Nobody in the “practicing” Jewish community gave Zacchaeus a chance, he was a sinner and that was that. Jesus saw Zacchaeus as a human being deserving of love, sympathy and mercy and invited himself to his house so that Zacchaeus’ life would be transformed. Jesus just called him and told him he was having dinner at his house and Zacchaeus repented of having taken advantage of people and pledged to give back what he had unfairly taken and to help the poor. This made me think of what we say before receiving communion: “only say the word and I shall be healed”, which I’ve turned into this prayer: only say the word and I will know who I am and thus what’s my mission, just like Zacchaeus. To know Jesus and to receive him with joy turned Zacchaeus immediately to his brothers and sisters, the poor and those whom he had wronged. This is the Eucharist! What a gift of communion and community in Jesus, and with Jesus and through Jesus with the Father and the Holy Spirit!

Similarly, this Gospel passage invites me to put myself in Jesus’ shoes. It challenges me to look at all my brothers and sisters the way Jesus looks at them, with love, sympathy and mercy. Receiving Jesus in my house transforms me into Jesus. It invites me to love myself like Jesus does and to love everybody else the way Jesus loves me and them.
Let us pray that by participating in the Eucharist we let Jesus say a word and transform us more and more into our true loving and merciful selves, capable of repentance, forgiveness and reconciliation.