For the concluding Mass of the World Youth Day in Krakow, the Gospel passage of Zaccheus' encounter with Jesus was chosen. As always Pope Francis gave a very interesting homily and he invited the young people to see in Zaccheus a journey of conversion that is very similar to our own journey of conversion.
Zaccheus had to overcome three obstacles:
First, his short stature, which was why Zaccheus climbed a tree to have a better look of Jesus. Shortness of stature is not only physical. It is actually our feeling of inadequacy, almost incredulity that leads us to believe that we are not loveable, that even God cannot love us.
Second, the paralysis of shame. What would people say? It is the tendency to follow what the crowd does and says. Often we live paralyzed lives because of fear to make a mistake, to cut a bad figure, to be bullied and humiliated.
Third, the grumbling crowd, the voices around us that tell us that there is no way out or it is not worth the fight. These are the voices that lead us to always choose what is safe instead of opening a trail.
In the end, what will make us overcome these obstacles is what Pope Francis says towards the end of his homily: Jesus calls us by name. He wants to stay with us. He wants to be a part of our life. Only in this way can we overcome the voices of inadequacy, shame, and mediocrity.
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