Good News (REC)
Gospel Reading
Luke 19:1-10
Jesus stays at the house of Zacchaeus, the tax collector.
Background on the Gospel Reading
In Jesus' day, tax collectors were not popular people. They were collaborators with the Romans and were despised by many Jewish people. The tax system allowed them to charge more than what was required so that they could make a profit for themselves. Thus, they were considered sinners by their countrymen. Observers in the crowd that day grumble because Jesus dines with a sinner. Throughout Scripture, Jesus' choice of dinner companions set him apart from other observant Jews of his time. In first century, Jewish culture, to dine together was to show a bond of fellowship and peace among those at the table. Observant Jews did not generally dine with foreigners and sinners. Yet, Jesus chooses to honour the tax collector, Zacchaeus, by staying at his house.
Even before Jesus comes to his home, Zacchaeus shows himself to be someone in search of salvation. Zacchaeus, described as short in stature, climbs a tree in order to see Jesus. We know from Luke's description that Zacchaeus was no ordinary tax collector; he was, in fact, the chief tax collector and a person of some wealth. In his search for salvation, he humbled himself by making a spectacle of himself by climbing a tree.
Jesus recognizes the faith of this tax collector exhibited in his search for salvation and calls him down from the tree. In the hospitality he extends to Jesus and in his conversion of heart, Zacchaeus is raised up by Jesus as a model of salvation.
In today's Gospel, we see Jesus as a guest in the house of Zacchaeus. Talk about the various ways in which your family prepares when guests are expected in your home. Then read Luke 19:1-10. Observe that Zacchaeus had not prepared to be Jesus' host that day. And yet, he welcomed Jesus better than anyone else because of his change of heart.
The Parish Sacramental Team met last week to organise the calendar for the 2023 sacramental year. Please keep your eye out for the important dates in the coming weeks. The biggest change is that we will begin the year with an enrolment night for all sacraments. Only parents will need to attend this night and it will be purely focussed on the admin of enrolment. This allows for the sacramental evenings throughout the rest of the year to be focussed on faith formation between parent and child. We have also decided to trial twilight retreat evenings where the students receiving the sacraments across
the parish will come together to celebrate together on a Tuesday evening before they receive the sacrament. We will participate in prayer, reflection, games, Mass, and finish with dinner together. More detailed information to follow in the coming weeks.
Thank you for all your generous donations on Crazy Hair Day. We raised almost $400 for Catholic Missions Australia. The money raised will go directly to supporting a range of mission development programs in Ethiopia addressing malnutrition, the lack of access to education for young children, and the vulnerable position of women in society. There were certainly some wild, crazy and fabulous hair do’s.
