A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 19:1-10)
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.”
While passing through Jericho, Jesus meets Zacchaeus, a wealthy tax collector. Because of his short stature, Zacchaeus was unable to see Jesus, so he climbed a sycamore to be able to see him pass by. Stopping at the tree, Jesus looks up and says to him, “Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house.” While some people grumbled when they saw that Jesus meant to stay at the house of a sinner, Zacchaeus welcomed Jesus and determined to share half of his possessions with the poor. In response, Jesus proclaims the age-old love God has for his chosen people, that he has come to seek and to save what was lost. Nothing escapes God’s notice; to those who seek God, they find the eyes of the Lord upon them. In God’s mercy, nothing is lost.
God, you sent your Son to save what was lost. In his own words, Jesus fulfills perfectly your will for him to redeem and save all that was lost through original sin. “Today salvation has come to this house,” Jesus says. Although the house of the soul, the body, is a temporary dwelling, Jesus came to save both for the resurrection to eternal life. Zacchaeus confesses his sins before Jesus and shows contrition in repaying four times over what he has extorted. Lord, as Zacchaeus sought to see Jesus despite obstacles, help me see beyond mine the poor around me in whatever form you present them to me. Help me see your Son in giving witness to his saving love. In that devotion, nothing is lost.
From the Gospel acclamation: “God loved us, and sent his Son as expiation for our sins.” Sustain me, Lord, and uphold me in your mercy. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.