Thamwar Monsang csc –
Readings: Rev 3: 1-6, 14-22; Lk 19: 1-10
The themes of the two readings are conversion and reconciliation. The first reading describes people who are unconcerned and unaffected, likening them to statues. These individuals are indifferent to the injustices, oppression, and suffering endured by the poor and marginalized.
Their hunger for money, power, and position blinds them to the existential struggles around them. Due to their spiritual blindness, they cannot hear Jesus Christ knocking at the door of their hearts, depriving themselves of his call to conversion and reconciliation.
The gospel reveals the purpose of Jesus’ mission: “to seek and to save what was lost.” Jesus transcends social, religious, and cultural stigmas, reaching out to Zacchaeus with compassion and love. By stopping to dine with Zacchaeus, he instils a yearning for conversion in his heart. St. Luke emphasizes that Jesus cares for the poor and marginalized, reaching out to the lowly, the sinful, the widows, the orphans, and the oppressed.
Let us reflect on our own lives: can we embody the values of Jesus while serving the poor and marginalized? May we ask the Lord Jesus to bestow the gift of the Holy Spirit upon us, empowering us to work for peace, justice, and equality in our unjust and oppressive society.