THE WEIGHT OF WORLDLY AFFAIRS (Zaccheus)

All who were called by the Lord obeyed his summons at once: provided love of earthly things did not weigh them down. For the world and the things of the world are a weight upon the mind and understanding. And for those attached to them, the following of Christ is near impossible.

The lovers of the world are chained down by their love of the world so that they behave like dead souls. God says 'do this' and 'do that' but they do not move.

Those detached from the world are free and alive; God says 'do this' and 'do that' and they obey immediately the Divine Voice. Christ called Zacchaeus from the sycamore tree and got immediate obedience. And Zacchaeus offered half of his hard-earned possessions to the poor even without Christ asking for it. Why, this is obedience even before the command is given. What freedom!

How could Zacchaeus do all these even before meeting Christ? He was detached from his worldly possessions even if these were hard-earned. He had no love for the world and the things of the world. . .unlike the young rich man.

When a man is detached from the world and the things of the world, God bestows on him the gift of faith. This faith always makes a public act of renunciation as in the giving of half of his possessions to the poor and returning fourfold what he had obtained by fraud.

When this faith is present in the soul, the soul desires only one possession, God. It refuses to own anything else besides Him. Faith sets no store by possessions of any kind, apart from God, its one lasting possession. Faith is given to us so that we may find God and possess nothing but Him. This way we recognize that everything that exists is harmful to us apart from Him.

Philoxenus of Mabbug

(04-09-02)