Reading of the Word of God

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

The Spirit of the Lord is upon you.
The child you shall bear will be holy.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

Luke 19,1-10

He entered Jericho and was going through the town and suddenly a man whose name was Zacchaeus made his appearance; he was one of the senior tax collectors and a wealthy man. He kept trying to see which Jesus was, but he was too short and could not see him for the crowd; so he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to catch a glimpse of Jesus who was to pass that way. When Jesus reached the spot he looked up and spoke to him, 'Zacchaeus, come down. Hurry, because I am to stay at your house today.' And he hurried down and welcomed him joyfully. They all complained when they saw what was happening. 'He has gone to stay at a sinner's house,' they said. But Zacchaeus stood his ground and said to the Lord, 'Look, sir, I am going to give half my property to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody I will pay him back four times the amount.' And Jesus said to him, 'Today salvation has come to this house, because this man too is a son of Abraham; for the Son of man has come to seek out and save what was lost.'

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

Look down, O Lord, on your servants.
Be it unto us according to your word.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

Jesus teaches us to look around us with the attentive eye of love, which does not judge, which takes nothing for granted, which always finds reason for hope. No one hoped on Zacchaeus for anything: he was a rich man, we would say today "accomplished" even if in dishonesty, but he was also small, short in stature, perhaps even in heart, preoccupied with his business, and his possessions, without many scruples he had accumulated even by stealing. What could one hope for from such a man? More cheating? What is Jesus going to do at his home? This must have been the thought of the many well-wishers who began to "grumble. Grumbling, gossiping, chattering are of those who can only see evil, and it is easy to fall into slander, because in front of sinners it is easy to feel righteous. Jesus looks at Zacchaeus with God's eyes, without contempt, only with love. "I must stay at your house today!" It is the good news for Zacchaeus, it is his Gospel, and ours too, because these words make us wonder if we too do not need Jesus to stop at our house, in our hearts and in our lives. The real sin is not to love. And the Gospel, the good news is to say that God loves everyone and wants to come to our home. Jesus came into Zacchaeus' house so that Zacchaeus would also know love and feel loved. Jesus wants to dine with Zacchaeus, and for the Bible to dine with someone means to be intimate with him, to be part of his life. And it is often difficult for us to think of God in our lives, with our mistakes, our errors, and our sin! Jesus does not reproach Zacchaeus for anything: "He did not look at man's sin, with a view to repentance." Jesus does not condemn him, but enters his home and asks to dine together, to share his life as it is even with his sin because he wants to forgive him. God, perhaps, is still waiting for permission to enter our home and dine with us. And in the joy of that meeting it is not burdensome to "give half of the possessions to the poor, and if he has defrauded anyone, give back four times as much."