But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord... I shall give to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone I shall repay it four times over. – Luke 19:8

         I had just finished my confession. I knew that God had forgiven my sins. But I also knew that if I had really meant it when I said “to do penance and to amend my life” during the Act of Contrition, I should act on my words.

       But I couldn’t bring myself to do it. It was too embarrassing. It would expose me and make me too vulnerable.

       After several months, I mustered the courage — through the grace of God — to talk to the person whom I had sinned against. He was unaware of what I had done. Finally, I apologized to him for gossiping about him to another friend. What I feared would make me look like a bad friend, God used to strengthen our friendship.

       When Zacchaeus encountered Jesus, he could have just been a generous host to Him as He dined in his house. But Zacchaeus also opened his heart, which moved him to make amends for the wrong things he had done.

       Have you opened your heart to Jesus the way Zacchaeus did? Faith isn’t faith until your actions speak louder than your words.

Reflection: Have you done that one thing that God has been telling you in your heart to do?

Jesus, please deliver me from lip service. Help me to live out the words that I speak and pray always.

St. Elizabeth of Hungary, religious, pray for us.

There were many traitors to the Jewish faith who worked with the governing Greek rulers. Today, persecution is not necessarily in terms of armies and war; it is directed at our minds and how we think. We must defend our faith so that we will not be led astray by worldly lies. Let us be faithful members of God’s Kingdom.

18 Eleazar, one of the foremost scribes, a man of advanced age and noble appearance, was being forced to open his mouth to eat pork. 19 But preferring a glorious death to a life of defilement, he spat out the meat, and went forward of his own accord to the instrument of torture, 20 as people ought to do who have the courage to reject the food which it is unlawful to taste even for love of life. 21 Those in charge of that unlawful ritual meal took the man aside privately, because of their long acquaintance with him, and urged him to bring meat of his own providing, such as he could legitimately eat, and to pretend to be eating some of the meat of the sacrifice prescribed by the king; 22 in this way he would escape the death penalty, and be treated kindly because of their old friendship with him. 23 But Eleazar made up his mind in a noble manner, worthy of his years, the dignity of his advanced age, the merited distinction of his gray hair, and of the admirable life he had lived from childhood; and so he declared that above all he would be loyal to the holy laws given by God. He told them to send him at once to the abode of the dead, explaining: 24 “At our age it would be unbecoming to make such a pretense; many young people would think the ninety-yearold Eleazar had gone over to an alien religion. 25 Should I thus pretend for the sake of a brief moment of life, they would be led astray by me, while I would bring shame and dishonor on my old age. 26 Even if, for the time being, I avoid the punishment of men, I shall never, whether alive or dead, escape the hands of the Almighty. 27 Therefore, by manfully giving up my life now, I will prove myself worthy of my old age, 28 and I will leave to the young a noble example of how to die willingly and generously for the revered and holy laws.” Eleazar spoke thus, and went immediately to the instrument of torture. 29 Those who shortly before had been kindly disposed, now became hostile toward him because what he had said seemed to them utter madness. 30 When he was about to die under the blows, he groaned and said: “The Lord in his holy knowledge knows full well that, although I could have escaped death, I am not only enduring terrible pain in my body from this scourging, but also suffering it with joy in my soul because of my devotion to him.” 31 This is how he died, leaving in his death a model of courage and an unforgettable example of virtue not only for the young but for the whole nation.

R: The Lord upholds me.

1 [2] O Lord, how many are my adversaries! Many rise up against me! 2 [3] Many are saying of me, “There is no salvation for him in God.” (R) 3 [4] But you, O Lord, are my shield; my glory, you lift up my head! 4 [5] When I call out to the Lord, he answers me from his holy mountain. (R) 5 [6] When I lie down in sleep, I wake again, for the Lord sustains me. 6 [7] I fear not the myriads of people arrayed against me on every side. (R)

Tax collectors were considered to be the lowest of the low by their fellow Jews. They were not only instruments of taxation; they also conspired with the occupying power in collecting their taxes. Extortion and other sorts of corruption were also involved. So Jesus’ going to the tax collector’s house to eat, an action symbolizing friendship and inclusion, was tantamount to being a traitor to the Jewish cause.

God loved us, and sent his Son as expiation for our sins.

1 At that time Jesus came to Jericho and intended to pass through the town. 2 Now a man there named Zacchaeus, who was a chief tax  collector and also a wealthy man, 3 was seeking to see who Jesus was; but he could not see him because of the crowd, for he was short in stature. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree in order to see Jesus, who was about to pass that way. 5 When he reached the place, Jesus looked up and said, “Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house.” 6 And he came down quickly and received him with joy. 7 When they saw this, they began to grumble, saying, “He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner.” 8 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.” 9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house because this man too is a descendant of Abraham. 10For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost.”

READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Jeremiah 31-34

LOOK UP, COME DOWN!

Zacchaeus, the tax collector, climbed a sycamore tree in order to see Jesus passing by because he was small in stature (v. 3). Not only was he short, but he was also looked down upon by others. Tax collectors were hated by their fellow Jews because of their presumed corruption and treachery — they collect tax for the occupying Roman empire.

         Then we read in verse 5 that Jesus “looked up to him.”

       That was life-changing for Zacchaeus. For the longest time, people have been looking down on him. Now, someone “looked up to him.” Jesus “looked up to him” not only because he was up there in the sycamore tree. Jesus “looked up to him” because He was confident that an ember of goodness still flickered in Zacchaeus’s heart. And oh, how that ember ignited into a fire!

       That’s the paradox of change and conversion. Sinners change not in an atmosphere of judgment and fear but in acceptance. Only acceptance inspires genuine conversion.

       Today, I encourage you to identify the many Zacchaeuses in your midst — people labelled as sinners, people who are “short in stature,” and always looked down upon. And like Jesus, look up. Look up to them and see how it will change them.

       But to be able to do this, we need to learn this: Like Zacchaeus, we need to “come down” from our imagined high positions and exaggerated sense of selfimportance. We need to cut down on the senseless selfies we fill our Facebook accounts with. A wise text message goes: “Neil Armstrong went to the moon and had only one picture of himself. Today, we go to the bathroom and we take a hundred pictures of ourselves.” It’s funny but it really makes sense, a real cultural commentary.

       Come down and see how it will change you. Fr. Joel Jason

REFLECTION QUESTION: When was the last time you gave sincere attention and appreciation to “people of low stature”?

In Your Incarnation, Lord, “You looked up” and You “came down.” Help me to do the same. Amen.