441. Thirty-first Sunday of Ordinary Time (C)

Meditations no. 389 (unofficial computer-aided translation)

Christ’s life is a continual dialogue.

Contemplate the scenes from our Lord’s life, our Father invites us. Recall what he told the Apostles: euntes, docete omnes gentes, go and teach all nations. And how he himself taught with authority. Jesus’ whole life, my children, is a marvellous dialogue, a wonderful conversation with mankind.

Among all these conversations, we are particularly fond of Christ’s first exchanges with the first Twelve and the holy women. These early conversations have a lasting and unforgettable charm, just as we cannot forget our conversations with our Lord at the beginning of our vocation, which determined the course of our life. Later, over the course of three years, on countless occasions Jesus speaks to them, answers their questions, resolves their doubts, makes divine truth known to them by way of parables: sine parabola autem non loquebatur eis; he did not speak to them without a parable…

Truly each and every one of the twelve, upon recalling those years of familiar dealings with Jesus, would have every reason to say with Peter: Lord… , you have the words of eternal life.

Nevertheless, our Lord does not limit his dialogue to a small, restricted group. He speaks with everyone: with the holy women, and with large crowds; with representatives of Israel’s highest social strata, like Nicodemus, and with the publican Zacchaeus; with people reputed pious, and with sinners like the Samaritan woman; with the sick and the healthy; with the poor, whom he loved with his whole heart; with doctors of the law, and with Gentiles whose faith he praises above Israel’s; with the elderly and with children.

In short, Christ’s whole life was a constant dialogue in search of souls. All who met him felt the influence of his word. It reaches the depths of their soul, and transforms, rejuvenates, and leads them to God. For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword.

Dialogue with Jesus make us face our duties.

The Gospel of today’s Mass presents one of Christ’s apostolic dialogues: He entered Jericho and was passing through. And there was a man named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector, and rich. And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not, on account of the crowd, because he was small of stature. So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was to pass that way.

Like all publicans, Zacchaeus was scorned by his fellow countrymen and seen as a public sinner. But Christ came to lead souls to God and tell them they can be saints. Therefore he welcomes everyone; he accepts their invitations, and when they don’t invite him, he sometimes invites himself: Zachaee, festinans descende, quia hodie in domo tua oportet me manere; Zacchaeus, make haste and come down; for I must stay at your house today.

We learn from Jesus how to treat people, to dialogue with them, understand them, forgive them. Remember his dialogue with the Samaritan woman. How marvellous Christ’s conversation is! He says things in such a way that the woman is transformed from a sinner into a proclaimer of the Truth. Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ? They went out of the city and were coming to him. Yes, my daughters and sons, Christ’s dialogue is not a mind-game, a mere illusion. His word of truth enkindles hearts with divine fire.

Our Lord ardently yearns to save all souls, even those who seem lost. That’s why he pauses under the sycamore tree Zacchaeus had climbed and tells him he wants to eat at his house. We have no record of their conversation during the meal. We know the crowd all murmured, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” However, we can assume that our Lord not only made friends with Zacchaeus, but that he spoke to him clearly and moved the publican to a change of heart. Our Father wrote: Jesus is also demanding: he confronts people with their duties, running the risk of being ignored. See how Christ shows what is in his heart when the rich young man approaches him: Jesus looks on the young man with love, while asking him to be completely detached from his riches. Qui contristatus in verbo abiit moerens: the young man went away sad, because when the word of God is not welcomed it turns as bitter as gall.

Speaking, then, is not enough. One has to act, putting into practice the lesson received. Otherwise, all dialogue, including dialogue with God, is barren. For not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord,” shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

Jesus is not moved by false prudence or rationalizations, which lead to compromising the truth. And when necessary, he speaks without euphemisms, crudely even, and at times even acts harshly: and making a whip of cords, he drove them all, with the sheep and oxen, out of the temple. But if he does so on occasion, it is in order to dislodge the evil deeply rooted in human hearts, while opening his arms wide as an invitation to repentance.

Example is not enough: apostles must also talk.

The fruit of Jesus’ dialogue with Zacchaeus is soon seen: And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man came to seek and to save the lost.”

Faced with Christ’s example, we see anew our obligation to do apostolate not only by our example but also by our word. We need to be daring and enter into people’s lives. His word reached the hearts of the Apostles, the disciples, the holy women. It made them earnestly desire to continue and spread the divine dialogue, as all souls in love with Christ have always tried to do.

In preaching the Gospel, the first Twelve had wonderful conversations with those they met and sought out on their journeys and pilgrimages. There would be no Church now if the Apostles had not carried out a supernatural dialogue with all those people. For the Christian apostolate comes down to this: ergo fides ex auditu, auditus autem per verbum Christi; faith comes from hearing, and hearing depends upon the preaching of Christ’s word.

How well the first generations of Christians understood it! I love to speak about them, because they are, as it were, a model for our vocation. They lived thinking only of Christ, spending their lives to spread the good news. It was not without pride that Origen told how the pagan Celsus criticized Christians for their zeal: Even craftsmen were actively engaged in spreading the Gospel! But to be effective, Christians must have good doctrinal training, as well as zeal and the ability to speak well.

Many years ago now, more than thirty in fact, our Father wrote in 1965, to express this same reality, I used an expression that some people, with little supernatural outlook and a surplus of human outlook, were unable to understand. I wrote that each Christian should consider himself a leader, called by God to bring souls to holiness.

Everyone, great and small, powerful and weak, learned and simple: each in their place should have the humility and magnanimity to be God’s instrument in announcing his kingdom. For our Lord sent out all his disciples: and preach as you go, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Our Lady, Queen of Apostles, intercede for us: help us to bring your Son’s divine message to all souls. Thus the world will obtain the peace it seeks and fails to find because it is still unaware of the dialogue of salvation that Christ opened up on earth.