TUESDAY OF THE THIRTY-THIRD WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME - 2021

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

God so loved us that he sent his Son
to be the sacrifice that takes our sins away. 1JN 4:10

2 MACCABEES 6:18-31 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

There have been countless unknown souls in the course of history who have been as honorable in life and in death as Eleazar. This passage gives us a detailed account of this venerable old man who was prepared to die as he had lived - honorably, and obedient to God's law in all things.

How easy it is to give in to our natural inclinations. The flesh clamors for ease, for pleasure, and when we do not practice discipline, self-control, and self-denial chances are that when the time comes to remain steadfast in faith we will topple like a house of cards. When Eleazar was tempted by his friends to make a pretense of complying with the king's command while in truth remaining faithful to God's law, he vigorously and forcefully rejected their vile advice. He knew that a man of his age, who would soon meet his Maker, would lead many to lose their faith if it appeared that for the sake of saving his life, he broke God's law.

Today, we see quite a few church leaders as well as elders in the world who prefer to indulge the flesh, to pander to the decadent culture rather than choose the narrow and hard road that leads to life. Grant O Lord, in Your mercy, that we may we not be counted among them.

PSALM 3:2-7 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

When we have a childlike trust in You nothing that we have to endure in this life will overcome us. The world is at war with those who are faithful to You and who keep Your Word. In fact, it has a rabid, evil hatred for Your followers, especially Your faithful disciples in the Church You founded. They delight in trammeling on God's people because You teach us that it is better to be persecuted for the sake of the Gospel rather than receive the honors of the world and be seated in splendor among worldly rulers. 

Your Word O Lord, assures us that You are a fortress that surrounds us. You hear us when we cry out to You for help and You sustain us and provide all the strength we need to battle the Enemy and endure all persecution with grace.

Grant us this day O Lord a docile spirit, a childlike heart, and humility to yield to Your Word always so we will possess the peace that You came into the world to give Your own, a peace that surpasses human understanding.

I lie down to rest and I sleep.

I wake, for the Lord upholds me.
I will not fear even thousands of people
who are ranged on every side against me.

LUKE 19:1-10 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

Today's liturgy presents us with two different kinds of men - in the First Reading we have the venerable, upright, well-loved Eleazar who loved the law and kept it. He desired to always live honorably and was aware that he was respected by the community. He was also aware that his life was under scrutiny and hence had a duty not to do anything that would cause scandal, especially to the youth. And when the time came to choose whether he would be a friend of the world and live or be a true Israelite and keep the law and die honorably, he chose the latter.

We can compare and contrast him with Zacchaeus in today's Gospel. Zacchaeus too was an older man, he was a senior tax collector who had become very wealthy by dishonest means. Unlike Eleazar, he was hated by his fellow Jews and despised by the Romans. He heard of You and wanted to see You. Having heard that You would be passing that way, he jostled his way through the crowd but knowing he could never get a glimpse of You because of his height, he decided to climb a tree in order to get a better view. 

To his astonishment and delight, You did notice him. In fact, You stopped right under the spot where he was perched above You and invited Yourself to his home to dine with him. He quickly clambered down and ran home to make the preparations for the meal. At the end of the meal, paying no heed to those who grumbled that You were mingling with sinners, he vowed to make ample restitution to those whom he had cheated. 

In the end, Zacchaeus proved to be just as honorable as Eleazar. You O Lord, love the sinner as Zacchaeus found out and he was so filled with gratitude he made recompense for all his sins. Every repentant sinner will find forgiveness and mercy. And every saint who trusts in Your mercy will receive strength to withstand the snares of the Tempter like Eleazar.