Reading 1
2 Mc 6:18-31
Eleazar, one of the foremost scribes,
a man of advanced age and noble appearance,
was being forced to open his mouth to eat pork.
But preferring a glorious death to a life of defilement,
he spat out the meat,
and went forward of his own accord to the instrument of torture,
as people ought to do who have the courage to reject the food
which it is unlawful to taste even for love of life.
Those in charge of that unlawful ritual meal took the man aside privately,
because of their long acquaintance with him,
and urged him to bring meat of his own providing,
such as he could legitimately eat,
and to pretend to be eating some of the meat of the sacrifice
prescribed by the king;
in this way he would escape the death penalty,
and be treated kindly because of their old friendship with him.
But Eleazar made up his mind in a noble manner,
worthy of his years, the dignity of his advanced age,
the merited distinction of his gray hair,
and of the admirable life he had lived from childhood;
and so he declared that above all
he would be loyal to the holy laws given by God.
He told them to send him at once
to the abode of the dead, explaining:
“At our age it would be unbecoming to make such a pretense;
many young people would think the ninety-year-old Eleazar
had gone over to an alien religion.
Should I thus pretend for the sake of a brief moment of life,
they would be led astray by me,
while I would bring shame and dishonor on my old age.
Even if, for the time being, I avoid the punishment of men,
I shall never, whether alive or dead,
escape the hands of the Almighty.
Therefore, by manfully giving up my life now,
I will prove myself worthy of my old age,
and I will leave to the young a noble example
of how to die willingly and generously
for the revered and holy laws.”
Eleazar spoke thus,
and went immediately to the instrument of torture.
Those who shortly before had been kindly disposed,
now became hostile toward him because what he had said
seemed to them utter madness.
When he was about to die under the blows,
he groaned and said:
“The Lord in his holy knowledge knows full well that,
although I could have escaped death,
I am not only enduring terrible pain in my body from this scourging,
but also suffering it with joy in my soul
because of my devotion to him.”
This is how he died,
leaving in his death a model of courage
and an unforgettable example of virtue
not only for the young but for the whole nation.
Gospel
Lk 19:1-10
At that time Jesus came to Jericho and intended to pass through the town.
Now a man there named Zacchaeus,
who was a chief tax collector and also a wealthy man,
was seeking to see who Jesus was;
but he could not see him because of the crowd,
for he was short in stature.
So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree in order to see Jesus,
who was about to pass that way.
When he reached the place, Jesus looked up and said,
“Zacchaeus, come down quickly,
for today I must stay at your house.”
And he came down quickly and received him with joy.
When they saw this, they began to grumble, saying,
“He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner.”
But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord,
“Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor,
and if I have extorted anything from anyone
I shall repay it four times over.”
And Jesus said to him,
“Today salvation has come to this house
because this man too is a descendant of Abraham.
For the Son of Man has come to seek
and to save what was lost.”
Meditation: Luke 19:1-10
Today salvation has come to this house. (Luke 19:9)
Aren’t these words we all long to hear? This story of Zacchaeus is a wonderful encouragement to seek the Lord and the salvation he offers. Zacchaeus was a chief tax collector for the Roman government and earned his pay by charging fees over and above what was due to the government. Tax collectors were thought of as cheats and sinners because they made themselves rich off of these exorbitant fees, driving others into a downward spiral of poverty.
Like so many people, Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus as he traveled through Jericho. But because he was so short, he couldn’t see above the crowd. Why did he want “to see who Jesus was” (Luke 19:3)? We don’t know for sure. It could have been only curiosity, but more likely he knew he was a sinner and that Jesus could heal him. Whatever the reason, he wanted to see him enough to push through the crowd and climb up a tree just to catch a glimpse.
And what was Zacchaeus’ reward for all his efforts? Salvation came to his house! He didn’t let any obstacles keep him from his goal of seeing Jesus—not the crowds and certainly not his small stature. But notice that the moment of interaction did not occur until Jesus looked up and said: “Zacchaeus, come down quickly” (Luke 19:5). Zacchaeus was seeking Jesus, but it was Jesus who found him and welcomed him. And finding himself in Jesus’ presence, Zacchaeus was moved to repent, give half of his possessions to the poor, and make restitution for anything he had extorted from anyone.
Wherever you may be in your walk with God, what happened to Zacchaeus can happen to you. All it takes is sincere repentance—a repentance that shows itself in concrete actions. Don’t be afraid to make the changes necessary to restore or deepen your relationship with God and your brothers and sisters. Keep seeking Jesus, and he will find you. He will reach out to you and assure you that salvation has come to your house!
“Lord Jesus, I seek you with all my heart. Let me be found by you. I want to surrender my life to you so that you will say to me, ‘Today salvation has come to your house.’ “
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