Tuesday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time

I Must Stay In Your House

Liturgical Cycle: C | Lectionary Cycle: I

Introduction

The first book of the Maccabees is historical and gives us the story of the struggle of the faithful Jews to preserve their religion and culture. The second book of the Maccabees is a more edifying book that gives us inspiring examples of the people’s struggles and faithfulness, like old Eleazar’s martyrdom for the sake of observing the Law.

Today we meet Zacchaeus, the rich typical sinner as a tax collector, who is small and poor as a person. He runs to encounter Jesus and is converted through this encounter, but it is really Jesus who takes the initiative by calling Zacchaeus out of the tree and asking whether he can stay in his house. This is the solution for the sinner, cold or lukewarm: accept to encounter the Lord again. This message is spoken to us too. Encountering Jesus will change us too.

Opening Prayer

God of mercy and compassion,
you know how often our fervor cools off,
how poor of heart we are at times
when we think we are rich
and sure to belong to you.
Let us encounter your Son again
in the deepest of our selves,
help us to look for him,
that his presence may change us
and that he may live among us.
We ask you this through Christ our Lord.

First Reading

2 Maccabees 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.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 3:2-3, 4-5, 6-7

R.   (6b) The Lord upholds me.
O LORD, how many are my adversaries!
Many rise up against me!
Many are saying of me,
“There is no salvation for him in God.”
R.   The Lord upholds me.
But you, O LORD, are my shield;
my glory, you lift up my head!
When I call out to the LORD,
he answers me from his holy mountain.
R.   The Lord upholds me.
When I lie down in sleep,
I wake again, for the LORD sustains me.
I fear not the myriads of people
arrayed against me on every side.
R.   The Lord upholds me.

Alleluia Verse

1 John 4:10b

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
God loved us, and sent his Son
as expiation for our sins.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

Luke 19:1-10

Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through it.

A man named Zacchaeus lived there. He was a tax collector and a wealthy man.

He wanted to see what Jesus was like, but he was short and couldn’t see over the crowd.

So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree. From there, he could see Jesus as he passed by.

When Jesus reached that spot, he looked up and said to him:

“Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for I must stay at your house today.”

So Zacchaeus climbed down and welcomed him happily.

All the people who saw it began to grumble and said:

“He has gone as a guest to the house of a sinner.”

But Zaccheus spoke to Jesus:

“Half of what I own, Lord, I will give to the poor, and if I have cheated anyone, I will pay him back four times as much.”

Looking at him Jesus said:

“Salvation has come to this house today, for he is also a true son of Abraham.

The Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost.”

Prayers of the Faithful

– That we may do all we can to see and find the Lord and to be close to him, we pray:

– That our encounter with the Lord in prayer, in good people and in the poor we help, may change us, we pray:

– That our eating from the Lord’s table in the eucharist may deepen our love for Christ and for people, we pray:

Prayer over the Gifts

God our Father,
your Son stands at the door and knocks
to share with us our bread of poverty.
May we open to him the doors of our hearts
and welcome him eagerly.
Let it be his bread and his mentality
that nourish us,
that we may overcome all evil
through him who is our Lord for ever.

Prayer after Communion

God our Father,
you have given us Jesus as our guest
and at the same time our host
who has given us himself to eat.
He has found us;
let him fill us to the brim
with his life and his love,
to make a new beginning with us.
Help us to be to one another
as hospitable as he has been to us
and let him stay with us.
We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord.

Blessing

May we hear from the Lord too: salvation has come to this house, to this person, this community. May Almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

REFLECTIONS

18 November 2025

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!

Mercy for those who have erred
“Publicans and prostitutes will overtake you in the Kingdom of Heaven” (Mt 21:31). Did Jesus say this as a warning to the so-called righteous of the community? Perhaps, we, Christians who boast of our rich traditions and faith, have something to learn from the story of Zacchaeus.

Today’s Gospel takes us to meet Zacchaeus, the chief of the tax collectors in Jericho. Despite being rich, he was despised by the people because he collected taxes on behalf of the Romans. His riches may not have come from honest earnings but from bribes.

Tax collectors were regarded as traitors to the homeland because they collaborated with the oppressive powers; they were “impure” since they were in constant contact with pagans. This is how Luke paints the picture of this publican for us: He was wealthy but short in stature and disliked by the public.

The shortness of Zacchaeus was more from his feelings of inferiority, preventing him from moving with the rest of the people. He was aware that the people of his community did not appreciate him and even hated him. That made him feel short in stature. But Jesus welcomes this socially outcast person. He does not feel “short” anymore! Zacchaeus’ experience was unspeakable: this new preacher - Jesus - did not avoid him but instead chose to become a guest in his house, his table companion. In Jewish culture, sharing of food meant sharing life. For Zacchaeus it was an overwhelming and transforming experience of grace. He began to re-plan his life.

The evangelist wants to make it clear to his community that the Lord does not exclude nor despise anyone in society. The path of grace and understanding recovers such people. And when one is “touched” by the closeness of Jesus, one becomes conscious of the injustices of one’s own life. Zacchaeus’ new behaviour demonstrates having acquired that new meaning and sensibility.

God condemns sin, but saves the sinner; He goes looking for him to bring him back. The gestures and words with which Jesus approaches Zacchaeus are extraordinary to those who have never experienced God’s mercy.

Zacchaeus discovers from Jesus that it is possible to love gratuitously. By encountering Love, by discovering that he is loved despite his sins, he becomes capable of loving others, making money a sign of solidarity and communion.
May the Virgin May obtain for us the grace always to feel Jesus’ merciful gaze upon us, to go with mercy towards those who have gone wrong.