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Welcome
Home
Fr.
George Smiga
October
30/31, 2004
Luke
19:1-10
In
this beautiful story from Luke's Gospel, we learn something
important about us and something important about God. We are
meant to identify with Zacchaeus in the story, and Zacchaeus
was not a perfect person. He was a tax collector. Therefore
he cooperated with the Roman oppressors and often times used
his authority to enrich himself. He was a wealthy man and
his hands were not clean. But the best quality about Zacchaeus
is that, even though he knew his shortcomings and flaws, he
was not afraid to seek God. When he heard about Jesus, he
wanted to meet him. He didn't know what he would find in meeting
Jesus, but he was determined to have the experience. So setting
aside any convenience or dignity, he ran ahead and climbed
a Sycamore Tree.
All
of us are like Zacchaeus. We are not perfect people. There
is no one in this church today who is without sin. This is
an important thing to acknowledge this weekend when we have
invited those who have become estranged from the church to
come again and worship with us. Because it is clear that many
people stop the practice of their own faith because of the
flaws and sins of the church and its members. Since that is
the case, then the first order of business today is to apologize.
We are not perfect people. If any of you here today have been
hurt by a priest or by a church community, I apologize. If
you turned to the church at a time of divorce or loss and,
instead of experiencing comfort and understanding, you were
rejected and judged, I'm very sorry. If you were scandalized
by the presence of sexual abuse within the church and indeed
even among the priesthood, I apologize, and I assure you that
we are taking concrete steps to remove the offenders and protect
our children.
It
is important for those who have done wrong to change, to say
that they are sorry. In that way, we are like Zacchaeus, admitting
our flaws and asking for forgiveness. But we should also be
like Zacchaeus, in so far as we are willing to continue to
seek the way of God. Despite our flaws and at times, because
of them, we need one another. Therefore, it is a real value
that we come together as a parish community to pray, to learn
and to serve.
This
leads to the important thing that today's Gospel tells us
about God. Because what it tells us, what God has revealed
to us through Jesus Christ, is that whenever anyone takes
a step closer to find God's way, God will never turn that
person away. When Jesus saw that Zacchaeus wanted to know
him, he did not hesitate. He invited Zacchaeus down and formed
a relationship with him. Despite all of Zacchaeus' flaws,
despite the objections of the crowd, Jesus insisted that Zacchaeus
could be and should be his follower.
Today,
as pastor of St. Noel, on behalf of our church community,
I want us to follow the example of Jesus. I warmly welcome
any of you who have been away from the church. We are so grateful
that you took the step this weekend to come and see, over
coming whatever fears or doubts you may have had. It is our
prayer that whatever you are seeking from God might be granted
to you. We want to suggest that the way of finding God is
to come here again and join with us to be a part of this community.
I'm
going to be in the narthax after Mass, so will other members
of our staff and staff of Welcome Home Ministry. I invite
any of you to just come and discuss whatever you want. Don't
feel that there is any need to explain where you have been
or to defend whatever decisions you may have made. Your presence
here is enough. If you are seeking God, so are we. I invite
you to consider re-affirming your Catholic identity and joining
with us in seeking God together.
The
story of Zacchaeus reminds us that nothing we have done should
be a reason that we stop seeking God in our life. It only
makes sense that we are stronger if we can make that search
together. Because then we can as brothers and sisters encourage
one another to believe that whatever we have done God will
never turn us away. We can support one another and encourage
one another to hold fast to the truth that God is always acting
to lead us, to guide us, and to find any excuse that will
allow God to welcome us home.
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