Overview:

Tuesday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time

A Reflection for Tuesday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time

“When they saw this, they began to grumble, saying, 
‘He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner.’”

Find today’s readings here.

Staying at the house of a sinner can be difficult. But let’s back up first.

As a kid, I was always trying to do my best at school, chores and other activities. I did it not only because I’m a competitive person but also to make my parents proud and perhaps even get extra dessert or some other reward that would give my young brain a boost of serotonin. Yet sometimes, it felt as though my younger brother would receive the same praise and pride from my parents for doing seemingly less “good” than I did.

It’s easy to place yourself in the shoes of either Jesus or Zacchaeus in today’s Gospel, however, I was surprised to find myself relating to a third character even more: the crowd. The crowd in today’s Gospel is energized by Jesus; they bunch around him and have the best intentions to listen to his message. Yet, they are not truly hearing what he is saying. 

When we meet Zacchaeus, someone who by all accounts is a sinner, trying to reach out to and hear Jesus’ teaching, he has to go out of his way to get a vantage point. Then when Jesus calls out to him, the crowd is shocked. When Jesus asks to stay in his house, they grumble. They’re upset they have put the work in to walk with Jesus and are not rewarded. It’s almost as if they are calling out and asking, “What’s in it for me?” 

I know I get caught up in this same mentality thousands of years later. If I put the work in, oftentimes there is an unconscious desire for someone to notice and reward me with a compliment or pat on the back. And it’s even more frustrating when someone who I haven’t perceived as doing the same level of work gets that reward when I don’t. This jealousy is something that Jesus calls both the crowd and ourselves to check. Instead of being turned off by Zacchaeus’ presence Jesus is overjoyed and decides to stay with Zacchaeus. He chooses to go to the sinner. 

That’s not to say that my brother is a “sinner.” However, it does mean in those moments when I stumbled and fell into jealousy at my brother’s accomplishments and praise, I should have opened myself up to my brother, given him the same praise my parents did and felt joy that he was also receiving love and praise from them. 

Jesus calls us to invite the sinner in and stay in their house. And by opening yourself up rather than closing the door or feeling jealousy, one can truly understand the heart of Jesus’ message. Instead of listening to the words Jesus has to say, we must find a new vantage point as Zacchaeus did to really hear the message Jesus is teaching.

William Gualtiere is an O'Hare Fellow at America.