Nov. 3, 2013: 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time C

How many of you have less than five friends on your Facebook account? (Raise your hands) I include myself among those who raised their hands because I created an account just to see what a couple of priests are doing these days. We live in a world of contradictions, at least where friendship and social interactions are concerned. On one hand, we are connected in a blink of an eye by gadgets, emails, and Facebook with more than several hundreds in the “friends” list. On the other hand, we live in increasing isolation. The very technology that is supposed to make our lives closer, is actually cutting us off from face-to-face contact, leaving us with mostly virtual relationship that may give us some superficial satisfaction but does not satisfy our deeper need for something that touches the heart and soul. Do you experience that, that hunger and need for a real connection? If you jog your mind, is there a particular friend with whom you make such profound connection?

There is a scripture that speaks of this need inside of us. And it’s from the Book of Sirach:
“A faithful friend is a sturdy shelter. He who finds one finds a treasure. Faithful friends are beyond price, no amount can balance their worth. Faithful friends are life-saving remedy; those who fear God will find them.” You may have such a friend already. These are the friends with whom you can be completely yourself, the friends who may disagree with you from time to time but never consider walking away. They are the friends who bring you dinner when you’re sick, pray for you when you’re struggling, and remind you that you are never alone. Ultimately, we seek a friend who understands us, accepts us, loves us, but moves us to strive closer to our God given mission.

That was what Zacchaeus in today’s gospel was looking for. We can identify with him. At times, we feel like an odd duck in a group; at times, we feel like nobody is our friend. Zacchaeus had heard a lot of good things about Jesus, but he wanted to see for himself. First, he wanted to see what Jesus looked like. More importantly, he wanted to see what kind of person Jesus was. Zacchaeus did not expect Jesus to notice him; he merely wanted a passing glimpse of him. Yet, Jesus surprised him. Jesus stopped under the tree and looked up at him; Jesus showed Zacchaeus that he was interested in him. Then Jesus spoke to him, face-to-face. Zacchaeus not only discovered what Jesus looked like but also what his heart was like. Zacchaeus experienced the melting of the heart. His heart came to life like a desert landscape after a rainfall.

Few days ago, I saw such a moving and powerful exchange between two friends. I visited a parishioner who was recently diagnosed with cancer. Initially, the parishioner and I sat in the living room without speaking many words, listening to a song entitled, “Now You Come to Me,” a spiritual song based on the last words that Pope John Paul II uttered before he died. Then her husband sat down. We didn’t exchange many words, for there were no words to adequately describe the sadness. Then I turned to the husband and asked, “What have you been praying for?” He paused and looked away. His eyes were filled with tears. He then stretched out his hand to reach for his wife’s hand. When their hands were joined, he said, “I pray every day that I would have the cancer instead of her. I would rather take it than have her suffer.” It was a heart melting moment.

If you think about it, this is what Jesus did for each one of us. He couldn’t stand for us to suffer, so he chose to take our ultimate suffering from us. Zacchaeus found the one friend he was looking for. Pope John Paul II found the one friend he was looking for all his life. Have you found in Jesus the one friend you’ve been looking for all your life?

I have looked for you all my life
and now you come to me.
What wonder, what glory
My Lord You are Mercy.

You’ve come for me this wondrous day.
Oh finally here you are
Such beauty, such majesty, the King of my heart.

Jesus Christ, my Lord, my God, my All.
I’ve been looking for you all my life
And now here you are.
Jesus Christ, my God, my destiny
I will glorify Your mercy for all eternity.


This song is written and sung by Kitty Cleveland, a singer and songwriter from New Orleans. You can purchase this album from her website: http://kittycleveland.com/store/be-not-afraid
Here is a clip of this song sang by her: play clip of the song "Now You Come to Me"