This week's readings Sunday, Nov. 4, 2001 Reading I: Wis 11:22-12:2 Reading II: 2 Thess 1:11-2:2 Gospel: Lk 19:1-10 Monday, Nov. 5, 2001 Reading I: Rom 11, 29-36 Gospel: Lk 14, 12-14 Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2001 Reading I: Rom 12, 5-16 Gospel: Lk 14, 15-24 Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2001 Reading I: Rom 13, 8-10 Gospel: Lk 14, 25-33 Thursday, Nov. 8, 2001 Reading I: Rom 14, 7-12 Reading II: Lk 15, 1-10 Friday, Nov. 9, 2001 Reading I: Ez 47:1-2, 8-9, 12 Reading II: 1 Cor 3:9c-11, 16-17 Gospel: Jn 2:13-22 Saturday, Nov. 10, 2001 Reading I: Rom16, 3-9. 16. 22-27 Gospel: Lk 16, 9-15 Pope's Prayer Intentions November General Intention The companionship of holy Christians emboldening us to proclaim the Gospel. To have as our companions holy and exemplary men and women boldly proclaiming with us the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. November Mission Intention Use of the mass media for evangelization. That we Christians may use the mass media as instruments of missionary evangelization.

Today salvation has come:

Come quickly to Jesus

		Word of God  Word of Life  Fr. John G. Stillmank

Kids are great for seeming to be in a hurry. "Are we there yet, Dad?" or "Mom, can we open some presents early?" are questions young children are likely to ask, because they are eager for things to happen. They have a hard time waiting.

From a child's perspective, time goes slowly, the world seems big. They want what they want now, and they delight in things made to order for their size. They are innocent, open, fun-loving, free of guile and guilt.

Then they grow up into . . . us.

Readings for 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time (Nov. 4) Wisdom 11:22-12:2 Psalm 145 2Thessalonians 1:11-2:2 Luke 19:1-10

As adults, we struggle with time in a different way. There's never enough time, and what little we have goes so fast. We put off things we are uncomfortable doing -- we procrastinate. We get frustrated with waiting in a different way: because we have so little time.

We too want what we want when we want it -- now -- but the process of growing up has made many of us less innocent, not so fun-loving, and certainly not free of guilt or guile. It seems that original sin with which all are born and which is washed away by baptism but leaves its effects takes some time to mature in us.

Jesus called Zacchaeus down out of the tree: "come down quickly." There is no time for the sinner whom Jesus is calling to conversion to delay. Jesus is patient, of course, and comes at the right time to invite us to come with him. Often he invites again and again, knowing that we put off doing what we know we must.

Zacchaeus, then, got excited at this opportunity. "I'll pay people back, and I'll give more to the poor," he says. When Jesus invited himself to dinner at Zacchaeus' house, he knew what he was doing. "Today salvation has come to this house," he said, "for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost."

Like all of us, the people in the various episodes of the Gospel struggle with their own human frailty and sin. The time when they were children is past, and life as an adult comes with many of its own challenges. The Lord, before whom "the whole universe is as a grain" of sand "or a drop of morning dew," knows us, loves us, and is present to us in every challenge and opportunity that comes our way.

God is not bound by time or space, by size or distance, by anything which causes us difficulty and frustration, but he knows us. He desires to restore to us the innocence and perspective we had as children.

"You have mercy on all, because you can do all things," we read in the Book of Wisdom. God who sees and knows all is the best friend we could have, for he has a perspective that transcends time, is higher than the tree which Zacchaeus climbed in order to see Jesus, is purer than the motives of a child.

And he is patient. "You rebuke offenders little by little, warn them and remind them of the sins they are committing, that they may abandon their wickedness and believe in you, O Lord!" Is this not Zacchaeus' tale? Is it not our story? Doesn't the Lord lead us little by little away from our sins toward holiness and life?

Notice that Jesus does not rebuke Zacchaeus for his way of life. He just says, "come down, I'm eating at your place tonight." In his eyes is the call to conversion, and Zacchaeus saw it. "Today salvation has come to this house," Jesus says, for the sinner whom others rebuked was received lovingly by Jesus, who forgives sin, seeking and saving the lost.

What good news for us: today, salvation has come to our house.

Fr. John G. Stillmank is Moderator of the Curia for the Diocese of Madison and pastor of St. Andrew Parish, Verona, and St. William Parish, Paoli.