Recently, I made a retreat at the Redemptorist Renewal Center in Tucson, Arizona, which is surrounded by a cactus forest in the foothills of the Tucson Mountains. The giant cacti reminded me about my friend who coined the term, “a man of cactus,” to describe a person who is always causing problems and upsetting everyone. The cactus man is the one who argues, who has to have their own way, is always opinionated and has no difficulty in hurting others with their thorny tongue. I am not sure if the term cactus man is an accurate term to describe a thorny person. For Native American Indians, the Cactus symbolizes warmth, protection, and endurance. The cactus flower is a symbol of maternal love because it can endure and thrive in harsh conditions. The cactus also symbolizes a mother’s protective qualities because the cactus flower has its medicinal properties. The pulp and juice is used to treat numerous wounds and sicknesses due to digestive inflammations.
In his life time, perhaps many people had the wrong perception about Jesus. They might consider Jesus a man of cactus. After all, Jesus forgives sins and claims to have the authority to interpret and repeal some aspects of the Mosaic Law, actions that are usually reserved only to the God of Israel. In the Gospel reading today, Jesus creates other controversies with the calling of Levi despite his table fellowship with tax collectors and sinners. What is absent from the story is any explicit call for repentance. Other than Levi, there is no evidence that other tax collectors abandoned their profession after their encounter with Jesus. Without any call for repentance, Jesus offends the Scribes because Jesus does not enforce the Jewish Law that one should stop from doing wicked things for doing good. The attitude of Jesus contrasts with what was expected from the “Son of David” that expels sinners from the inheritance. Jesus presents himself with his maternal care as a “physician” who heals people.
In our lives, perhaps people have a wrong perception about us as being a person of cactus. How does this make you feel? Or, maybe we have a wrong perception about someone being a person of cactus. Can you see with maternal love or the good side of someone that you consider a person of cactus? Can you show your maternal love or your good side to others?