May Jesus Christ be praised and may his holy Mother pray for
us.
Zacchaeus wanted to see the Lord Jesus. He wanted to see him and he wanted to know
him. Zacchaeus would not allow anything
to prevent him from seeing the Lord Jesus.
Even though the crowd was very large, and Zacchaeus was short, he made
an effort to see the Lord Jesus.
Zacchaeus climbed a tree so that he could see the Lord Jesus.
We are here because we want to see the Lord Jesus. We want to see him and we want to know
him. We are here because we have come to
believe that he is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. We have come to profess our faith that Christ
Jesus is the answer to the deepest questions of our hearts. We have come here to listen to his word, to
offer him our worship and our prayers, and to encounter the Lord Jesus in the
Holy Eucharist. We have come to this
Church so that we can see the Lord Jesus.
In our reading from the Gospel, the Lord Jesus saw
Zacchaeus. He saw him, and he called
him. Zacchaeus was invited to come
closer to the Lord Jesus. The Lord Jesus
called Zacchaeus by his name, just as each of us was called by name in the
Sacrament of Baptism. The Lord has
looked upon us and he has called us to himself.
The Lord said to Zacchaeus, “Today, I must stay at your
house.” This was a great honor for
Zacchaeus. The Lord Jesus had seen
him. He had called him. And now, the Lord Jesus wanted to remain with
him. The Lord wanted to dwell in the
house of Zacchaeus so that he could fully dwell in the heart of Zacchaeus. The Lord Jesus desires to stay with us
today. He has promised to remain with us
always, even until the end of the world.
He has promised to remain in the soul of the believer. He has promised to remain with us in his
Church. He has promised to remain with
us in the tabernacle.
Zacchaeus wanted to receive the Lord Jesus into his home. He made room for the Lord Jesus. Zacchaeus would give away half of his
possessions and renounce his dishonest practices so that he could welcome the
Lord Jesus. Zacchaeus, like St. Paul,
counted everything else as a loss when compared with seeing and knowing and
receiving Jesus Christ. Nothing was more
important to Zacchaeus than receiving the Lord Jesus.
Is anything, dear brothers and sisters, more important to
you?
Amen.
Preached in Spanish at Our Lady of
Lourdes Catholic Church, Monroe, NC
