Tuesday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time
Or Optional Memorial of Dedication of the Basilicas of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles
Luke 19: 1-10
The climb that changed everything

The story of Zacchaeus is one of the most beautiful encounters in the Gospel — the story of a man who climbed a tree, and found salvation.

Jericho was a city of wealth and beauty, but in its midst lived a man who was empty inside. Zacchaeus had everything money could buy, but nothing that could satisfy the heart. As the chief tax collector, he was powerful and rich, yet despised and alone. Beneath his worldly success lay a deep hunger — the desire to see Jesus.

And so, when the crowd blocked his view, Zacchaeus did something bold and undignified for a man of his status: he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree. That simple act — humble, even childlike — opened the way for grace. Jesus looked up, called him by name, and said, “Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house.”

One moment of courage led to a lifetime of conversion. Zacchaeus’ encounter with Jesus changed not only his heart but his actions. He gave half his possessions to the poor and repaid those he had wronged fourfold. His repentance was not words but deeds.

This story reminds us that faith often begins with a restless heart — the willingness to seek Jesus even when others might mock or judge us. When we open our hearts, He looks up at us, calls us by name, and restores us to our true place — as beloved children of God.

As Jesus said, “The Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.” No one is beyond his reach, not even the man hiding on a tree!

© Claretian Publications, Hong Kong, China
Cum Approbatione Ecclesiastica 2025