Zacchaeus and the Gaze that Captures his Heart

"Zacchaeus and the gaze that captured his heart" by Fr. Willy Raymond, CSC (CatholicMom.com)

By Reinhardhauke - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link[/caption] In the Apostle’s Creed we devoutly affirm, “I believe in the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints.” What is the communion of saints? {1} I would like to address that question, {2} Say a word about becoming a saint, {3} and finally explore the urgency of becoming a saint as the defining issue of our life on earth and how it is accomplished. First, what is the communion of saints? Is it the Mystical Body of Christ including all the baptized? Surely it is that. Also, it is the three states of the Church described by Saint Paul in 1 Corinthians 15: 26-27.

When the Lord comes in glory, and all his angels with him, death will be no more and all things will be subject to him. But at the present time some of his disciples are pilgrims on earth. Others have died and are being purified, while still others are in glory, contemplating in full light, God Himself, triune and one, exactly as He is.

Second, here is what Luigi Giussani, founder of Communion and Liberation in Milan, Italy, says about becoming a saint. It happens when we have been penetrated and captured, as was Zacchaeus, by the gaze of Christ who recognizes and loves us for who we are. His ability to take hold of our heart is the greatest and most powerful miracle of all. It is hard to find a person who is powerful and yet truly good. In Jesus we encounter that incredible gaze that is “not only powerful, and prodigious, intelligent, and captivating, but also good … How beautiful it is to read the Gospel and discover hints, the subtle details that reveal Jesus’ capacity for tenderness, his heartfelt solidarity with all human things.” A word about the urgency of becoming a saint.

The only real sadness, the only real failure, the only real tragedy in life is not to be a saint. (Leon Bloy +1917)

There is really no alternative to being a saint other than despair, which no one in his/her right mind would choose.

God is to be addressed as the Absolute, the total Creator and Lover, who demands everything of his children, everything. Look at the Crucifix on the wall: this is what God demands of his own Son. How could he demand less of the rest of us? (Leon Bloy)

Let us strive, with all our might and the help of God’s grace, to be saints. Let us pray fervently for all our family members who may still be undergoing purification in purgatory. They and all the saints in heaven and on earth are our family in the communion of saints and are linked to us in love and grace. Their prayers provide us with incredible help on the road to sainthood. “Be a saint! What else is there?”