Homily for Sunday, 3 November 2013

31st Sunday in Ordinary Time

Homily for the University of St. Michael's College Campus Ministry Mass, Toronto, ON, Canada 

Readings of the day: Wisdom 11:22-12:2; Psalm 145:1-2, 8-9, 10-11, 13, 14; 2 Thessalonians 1:11-2:2; Luke 19:1-10

Has anyone here ever been afraid of appearing utterly ridiculous before other people?

As students, I am sure, having been a student here at St. Michael’s College myself (at the Faculty of Theology), that most if not all of you have been afraid of doing poorly on an exam or an assignment, of bumbling through a presentation or saying something foolish in class. Many of you painstakingly prepare for your assignments, presentations, and exams to avoid appearing inept before your fellow students and instructors.

But, if from time to time you have failed or spoken or acted foolishly in public, or even just been afraid of doing so, you are in good company.

School yearbooks often have sections reserved to “most embarrassing moments, faculty follies,” and so forth… Outside of school, reality television, funny home videos, and news and sports “blooper” reels generate great amusement (not to mention revenue) from incidents of people making themselves look ridiculous.

Today’s Gospel reading invites us to join in viewing the latest episode of “Israel’s Most Ridiculous People.” Meet Zacchaeus; Age: about twenty-five; Palestinian Jew; Hometown: Jericho; Profession: city’s chief tax collector.

Zacchaeus is wealthy but is profoundly disliked by the people of Jericho. In an exclusive interview with “Israel’s Most Ridiculous People,” a rabbi of Jericho explains: “Many tax collectors earn their wealth fraudulently. Worse yet, they charge commission on the taxes they collect for the occupying Romans. Tax collectors, especially that Zacchaeus, are traitors to the Jewish people!”

Zacchaeus could easily have made himself scarce because of his small stature. One wonders whether he has anything to lose… “Israel’s Most Ridiculous People” caught up with Zacchaeus, who had climbed Jericho’s tallest sycamore tree.

Great crowds have gathered around the tree in stunned silence at the sight of Zacchaeus climbing the tree in his tunic. Some have begun to gesture toward the sycamore and jeer:

“Oh my goodness! Look at that fool! It’s the tax collector!”

“How ridiculous can you get, Zacchaeus? We already despise you for collaborating with the Romans and lining your own pockets, you thief and traitor! Now you are climbing a tall tree with nothing on under that tunic!”

It appears we have our weekly candidate for Israel’s Most Ridiculous. Let us find out how our audience voted after these messages…

  

We return to “Israel’s Most Ridiculous People,” at the scene of Jericho’s tallest sycamore. Paradoxically, Zacchaeus has helped our show to reach a new low from the top of this tree. This just in, though: A man many are claiming to be the Son of God, Jesus of Nazareth, has taken “Israel’s Most Ridiculous People” completely off script by calling from the crowd to Zacchaeus: “Hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.”

Is Jesus serious? Does he not know who this Zacchaeus is? Meanwhile, derisive chants have continued from the crowd:

“Ha! Jesus is going to eat with a sinner who also has no qualms about getting his tunic wrapped around sycamore branches.”

“Cut Jesus some slack. Besides, he’s new to Jericho. He hasn’t had time to figure out whom not to associate with. But what is Zacchaeus doing, promising to give back to those of us he has defrauded, and then some? I cannot trust him. Oh, and Jesus just promised him salvation as a ‘Son of Abraham.’ Who does this fool Jesus think he is?”

Meanwhile, after our audience’s voting, we have surprise co-winners this week on Israel’s Most Ridiculous People: Zacchaeus of Jericho and Jesus of Nazareth! Please join us next week for more laughs at the expense of “Israel’s Most Ridiculous People!”

… Now if only there had been reality television in first-century Israel. But there is something more authentically real than any “reality” show or blooper reel making fun of people who act in ridiculous ways.

Zacchaeus and Jesus would both have made themselves appear utterly ridiculous in this scene from first-century Jericho in Luke’s Gospel (although Luke tells the story with tongue-in-cheek). This scene, while perhaps not calling us to appear ridiculous, does invite us to make ourselves vulnerable.

Zacchaeus’ vulnerability to the point of ridiculousness is how Jesus recognizes him as an authentic “Son of Abraham,” and what leads to Zacchaeus’ salvation.

None of us enjoys when we fail or make ourselves appear ridiculous in front of other people. And yet let us take up our invitation from today’s Gospel reading to make ourselves vulnerable before God and one another as Zacchaeus did.

Let us laugh at our own sometimes blooper-worthy moments. Let us ask one another and God for forgiveness for the times we have sinned. Let us open ourselves to peace with God and with one another, especially with those we find foolish or otherwise hardest to love.

By this kind of vulnerability and authenticity, our true selves, bloopers, sins, and all, are revealed to God. As fearlessly vulnerable and authentic daughters and sons of Abraham; daughters and sons of God: This is how God wills us to appear before him. Then God will do the most ridiculous thing of all: just as with Zacchaeus, God will save us!