32nd Sunday after Pentecost – Sunday of Zacchaeus, Tone 8; Our Venerable Father Xenophon and his wife Maria
Read
1 Timothy 4:9-15; Luke 19:1-10
Christ is born! Glorify Him!
Today’s reflection is a portion of a short story entitled “It Smells Like Love”
Sunday morning. The sound of the bells told the children in the back seat that they were nearing St. Vladimir’s Church. After Roman had parked the car, the children ran ahead and entered the Church. Helena was pleased that she could smell the incense that hung in the air. It still smells like love in here, she thought. Roman and Olenka followed behind the children as they went to venerate the icon on the tetrapod. Fr. Clement could just be barely seen through the iconostas. He was preparing the bread and wine for the Divine Liturgy.
Roman didn’t have the best of nights. He awoke a few times through the night pondering Andrew’s question and little Ivan’s remarks in his night prayers. What mostly bothered him was the guilt he felt—that he didn’t know the answer. He had always prided himself on being able to answer the questions of his children, whether they be about ships or farm machinery, or about bees and butterflies, or even why water goes down the sink the way it does. He had to find the answer. It was then he realized that he was searching more for himself than for his children.
Divine Liturgy started. “Blessed is the Kingdom of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and always and forever.” Roman found it hard to follow the Liturgy this morning. He was transported back to when he was a boy of Andrew’s age.
Little Roman stood in front of the iconostas, his own grandmother standing behind him. She was pointing to the icon of Christ the Teacher. Roman heard his grandmother tell him how much Jesus loved not just the little children, but all people. The book, he was told, was open so that he and everybody could learn everything about Jesus that He wanted to tell us. Roman took a step closer to the icon and reached out to touch the book depicted in it. His grandmother said, “If you want to read that book, you can. But it is not like any other book you have seen. It is a living book that is written in the heart of Jesus. He will bring it to you if you want, and the heart of Jesus will be with your heart, and there, He will write these words in your heart.”
Roman’s thoughts were interrupted by the deacon’s exclamation: “Let us be attentive!” The Gospel of St. Luke was about to be read. Roman attuned his ears. The deacon’s voice rang out the words of the Gospel like the bells outside rang out their sweet notes. “‘Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.’ So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully… ‘Today, salvation has come to this house.’”
As the Liturgy continued, Roman found his thoughts were more focussed. How often he found himself like Zacchaeus, atop a tree, looking for answers. Perhaps it wasn’t the best place to be, especially looking for answers that really count. Roman began to pray in his mind, “Jesus, I don’t understand why I’m saying this, but please, I want you to stay at my house.” Then he heard Fr. Clement’s voice: “Take, eat, this is My Body….”
To read the entire short story, please click here.