Meditation Minute

My Dearest Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

Gospel Reading: 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 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.”

In today’s gospel reading, Jesus meets Zacchaeus, the chief tax collector of Jericho. In the time of Jesus, being a tax collector was like being a member of the mob. Zacchaeus was a small man probably rather pompous and full of himself. He was curious about this man named Jesus, but he was too short to see over the crowd. His determination to meet Christ gave him the commitment to overcome his weakness. He was so determined to see Jesus that he went as far as climbing a sycamore tree. Now Zacchaeus was the lowliest of lowliest and yet Christ called him. Not only did Jesus call Zacchaeus, he wanted to enter Zacchaeus’ house. Already, the gospel reading has so many lessons. Zacchaeus has to recognize that Jesus is the Messiah, Zacchaeus has to have faith, and most importantly Zacchaeus has to be humble. Zacchaeus was not just a tax collector but the chief tax collector. Therefore, he had to go amongst a crowd of people who had deep hatred for him. He had to humble himself before those who hated him. To see Christ, he had to elevate himself above the crowd. He had to elevate himself above the smallness of his sins. This was a demonstration of his faith and trust in God. What is Zacchaeus’ reward? Christ says to Zacchaeus, “Today salvation has come to this house…  For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost.” If we desire salvation, we must elevate ourselves above the crowd, we must humble ourselves and we must have faith. Zacchaeus hears the word of God and “received him with joy.” There was no hesitation by Zacchaeus. The grace of God was given to Zacchaeus through the mercy of forgiveness.

He heard the call and answered it with faith; a faith that included reconciliation. Zacchaeus agreed to pay back fourfold anything he obtained unjustly and he gave half his wealth to the poor. Zacchaeus’ repentance was not because he was rich, but because he did not share the gifts that were given to him. This same scenario is played out every day when Christ calls our name and we answer. Today’s gospel reading call us to do more than answer, we must repent. We need to be willing to restore what we have done wrong and we need to be willing to share the gifts that God has given to us. We must rise above the crowds and seek Christ in our life.

A Simple Prayer

Lord, I raise myself up to see you. Call my name and I will come.

I welcome you into my home; fill it with grace and mercy so that I can share with others.

Yours in Christ

Michael Marcon