Thirty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time - October 30, 2016

Homily for October 30, 2016

Thirty First Sunday in Ordinary Time

Fool for Christ’s Sake

 

            St. Philip Neri was a sixteenth-century Italian priest who worked hard to bring souls to Christ. He started “The Oratory” – basically the first youth group in history – and through his personal holiness, started to lead thousands of people back to the Lord. But as his personal fame started to spread, he realized he needed to find some way to stay humble, even as everyone was noticing his holiness.

            So he decided to make people think he was crazy instead of holy! He shaved off half of his beard and trained a pet squirrel to sit on his shoulder. One time a very rich benefactor heard about the holy priest and sought to see him and donate large amounts of money to his work. The rich man was told that he could find Fr. Philip in the sacristy, preparing for Mass. He went back there and found the holy priest reading joke books (with only clean jokes, presumably!). The rich man was offended – but Fr. Philip had to read joke books because otherwise his Masses could last up to eight hours long – he would often get lost in love with God and lose track of time! Even with reading joke books to distract him, his Masses were still notorious for being well over two hours!

            Here was a man who never really cared what other people thought of him. Same with Zacchaeus – he was desperate to do anything to see Jesus. What a silly sight that must have seemed – here was this rich and notorious man, climbing a tree to see! It would be as if we saw a Wall Street banker, in full suit and tie, climb a tree to see a Eucharistic procession. We’d think that’s a little odd, perhaps a bit extreme…and at the same time, we might marvel at their faith.

            The Russian Orthodox Church actually has a rich tradition of people who are “holy fools” – they call them “yurodivy” and they are esteemed as saints in their tradition, despite their often bizarre behavior for the sake of Christ. We have saints who have done equally radical, often strange things for the Lord. For example, St. Francis was one time so assailed by impure, lustful temptation that to rid himself of it, he took off all his clothes and rolled around in the snow. Wow – yikes – and at the same time, what a great love for God!

            Zacchaeus clearly did not care what people thought of him. He wanted Christ, and Christ alone. Having heard the Lord’s saving message of repentance, the tax collector was ready and willing to do just that, no matter the cost. It seemed extreme, not just to climb the tree, but also to offer back four times what he cheated others – that too would get an amazed reaction from the crowd!

            Notice, too, Zacchaeus’ reaction to the crowd’s murmuring and complaining – the Gospel notes that he “stood there” – he was unaffected, unafraid of the opinions of the crowd. This, after all, is the crowd that in a few short chapters, would be crying out “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” So what does other people’s opinion matter? Christ alone matters!

            So do not be afraid to be seen as a fool for Christ’s sake! Following the Lord has never been popular or the “cool” thing to do. For example, is it popular to tell people that you’re pro-life in today’s antagonistic climate? Will it be well-received to tell your child’s soccer coach that they will not be playing on Sunday morning when they will be at Mass instead? Will that cross around your neck become controversial at your workplace? If it isn’t at least a little bit uncomfortable to stand for Christ, we should consider whether we’re really living our faith with as much fervor as we ought!

            One final story of being a fool for Christ. I was teaching in a Catholic school one year and there was a kid named James who really loved the Lord. He was also one of the cool kids – an athlete, who everyone liked and respected. One day I saw him in the hallway with a sign around his neck that read, “LOSER”. I said, “James, take that off. You’re not a loser.” He replied, “I know, but I want to wear it so kids will make fun of me and not bully other kids.” I was impressed – someone not afraid of what other people will think!

            Better to be a fool in the eyes of the world than to give up the treasure of Christ!