The WORD in other words (2018) by Fr Glenn Paul Gomez SVD – Christ the King Seminary, Quezon City
Tuesday 33rd Week in Ordinary Time
Christian faith tells how God continually woes His people to save them. It is God who usually takes the initiative; humans respond to the invitation.
In today’s Gospel, a man of high standing in his community took the initiative to meet Jesus. Zacchaeus, even though he was already the chief tax collector, humbled himself and joined the crowd to see Jesus. As a finance man, he knew how to strategize to get his end result. His desire to see Jesus was met with challenges. The crowd was big and he was of small stature. So, he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree. As a result, Jesus saw him and volunteered to stay in his house.
What a blessing! Imagine yourself, being seen by Jesus and him volunteering to stay in your house! At that moment, Zacchaeus’ whole being was cleansed. He welcomed Jesus with joy!
But the instant joy almost vanished when a neighbor with a crab-mentality murmured: “He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner.”
Zacchaeus seized that moment; he stood his ground. Proving himself now as true to his name (meaning clean and pure), he said: “Lord, half of my possessions, I shall give to the poor. And if I have extorted anything from anyone I shall repay it four times over.”
To which Jesus replied: “Today salvation has come to this house…. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost.”
