In the Psalms we pray, “… the Lord is full of grace and mercy … kind … good in every way and full of compassion.” St. Paul in his letter to the believers in Thessalonia, reminds them to focus on living a life of faith and not to worry about when the Lord returns, that will take care of itself.
An elderly man was walking on the beach where he finds a magic lamp. He immediately rubs it and a genie appears. The genie says, “I shall grant you one wish!” The man thought for a moment and said, “My brother and I had a fight 30 years ago and he hasn’t spoken to me since. I wish he would finally forgive me.”
The genie deeply moved and said, “Your wish has been granted!’ Then the genie said I’ve been around a long time and most people ask for riches or wealth, but you have asked for the love of your brother. Is that because you are old and don’t have much time left? “Heaven’s no” the old man replied, my brother doesn’t have much time left and he is worth 60 million dollars.
That story had an unexpected twist, remember Zacchaeus his story, also, had unexpected twist, Zacchaeus was a well-known sinner who was gouging his own people for the Romans. Zacchaeus admitted he needed God’s help and Jesus offered Zacchaeus an invitation to change and improve his life.
God’s mercy is at work in the Gospel story of Zacchaeus and in today’s world.Let me share with you a story about a teenage daughter who had been in a foul mood for what seemed like an eternity to her family. Her wise and patient mother finally had had enough of her daughter’s sulking and rudeness. Mom sent the rest of the family off to the movies. Then loading up with her daughter’s favorite ice cream, Mom called her into the kitchen and asked her to have a seat. Mom scooped two big bowls. Nothing was said for a long time.
But by the second scoop things changed …. God’s mercy is offered in many ways, sometimes even with scoops of ice cream.
May God Be Blessed!
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