You would expect a child to climb a tree to see what was happening. But for a full-grown man of business to act like a child and climb a tree, why would he act so childishly? He could have had secondhand accounts from his taller friends, but he wanted much more. He wanted to see this Jesus everyone was talking about, and Jesus saw him and acknowledged him. Never in Zacchaeus’ wildest dreams could he have expected this response from Jesus. Jesus saw him and wanted to dine at his home that night. And Zacchaeus “…received him with joy.”

We do not have to climb a tree to receive Jesus in the Eucharist, but we can share in Zacchaeus’ joy when we receive him and hope for his acknowledgment, which he promised to those who receive him worthily. Just as Zacchaeus did, we confess our sins and promise reparation. Just as Zacchaeus did, we prepare to feast with Jesus. Full of excitement and enthusiasm for having him in the intimacy of our interior home. We listen for his word to change our lives and fill us with joy and fulfillment. Next time you go to Mass, think of Zacchaeus high up in the tree, gazing at the altar as Jesus passes.

As the story goes, Saint Peter Julian Eymard, a four to five-year-old, climbed to listen to Jesus in the Tabernacle. At that time, the people had lost their childlike attitude of receiving communion, thinking they had to be mature saints to receive Holy Communion. This was the seed planted in that young boy for his lifelong drive to awaken humanity to the desire to be seen and acknowledged by Jesus. His love of Jesus was like Zacchaeus’s childlike enthusiasm and passion for a relationship with God.

Let Us Pray:

God of life and of light, your love for us surpasses all our hopes and desires; your goodness is seen in the beauty of human life, and by your touch, our world is made holy. (Prayer of Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament)