From Archbishop Donoghue

Mass for the 100th Anniversary of Sacred Heart Church
May 3, 1998
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[See Georgia Bulletin account]

Dear Friends in Christ,

I am honored to be here to take part in this anniversary celebration today.

And I am further honored to have this chance to speak with you about this event in the life of the Church in North Georgia, and to try and briefly state, why it is such an important event, and why it will live in our memories long after this day is past.

There is a temptation on occasions such as this, to try and impress - to try to be perhaps a little less brief in one's remarks than one usually is - and to perhaps use language whose loftiness attempts to match the authentic stature of the local church being honored, and the natural pride of her parishioners.

But no one likes uninspired, even if well-constructed, sentences, and a dozen mediocre ideas do not have the persuasive power of one single thought that has real truth.

That is why I am very fortunate in having as my one theme today, the very friendly and very profound story we have heard in the Gospel chosen for today's Mass, the story of our Lord and the man called Zacchaeus. For within the disarming narrative is to be found the very reason we are here today, and the sum total of meaning that we can apply to our beloved church of Sacred Heart - with all that it holds for us, and all that we hope it will mean to our children and to the generations that will follow us.

St. Luke tells us that Zacchaeus was short, or as he politely phrases it in his physician's Greek, "small of stature." Now, perhaps the real Zacchaeus was a short man - St. Luke certainly had spoken to people who actually witnessed this event - but it really doesn't matter that he was short - he could have been tall, large, diminutive, he could have been a man or a woman, for in truth, Zacchaeus is all of us - each and every one of us. He is the human being who is less than perfect - the human being who, although successful at his work, nevertheless feels the need to compensate, to gain an advantage, to get ahead. This is why Zacchaeus is up the tree - not because he is short - there must have been more than one short man or woman there that day, when our Lord came to Jericho - but Zaccheaus is the one who climbs the tree, who says to himself, "I'm not gonna lose this chance to see the man who everybody is saying is so special, and who might even be the Messiah, the Son of God. I'm gonna climb that tree and get a good look for myself!"

And so he does. But no sooner does Zacchaeus get up the tree, and starts to take a good look around, that the Lord is there, at his feet, saying, "Come down out of that tree Zacchaeus, for I want to stay at your house - and I want us to become good friends." And so, Zacchaeus comes down, he takes the Lord home for supper, and his life changes from that moment on - he knows that he has been a sinner, and that the people are scandalized that the Lord would choose him as a friend - but the Lord DID choose him as a friend - from the Lord Zacchaeus receives forgiveness and encouragement, and from that moment on, he tries to make up for everything bad that he has done before, and to share with others, the many good things that God has blessed his life with.

Throughout our lives we are true to this natural instinct portrayed in the character of Zacchaeus, the instinct to climb the tree, to get a better look, and even, to stay up above the crowd, where things are safer. But the Lord has called us down out of our tree - He has said to each of us, at our Baptism and at our Confirmation, and He says to us in our lives today, every time we approach Him in Holy Communion, "I am the Lord, I wish to be your friend, and I would like to take up my dwelling in your heart, and your soul." And we believe that He changes our lives - that he makes us better than we were without Him - that He shows us the way to curb our anger, to calm our fears - and He makes it easier for us to choose the right way to act, and the right things to say, even though it may cost us a bit of our human pride, and make us give up our cosy and aloof vantage point, way up in that tree.

But it must be so - because without Him, without the Lord, we are all lost. No amount of climbing, no amount of pre-planning, no amount of human wit, genius or wisdom can get us the one thing we long for, our salvation, our chance to win heaven and to live forever. Only through the name of the Lord, through the name of Jesus Christ, can we have these things. And that is what our Lord came to teach Zacchaeus, and to teach everyone who would read his story in the Gospel - and that is why He sums up His conversation with Zacchaeus with these words:

"Today, salvation has come to this house. . . For the Son of man came to seek and to save the lost."

We are the lost who have been saved, and the Lord has not only called us to Himself - He has also called us to be with and for one another. We are a people of the One Body, and to show our unity we live in Christian communities, we live in parishes - and because we share such deep gratitude for what God has given us, we build buildings to house our sacramental worship, our ritual cleansing through the Sacrament of Penance, and our surrender to grace as we receive the Body and Blood of our Lord - we build these holy shelters to contain and protect the images of the most precious gifts God has given us - the life of His Son, the Savior Jesus Christ - the life of His holy Mother Mary, the First Obedient Servant of the Holy Spirit, and the model in conduct for all Catholics, and for all who would enjoy the fullness of life in the Faith. And we build these holy treasuries so that from the wealth of means and talents that God has given us to share, we may reach out, and let these graces pour forth upon the lives of those who are not so fortunate, and who seek a way, into the goodness we already cherish and hold so dear.

The Son of Man has sought the lost, and He has found them here - ready, waiting, and eager - He has found them in the courageous families and priests and sisters who struggled to build up the Faith in Atlanta a hundred years ago - He has found them in all the generations of parishioners who have come and gone since, and who are too numerous and too glorious already in their reward to require much more praise than these few pale words - and finally, and at last, He has found the lost in us, whose turn it is now, to express confidence in our salvation, by keeping well this precious building, and by meeting with the love of Jesus Christ, all who come here, all who seek the healing and the peace found only in His Sacred and Dependable Heart.

Therefore dear friends, in our joy and our pride, let us not allow this celebration to pass without taking to heart the single lesson of today's Gospel, given to Zacchaeus, given to us - that all the good things we enjoy in life - our families, our friends, our Faith, and our Church - all these good things are ours because Christ has not turned aside on His way - rather, He has paused, and looked to find us where we are, and has called us down from that very place, to the place He has chosen for us, at His side. May we ever be wise in the Spirit, and like Zacchaeus, make haste to greet Him, and to welcome him joyfully to this house He has made His own. Amen.

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