Homily of His Excellency Msgr. Selim Sfeir Maronite Archbishop of Cyprus
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
“Now a man there named Zachaeus, 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.”
The Holy Spirit recounts for us today the wonderful conversion of Zachaeus. He was a very important man, with a very important job. Upon his conversion to Jesus Christ, he undertook to put things right by restoring justice and paying restitution. Restitution is required whenever someone repents of theft. If we have stolen anything in our lives, in order for our conversion to be authentic, we must make restitution either to the injured party or if that is not possible (as it may reveal our identity, and this is not required) we may make a donation to a public work of charity.
What is surprising is that Our Lord does not ask Zachaeus to join the apostles. It isn’t because our Lord was afraid of tax collectors; St. Matthew, one of the twelve, was a tax collector. Instead, I imagine that Zachaeus returned to his daily work, only now he was fully conscious of his responsibility and his duty to carry out his job without corruption. His new found faith enlightened his conscience, and allowed him to see what was right and what was wrong. He is a model for lay men and women, in the middle of the world, serving Christ by being just. Jacques Leclerq wrote that “one of the great failures of Christianity has been the failure of the laity to fulfill their task. Perhaps this is the result of another tragedy, that the clergy has not fulfilled theirs.” Christ has need of each of us, each in his own place.
Someone must do the work of collecting taxes; there is nothing unclean or wicked about this task. How different the world would be if each one of us resolved to serve Christ right where we are.
Prayer
O Holy Spirit, you desire to set the world on fire and restore all creation. May each follower of Christ resolve to make his work an offering to you, done in service for his brothers and sisters and for the greater glory of God.
† Selim Sfeir
Maronite Archbishop of Cyprus