming US elections will evolve . While both presidential candidates are promising a rosy future for the US , the outcome n November will determine if indeed salvation will come to the US that is facing numerous challenges from all flanks . With Russia playing a larger role in the Middle East than what it originally planned and , with the closest ally of the US in Southeast Asia opening up to China and Russia , indeed the United States has never before faced such trials that could impact its security . But these challenges are not confined to the Middle East and Asia alone , even in the home front there are a myriad of problems that may yet destroy the fiber of the American society . As the world moves at a constant pace and as our lives move with it , the modern world that we left behind a decade ago is no longer the same world we live in now . Today , we have to come to grips with the post-modern world in which relativism has taken a life of its own especially in modern societies . With the decline in the quality of education in many institutes of learning , the young steps into the new world with practically no knowledge of who God is . In fact , there have been persistent efforts to remove God from educational institutions in a country that was founded by Christian missionaries .
There is no doubt the advent of communications and new technologies have made life easier and convenient but as technologies progressed so are those who use them . Having the latest gadgets has become the in thing and at times people also have to do a complete makeover in order to belong . People nowadays are so enamored by the way they want to be perceived by others such that they try to live their lives in the way they want to be portrayed . Today we choose our friends and the people we go out with . They have to be in the same social circle as we are and we try to create our own standards and live in it . Hypocrisy has become a trait that many among us have contracted spiritual amnesia and have drifted away from the practice of our baptismal faith .
This may be the case for some of us but this was not so for Jesus who also have to live with the hypocrisy that abound during his time when people are also classified either as clean or unclean . And this was also the situation that Zacchaeus had to contend with in Luke ’ s gospel chapter 19:1-10 . Zacchaeus was one of the most hated man of his time and nobody in his right mind would dare spend time to have dinner with this notorious tax collector . Certainly not the Pharisees and not even the people of Jericho who hated him and treated him with contempt . As a tax official employed by the Romans Zacchaeus was considered a traitor or an unclean person .
This was the reason why it came as a big surprise when Jesus stopped and looked at Zacchaeus , who climbed a sycamore-fig tree to get a glimpse of Jesus , and said : “ Zacchaeus , come down immediately . I must stay at your house today .” ( v . 5 ) We could imagine the murmuring and protestation that followed the scenario when Zacchaeus came down and led Jesus to his house .
And for Zacchaeus who merely wanted to see Jesus for he had already heard of his uncompromising brand of preaching
and healings , what Jesus said was not only a surprise but it provided him with the opportunity to recover even a little of his reputation that was lost on account of his profession .
Although the Scriptures did not describe the scenario , Zacchaeus was probably grinning from ear to ear because he must have felt that all his bad reputation have become a thing of the past as he led Jesus towards his house to have dinner with him . By tradition , only friends are invited by household owners to have dinner with them . But this scenario actually has a two-fold dimension to it . Zacchaeus may have been hosting Jesus to dinner but actually it is Our Lord who was hosting the tax collector to his table of Grace when he called on Zacchaeus to come down . Many of us are like Zacchaeus as corruption seems to have infected many societies in the world including the United States where the presidential campaign has turned into a vicious street brawl . In the Philippines the series of police raids in which illegal drug laboratories have been exposed show the extent of corruption in government particularly in the past administration . And the construction of the massive drug rehabilitation facility in Nueva Ecija which was constructed in so short a time is now being compared to the graft-ridden Typhoon Yolanda rehabilitation project where only 1,000 temporary shelters have been built out of the planned 10,000 homes raising suspicion that the foreign aid that poured into the Philippines have been diverted and embezzled .
Indeed , when the opportunity arises there is in us the spirit of Zacchaeus as there are those who can ’ t help but dip into the coffers of the government for personal gain . Though it would like asking for the moon but salvation can still come to those engaged in shenanigans if they can do what Zacchaeus did . Overwhelmed by the presence of Jesus , Zacchaeus did what for most of the people was unthinkable . He did not only have a change of heart but he showed his true repentance by giving half of his wealth to the poor and the other half to make payments and restitution for the corruption that he perpetrated . This went far beyond what was legally necessary in those days and this change had a lasting effect on how the people perceived him .
“ Salvation has come to this house ” ( v . 9 ) and Jesus in this gospel showed that one can be saved through faith and repentance . Like Zacchaeus , there is a need for us to find our own sycamore-fig tree on which we could climb to see Jesus for there are times when we could not see Jesus from the cares and concerns of the world around us . To climb a tree just to get a glimpse of Jesus was a sign of humility especially for a wealthy man like Zacchaeus . And who among us would do the same . What we should not forget is that we are also sinners like Zacchaeus and at some point in time , we all need to find our way to see Jesus as the despised tax collector did .
Perhaps our own story will end in the same way as Zacchaeus did for “ the Son of Man came to seek and save what was lost .” ( v . 10 ) We are lost when we wander away from God even with so-called menial sins but Our Lord is there to make his home in us and we need to make room for him in our hearts .
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