Memory of Zacchaeus who climbed a tree to see the Lord and received as a gift the conversion of his heart. Read more
Memory of Zacchaeus who climbed a tree to see the Lord and received as a gift the conversion of his heart.
Reading of the Word of God
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
This is the Gospel of the poor,
liberation for the imprisoned,
sight for the blind,
freedom for the oppressed.
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
The Son of Man came to serve,
whoever wants to be great
should become servant of all.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Jesus arrives in Jericho, the most ancient city of the world, symbol of every city. Jesus is not distracted and hurried as we generally are when we walk the streets and squares of our cities. Jesus is always attentive to people. Zacchaeus a tax-collector, and well-known sinner, wanted to see Jesus, but he was short in stature. He was a little bit like all of us who are close to the ground, too concerned with our things and therefore unable to see Jesus. It is not sufficient to make some adjustments, maybe rising on our tiptoes, and yet remaining where we are. We need to climb a little higher; that is we need to leave the confusion of the crowd. Zacchaeus climbed a tree. This gesture was enough. And it was Jesus who saw him. Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus but the opposite occurred. Jesus lifted up his eyes; he called Zacchaeus and invited him to come down and to host him at his house. This time the rich man did not go away sad, on the contrary he came down quickly and welcomed Jesus at home. After the meeting with Jesus, Zacchaeus was not the same: he was happy and had a new, more generous heart. He decided to give half of his possessions to the poor. He did not say, “I give everything.” Zacchaeus’ story invites each of us to welcome the Lord and to find our own measure in charity.
Prayer is the heart of the life of the Community of Sant'Egidio and is its absolute priority. At the end of the day, every the Community of Sant'Egidio, large or small, gathers around the Lord to listen to his Word. The Word of God and the prayer are, in fact, the very basis of the whole life of the Community. The disciples cannot do other than remain at the feet of Jesus, as did Mary of Bethany, to receive his love and learn his ways (Phil. 2:5).
So every evening, when the Community returns to the feet of the Lord, it repeats the words of the anonymous disciple: " Lord, teach us how to pray". Jesus, Master of prayer, continues to answer: "When you pray, say: Abba, Father". It is not a simple exhortation, it is much more. With these words Jesus lets the disciples participate in his own relationship with the Father. Therefore in prayer, the fact of being children of the Father who is in heaven, comes before the words we may say. So praying is above all a way of being! That is to say we are children who turn with faith to the Father, certain that they will be heard.
Jesus teaches us to call God "Our Father". And not simply "Father" or "My Father". Disciples, even when they pray on their own, are never isolated nor they are orphans; they are always members of the Lord's family.
In praying together, beside the mystery of being children of God, there is also the mystery of brotherhood, as the Father of the Church said: "You cannot have God as father without having the church as mother". When praying together, the Holy Spirit assembles the disciples in the upper room together with Mary, the Lord's mother, so that they may direct their gaze towards the Lord's face and learn from Him the secret of his Heart.
The Communities of Sant'Egidio all over the world gather in the various places of prayer and lay before the Lord the hopes and the sufferings of the tired, exhausted crowds of which the Gospel speaks ( Mat. 9: 3-7 ), In these ancient crowds we can see the huge masses of the modern cities, the millions of refugees who continue to flee their countries, the poor, relegated to the very fringe of life and all those who are waiting for someone to take care of them. Praying together includes the cry, the invocation, the aspiration, the desire for peace, the healing and salvation of the men and women of this world. Prayer is never in vain; it rises ceaselessly to the Lord so that anguish is turned into hope, tears into joy, despair into happiness, and solitude into communion. May the Kingdom of God come soon among people!
For the sick, in memory of the dead, for peace
