Tuesday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time

(Optional Memorial for Saint Margaret of Scotland) 

Proper readings for the Memorial for St. Margaret of Scotland 
 
Biographical information about St. Margret of Scotland  
 
Or
 
(Optional Memorial for Saint Gertrude, Virgin) 
 
Proper readings for the Memorial of St Gertrude 
 
Biographical Information about St Gertrude

“Zacchaeus”
by James Tissot, 1886-96

 
Readings for Tuesday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time [1]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
 
Readings and Commentary: [3]
 
Reading 1: 2 Maccabees 6:18-31
 
Eleazar, one of the foremost scribes,
a man of advanced age and noble appearance,
was being forced to open his mouth to eat pork.
But preferring a glorious death to a life of defilement,
he spat out the meat,
and went forward of his own accord to the instrument of torture,
as people ought to do who have the courage to reject the food
which it is unlawful to taste even for love of life.
Those in charge of that unlawful ritual meal took the man aside privately,
because of their long acquaintance with him,
and urged him to bring meat of his own providing,
such as he could legitimately eat,
and to pretend to be eating some of the meat of the sacrifice
prescribed by the king;
in this way he would escape the death penalty,
and be treated kindly because of their old friendship with him.
But Eleazar made up his mind in a noble manner,
worthy of his years, the dignity of his advanced age,
the merited distinction of his gray hair,
and of the admirable life he had lived from childhood;
and so he declared that above all
he would be loyal to the holy laws given by God.
 
He told them to send him at once
to the abode of the dead, explaining:
“At our age it would be unbecoming to make such a pretense;
many young people would think the ninety-year-old Eleazar
had gone over to an alien religion.
Should I thus pretend for the sake of a brief moment of life,
they would be led astray by me,
while I would bring shame and dishonor on my old age.
Even if, for the time being, I avoid the punishment of men,
I shall never, whether alive or dead,
escape the hands of the Almighty.
Therefore, by manfully giving up my life now,
I will prove myself worthy of my old age,
and I will leave to the young a noble example
of how to die willingly and generously
for the revered and holy laws.”
 
Eleazar spoke thus,
and went immediately to the instrument of torture.
Those who shortly before had been kindly disposed,
now became hostile toward him because what he had said
seemed to them utter madness.
When he was about to die under the blows,
he groaned and said:
“The Lord in his holy knowledge knows full well that,
although I could have escaped death,
I am not only enduring terrible pain in my body from this scourging,
but also suffering it with joy in my soul
because of my devotion to him.”
This is how he died,
leaving in his death a model of courage
and an unforgettable example of virtue
not only for the young but for the whole nation.
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Commentary on 2 Mc 6:18-31
 
The story of the martyrdom of Eleazar, according to St Gregory Nazianzen [4], prefigures the first Christian martyr, St. Stephen. Eleazar exhibits the highest character and faith example to the Hebrews.  He is offered a duplicitous escape from his fate. Eleazar recognizes the example it would set for others (that he had violated the dietary law against eating pork (Leviticus 11:7-8 and Deuteronomy 14:8)) implying that he had changed his religion under threat of death. By refusing, “to pretend to be eating some of the meat of the sacrifice prescribed by the king,” he shames his friends who had offered his escape, thereby earning their enmity.
 
The story of Eleazar given from the Second Book of Maccabees is the companion story to that of the mother and her seven sons (see 2 Mc 7:1-2, 9-14). These stories, while intended to serve as examples of heroic courage and fidelity to God’s Law, were popular with early Christians because they gave a solid theological underpinning to martyrdom.
 
CCC: 2 Mc 6:30 363
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm  3:2-3, 4-5, 6-7
 
R. (6b) The Lord upholds me.
 
O LORD, how many are my adversaries!
Many rise up against me!
Many are saying of me,
“There is no salvation for him in God.”
R. The Lord upholds me.
 
But you, O LORD, are my shield;
my glory, you lift up my head!
When I call out to the LORD,
he answers me from his holy mountain.
R. The Lord upholds me.
 
When I lie down in sleep,
I wake again, for the LORD sustains me.
I fear not the myriads of people
arrayed against me on every side.
R. The Lord upholds me.
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Commentary on Ps 3:2-3, 4-5, 6-7
 
Psalm 3 is a lament, singing of the plight of one attacked and oppressed by enemies on all sides. These strophes are clearly an echo of King David’s sorrow, as all that the Lord has given to him seems to be at risk with no sign that God will come to his aid. In spite of this apparent abandonment, the singer has faith that God will continue to defend his servant. 
 
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Gospel: Luke 19:1-10
 
At that time Jesus came to Jericho and intended to pass through the town.
Now a man there named Zacchaeus,
who was a chief tax collector and also a wealthy man,
was seeking to see who Jesus was;
but he could not see him because of the crowd,
for he was short in stature.
So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree in order to see Jesus,
who was about to pass that way.
When he reached the place, Jesus looked up and said,
“Zacchaeus, come down quickly,
for today I must stay at your house.”
And he came down quickly and received him with joy.
When they saw this, they began to grumble, saying,
“He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner.”
But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord,
“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.”
And Jesus said to him,
“Today salvation has come to this house
because this man too is a descendant of Abraham.
For the Son of Man has come to seek
and to save what was lost.”
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Commentary on Lk 19:1-10
 
In this passage, we hear the story of Zacchaeus, the tax collector, and Jesus. Jesus is still on his final journey to Jerusalem. This encounter takes place in Jericho, on the western edge of Jordan Valley, about six miles north of the Dead Sea, northeast of Jerusalem. Jesus chooses Zacchaeus’ home for his resting place (an unpopular choice: “they began to grumble, saying, ‘He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner’”).

Jesus uses this occasion to give us a clear idea of why he came. When Zacchaeus tells him what he has done with his material possessions, Jesus proclaims: “the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost.” The Lord's mission is salvation.

The story of Zacchaeus is another of the stories unique to the Gospel of St. Luke. The tax collector exemplifies the attitude the faithful should take. He detaches himself easily from his wealth. Zacchaeus' offers go beyond what Mosaic Law calls for (assuming some of his dealings were dishonest: Exodus 21:37; Numbers 5:5-7) to give half of his possessions to the poor, and to make amends four times over for any accounts he has wrongly settled. This action, the Lord tells those present, has earned him salvation.
 
CCC: Lk 19:1-10 2712; Lk 19:8 549, 2412; Lk 19:9 1443
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Reflection:
 
Hearing the story of Zacchaeus, we probably think: “That’s really good advice for the wealthy.” That was the point the Lord was making with his comment to the tax collector, right? He undoubtedly spotted Zacchaeus in the tree and saw his fine clothes. Jesus may have turned to one of the crowd of people around him and asked: “Who’s the rich guy in the tree?” (It probably sounds much more formal in Aramaic.) At any rate, he addressed him by name: “Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house."
 
We are a little taken aback by his presumption. This was not a question, it was an announcement, as if he could have made that demand of anyone present. But then he recognized that Zacchaeus was Hebrew, and as such was under the obligation of hospitality.
 
The response from Zacchaeus was immediate. Not only did he accept the Lord’s statement eagerly, but he went further, announcing publicly that he was donating half of what he owned to the poor and anyone who he had wrongly charged, he would repay four times over. (Tax collectors were not paid a salary, they were expected to take a portion of what they were paid and typically padded the tax bill excessively.)
 
Now back to that opening line: “That’s really good advice for the wealthy.” Scripture scholars do indeed say this was the group Jesus was addressing with this story. But we, by the standards of the modern world, are all wealthy. We do not have to beg in order to buy food, we do not depend upon others for survival as did the poor in the Lord’s Day.
 
We are bound by Jesus’ injunction. Today we hear the Lord addressing us: “for today I must stay at your house." Again, the Lord makes a statement, not a request. We are his disciples after all and we should, like Zacchaeus, be honored that he has chosen us. And what shall we tell the Lord? “Lord I am honored but I gave at the office.” Or “I’d love to have you over but I have other plans.”
 
No, today the call is not just to the wealthy. It is to each one of us. It is the call to love one another once more. We are commanded to share what we have with those in need, be that material resources or time and effort. The Lord calls us by name today and tells us - today I must stay at your house. What is our response?
 
Pax

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[1] The picture is “Zacchaeus” by James Tissot, 1886-96.
[2] S.S. Commemoratio
[3] The readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[4] "Orationes," 15, 3