Cinderella Stories

Striving for spiritual success in life

11/03/2019

Luke 19:1-10 At that time, Jesus came to Jericho and intended to pass through the town. Now a man there named Zacchaeus, who was a chief tax collector and also a wealthy man, was seeking to see who Jesus was; but he could not see him because of the crowd, for he was short in stature. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree in order to see Jesus, who was about to pass that way. When he reached the place, Jesus looked up and said, "Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house." And he came down quickly and received him with joy. When they all saw this, they began to grumble, saying, "He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner." But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, "Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone I shall repay it four times over." And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house because this man too is a descendant of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost."

I am a huge fan of the actor Russell Crowe, and have enjoyed all his movies, except maybe Noah, which was really weird. One movie that touched me deeply was called “Cinderella Man,” where Russell Crowe played a boxer in New Jersey during the Depression. Did you see it? The movie epitomizes the American spirit that loves the underdog. Americans instinctively cheer for David against Goliath. Russell Crowe plays James Braddock, an Irish-American boxer who breaks his right hand in a fight and has to give up boxing. Even though Braddock eventually finds work as a longshoreman, the family barely makes enough money to survive. Braddock gets another chance to box, and discovers that his left hand has grown much stronger; he has become ambidextrous and can box with both hands. Surprisingly, Braddock beats the number-two contender in the world, a fellow named Corn Griffin. Feeling he can fight again, Braddock begins boxing, over the out-spoken objections of his very worried wife.

One victory in the ring leads to another and the family find itself with more money than they really need. What does Braddock do? In a gesture of extreme generosity, he actually returns some of the government money he received while unemployed, giving it back to the government. Can you imagine anyone voluntarily giving money back to the government? One sportswriter dubs Braddock with the nickname of “Cinderella Man” because of his rags to riches story. After several more victories, Braddock finally gets a chance to fight the reigning world champion, Max Baer, who really is a “bear” because he mauls his opponents in the ring. Baer had previously killed two fighters in a match. Braddock was given a 10 to 1 and clearly the underdog: David against Goliath. But on June 13, 1953, Madison Square Garden witnessed one of the greatest upsets in boxing history: Braddock defeated Baer and was crowned world champion. You might say that Cinderella got her tiara.

Braddock symbolized the fighting American spirit during the Depression and he gave hope to a whole nation. But I would suggest to you that Braddock also stood as a sign of hope for countess immigrants, like from Ireland like him, as well as from India, like my family, who all came to these shores dreaming of a rags to riches story for us, too. Maybe someday I will be crowned with a tiara, too.

In the gospel today, we witness another Cinderella story, but not in the material sense, but rather in the spiritual sense. That is, going not from rags to riches, but from sinner to saint. By all external standards, Zacchaeus appears to be a very unlikely candidate for sainthood. He is the chief tax collector in Jericho and known for extortion at the expense of the poor people. Put simply: his wealth was the cause of their poverty. But Zacchaeus’ sins are no match for Jesus’ sanctity in Jericho, just like Baer’s malice was no match for Braddock’s metal in the boxing ring.

Zacchaeus even takes a page out of Braddock’s playbook and pays back money he received but doesn’t really need. He promises to the poor: “Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone, I shall pay it four times over.” Jesus expresses his profound pleasure and praises Zacchaeus for his change of heart, his conversion. In other words, Jesus sort of crowns Zacchaeus with the tiara of a saint. Zacchaeus too experienced a Cinderella story: not from rags to riches, but from sinnerhood to sainthood.

Folks, which of these two Cinderella stories inspires you more: going from rags to riches or from sinner to saint? Or to put it more personally: which of these two would you like to be storyline of your own life? Is there anyone in this church, including this priest, who has not dreamed of winning the lottery and striking it rich? People tell me periodically: “Fr. John, if you’ll bless this lottery ticket, I promise to give half of the jackpot to the church.” Of course, I bless that ticket with holy water and with incense and with holy oil, too! There’s nothing wrong with working hard and enjoying the fruits of our labors. A rags to riches story is laudable in many respects.

But how hard are we working for spiritual success, for sainthood? Are we are zealous as Zacchaeus to invite Jesus into our homes and hearts? Are we anxious to pay back and make restitution to anyone whom we may have wronged? When was the last time you went to confession and told Jesus we are sorry for our sins? Every confessional is like the boxing ring where we go toe-to-toe with a spiritual Max Baer, namely, Satan. Most of us are too afraid of confession and never step into the ring. I am convinced that the best barometer for spiritual zeal is the frequency of confession. For instance, Pope St. John Paul II and St. Mother Teresa were known to confess weekly. J.P. II and Mother Teresa are the James Braddocks of the spiritual life.

During the month of November, we remember our family and friends who have died and gone before us. In a sense, their earthly stories have come to a close, and the final chapter has been written. As they stand on the far shore of eternity, looking back at this earthly life, which Cinderella story do you think they wish their life had resembled: that of Braddock or that of Zacchaeus: rags to riches or sinner to saint? Each person will be crowned with the tiara that we earned on earth. Everyone gets a tiara.

Praised be Jesus Christ!