Wednesday Reflection
Midweek Reflection
17th November 2021
The last time I climbed a tree was probably about 1954. In our garden there were lots of trees including what was called, “the big tree.” When I say, “our garden”, it would be more accurate to say, “the back-green of our tenement”, for there were lots of children in our building. Maybe something in the region of fifteen plus. So climbing the big tree was something the boys did, and sometimes even the girls. I think we would have been surprised to see any of our parents climb the trees. They, after all were quite old. They would have been in their forties! Yet St Luke tells us that the rich collector of taxes Zacchaeus, left behind his dignity and, like a curious child, climbed the sycamore in order to see Jesus. Was it mere curiosity on his part? Was he intrigued by the person of Jesus or by the words he said? We know not. At any rate, seeing Zacchaeus was not enough for Jesus. He speaks to him. He invites Himself to his house….for a meal.
Zacchaeus climbed a tree. Jesus did the rest. St Margaret of Scotland was someone who saw Jesus without the need to climb a tree. A Hungarian who in 1070 became the Queen of Scotland, she was a wonderful woman who by her works, rooted in her love of the Lord, put into effect the reforms of Pope Gregory VII. She had tragedy in her life. Her husband and son were killed by King William Rufus of England shortly before her death. But she had joy in heaven when another of her sons, King David, followed in his mother’s footsteps and later became honoured as a saint. Her strong moral character resulted in good things for everyone. Because of her, lives were transformed. The life of Zacchaeus was transformed when he accepted Jesus into his home. We can invite Him into our homes too. But the desire to climb that tree has to come from us. What tree can we climb in order to see Jesus more clearly?
Monsignor Monaghan
