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From: 2 Maccabees 6:18-31

Martyrdom of Eleazar

[18] Eleazar, one of the scribes in high position, a man now advanced in age
and of noble presence, was being forced to open his mouth to eat swine’s flesh.
[19] But he, welcoming death with honor rather than life with pollution, went up
to the rack of his own accord, spitting out the flesh, [20] as men ought to go who
have the courage to refuse things that it is not right to taste, even for the natural
love of life.

[21] Those who were in charge of that unlawful sacrifice took the man aside, be-
cause of their long acquaintance with him, and privately urged him to bring meat
of his own providing, proper for him to use, and pretend that he was eating the
flesh of the sacrificial meal which had been commanded by the king, [22] so that
by doing this he might be saved from death, and be treated kindly on account of
his old friendship with them. [23] But making a high resolve, worthy of his years
and the dignity of his old age and the gray hairs which he had reached with dis-
tinction and his excellent life even from childhood, and moreover according to the
holy God-given law, he declared himself quickly, telling them to send him to Ha-
des.

[24] “Such pretense is not worthy of our time of life,” he said, “lest many of the
young should suppose that Eleazar in his ninetieth year has gone over to an ali-
en religion, [25] and through my pretense, for the sake of living a brief moment
longer, they should be led astray because of me, while I defile and disgrace my
old age. [26] For even if for the present I should avoid the punishment of men,
yet whether I live or die I shall not escape the hands of the Almighty. [27] There-
fore, by manfully giving up my life now, I will show myself worthy of my old age
[28] and leave to the young a noble example of how to die a good death willingly
and nobly for the revered and holy laws.”

When he had said this, he went at once to the rack. [29] And those who a little
before had acted toward him with good will now changed to ill will, because the
words he had uttered were in their opinion sheer madness. [30] When he was
about to die under the blows, he groaned aloud and said: “It is clear to the Lord
in his holy knowledge that, though I might have been saved from death, I am en-
during terrible sufferings in my body under this beating, but in my soul I am glad
to suffer these things because I fear him.”

[31] So in this way he died, leaving in his death an example of nobility and a me-
morial of courage, not only to the young but to the great body of his nation.

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Commentary:

6:18-31. The story of Eleazar carries the lesson that faithfulness to God’s law
is what matters most to the righteous man, and that the example given by pro-
minent people can have enormous consequences. St Gregory Nazianzen calls
Eleazar “the greatest of all those who suffered before the coming of Christ; as
Stephen is first among those who endure suffering after Christ” (”Orationes”,
15, 3). In ascetical tradition, Eleazar continues to be a clear example of fortitude:
“The person with fortitude is one who perseveres in doing what his conscience
tells him he ought to do. He does not measure the value of a task exclusively
by the benefit he receives from it, but rather by the service he renders to others.
The strong man will at times suffer, but he stands firm; he may be driven to tears,
but he will brush them aside. When difficulties come thick and fast, he does not
bend before them.

Remember the example given us in the book of the Maccabees: an old man,
Eleazar, prefers to die than break God’s law. ‘By manfully giving up my life now,
I will show myself worthy of my old age and leave to the young a noble example
of how to die a good death willingly and nobly for the revered and holy laws” (St.
J. Escriva, “Friends of God”, 77).

6:23. The Greco-Roman world called the dwelling-place of the dead “Hades” —
in Hebrew “sheol” (cf. the note on 1 Kings 2:6).

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Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

From: Luke 19:1-10

The Conversion of Zacchaeus

[1] He (Jesus) entered Jericho and was passing through. [2] And there was a rich
man named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector, and rich. [3] And he sought
to see who Jesus was, but could not, on account of the crowd, because he was
small of stature. [4] So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to
see Him, for He was to pass that way. [5] And when Jesus came to the place,
He looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down; for I
must stay at your house today.” [6] So he made haste and came down, and re-
ceived Him joyfully. [7] And when they saw it they all murmured, “He has gone
in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” [8] And Zacchaeus stood and said
to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have de-
frauded any one of anything, I restore it fourfold.” [9] And Jesus said to him, “To-
day salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. [10]
For the Son of Man came to seek and save the lost.”

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Commentary:

1-10. Jesus Christ is the Savior of mankind; He has healed many sick people,
has raised the dead to life and, particularly, has brought forgiveness of sin and
the gift of grace to those who approach Him in faith. As in the case of the sinful
woman (cf. Luke 7:36-50), here He brings salvation to Zacchaeus, for the mis-
sion of the Son of Man is to save that which was lost.

Zacchaeus was a tax collector and, as such, was hated by the people, because
the tax collectors were collaborators of the Roman authorities and were often
guilty of abuses. The Gospel implies that this man also had things to seek for-
giveness for (cf. verses 7-10). Certainly he was very keen to see Jesus (no doubt
moved by grace) and he did everything he could to do so. Jesus rewards his ef-
forts by staying as a guest in his house. Moved by our Lord’s presence Zac-
chaeus begins to lead a new life.

The crowd begin to grumble against Jesus for showing affection to a man they
consider to be an evildoer. Our Lord makes no excuses for his behavior: He ex-
plains that this is exactly why He has come—to seek out sinners. He is putting
into practice the parable of the lost sheep (cf. Luke 15:4-7), which was already
prophesied in Ezekiel: “I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed,
and I will bind up the crippled, and I will strengthen the weak” (34:16).

4. Zacchaeus wants to see Jesus, and to do so he has to go out and mix with
the crowd. Like the blind man of Jericho he has to shed any kind of human re-
spect. In our own search for God we should not let false shame or fear of ridi-
cule prevent us from using the resources available to us to meet our Lord. “Con-
vince yourself that there is no such thing as ridicule for whoever is doing what is
best” (St. J. Escriva, “The Way”, 392).

5-6. This is a very good example of the way God acts to save men. Jesus calls
Zacchaeus personally, using his name, suggesting he invite Him home. The Gos-
pel states that Zacchaeus does so promptly and joyfully. This is how we should
respond when God calls us by means of grace.

8. Responding immediately to grace, Zacchaeus makes it known that he will re-
store fourfold anything he obtained unjustly—thereby going beyond what is laid
down in the Law of Moses (cf. Exodus 21:37f). And in generous compensation
he gives half his wealth to the poor.” Let the rich learn”, St. Ambrose comments,
“that evil does not consist in having wealth, but in not putting it to good use; for
just as riches are an obstacle to evil people, they are also a means of virtue for
good people” (”Expositio Evangelii Sec. Lucam, in loc.”). Cf. note on Luke 16:
9-11).

10. Jesus’ ardent desire to seek out a sinner to save him fills us with hope of
attaining eternal salvation. “He chooses a chief tax collector: who can despair
when such a man obtains grace?” (St. Ambrose, “Expositio Evangelii Sec.
Lucam, in loc.”).

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.