Tuesday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time
In my short time as a priest, many people have asked me to bless their new house. A regular reading that people pick for their house blessing is the story of Zacheus. The story of Zacheus is unique to Luke's Gospel, and people often refer to Zacheus's action of welcoming Jesus in his house as a sign of hospitality. It is a good sign that many people want to be hospitable and welcome others to their new house. But the Greek word hypodechomai means something larger than offering hospitality with a meal. Luke uses the same verb, hypodechomai for Martha's reception to Jesus in her house. So, Luke suggests that there is something deeper here: we are welcoming the Lord with repentance. The spirit of repentance is often more apparent when Jesus said, "he too is a child of Abraham." Zacheus's action to welcome Jesus and to give half of his possession is the fruit of repentance. So, Jesus' statement means that Zacheus is included among the children of Abraham because of his repentance.
A new house could help us to reflect on the need for repentance. The fact of the matter is that a new house and new place means many things we cannot control. We may be good at doing one thing or another with our house, but for the rest, we need to rely on experts or someone else to put everything in order, either plumbing, electricity, or others. So, a new house is a reminder that we are good in one thing or another; we are losers in most areas of life. The revelation was designed with losers in mind because revelation is filled with words like salvation, repentance, and forgiveness. As we need help from a plumber, electrician, or gardener for our new house, we also need a savior who can save us, and that is Jesus Christ.
Luke describes the reaction from the grumbling crowds because Jesus shares hospitality with a sinner. The term grumbling here is a similar term that is used in the Old Testament when the Israelites complained about Moses’ leadership in the wilderness. When we have a new house, we might complain and grumble if everything is not working according to the plan or our ideal imagination. But when our new house or new place does not meet our expectations, we can reflect more on whether we want to be like the Israelites who complain or we can be like Zacheus, who shares the joy of repentance. When everything is not working well, it is a reminder that we are losers and sinners who need help, mercy, and forgiveness from our Savior.