The Syriac Church remembers Zacchaeus who climbed a tree to see the Lord and received as a gift the conversion of his heart. Read more
The Syriac Church remembers 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
You are a chosen race,
a royal priesthood, a holy nation,
a people acquired by God
to proclaim his marvellous works.
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
You will be holy,
because I am holy, thus says the Lord.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Today the Syriac Church remembers Zacchaeus, the tax-collector who welcomed Jesus in his home. It is a memory that touches our heart, even because it comes from the tradition of a Church that has suffered so much because of the Gospel in the many conflicts that still shed blood in the Middle East. While Jesus is walking in the streets of Jericho, he lifts up his eyes towards Zacchaeus who had climbed up a tree because of his small of stature and calls him by name. Jesus knows us by name. In an anonymous and depersonalized society like ours, this attitude of Jesus offers us a great lesson. The Gospel is always personal, it always pronounces our name. It is we who often consider it generically like a distant show because we do not listen to it. We imagine Zacchaeus' amazement in hearing his name called. He was a tax-collector, therefore a sinner, and yet Jesus calls only him. Jesus reads in the hearts and realizes the desire of that tax-collector; as soon as Jesus sees him, he tells Zaccheaus his desire to go to his house. The book of revelation comes to mind: "Listen! I am standing at the door, knocking; if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to you and eat with you, and you with me." That day in Jericho, this word became reality. Zacchaeus wanted only to see Jesus. Jesus instead wanted to meet him and give him salvation. Only by opening our heart we can free it from fear and pride and find hope again. Once he heard Jesus' proposal, Zacchaeus comes down in a hurry and, with joy, welcomes Jesus in his home. This time the rich man does not go away sad in front of the invitation and also Jesus is full of joy. At the end of the encounter, the publican decides to return what he had stolen and to give half of his goods to the poor. And so, begins his conversion: he is no longer the same man as before. Zacchaeus establishes his measure, and he puts it into effect. He does not say, "I will give everything," but "I will give half." Welcoming Jesus in our heart helps us to find our personal and generous measure of 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!