Eleventh Sunday of Pentecost Season
Luke 19:1-10

Reflection 1
The sycamore tree
Today we read one of Luke’s stories who consistently presents Jesus as the Compassionate Saviour. This story is unique to Luke’s Gospel and one of the greatest stories of the revelation of God’s Mercy to a sinner and the perfect response to that Mercy.
In this Gospel Jesus teaches us that prayer is above all a response to God—a response, not an initiative.  Zacchaeus the tax collector who was short but his desire was great, got the chance to make a new beginning - and he responded with extraordinary generosity, and Jesus said, "Today salvation has come to this house...”.

Choose to live your life in the sycamore tree- A reflection by Deacon Keith A Fournier
The sycamore tree created a clear line of vision for Zaccheus. It helped him to rise above the crowd and see the Lord clearly. It placed him in the right position for the invitation that would follow. Jesus told him to come down for he was coming to his house. For us, the Sycamore tree is a symbol of that place in our own lives which enables us to have a clear vision of Jesus. Zaccheus did not hesitate. With the same lack of caution which he had demonstrated in climbing the tree, he came down to stand in the presence of God Incarnate. There he heard the call that would forever change his life.

Reflection 2
Seeing Jesus
Today we have one of the most delightful stories of Luke and indeed of the whole Gospel.
The central figure is Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector and a rich man.
We are also told that Zacchaeus was small and, because of the crowd surrounding Jesus, he could not see Jesus. Therefore, in spite of being a rich and important man, he did not hesitate to climb a tree to get a better look.
Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus but he did not expect that Jesus would see him. “Zacchaeus,  I want to stay in your house today.” This is a self-invitation that Jesus constantly extends to us.
Very often, we are not able to see Jesus in our lives because we are crowded out by other people and the way they think. To see Jesus clearly we often have to get away from the crowd and risk being different.
Zacchaeus, who had originally just wanted to have an external glimpse of Jesus, has now come to see Him in a much deeper sense. A seeing that changed his whole life.
 
Jesus saw, not a tax collector, but the unique person, Zacchaeus.
Jesus saw beyond the public image to the real person. Zacchaeus may be a chief tax collector but he is ready to give half of his property to the poor and, if he has cheated anyone, he promised to pay them back four times what they lost.
 
“For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost” — the lost include those regarded as sinners and those who are marginalised. They are the people to whom we Christians, as disciples of Jesus, are also expected to pay special attention. We need to be careful in judging people from their appearance or their social position or their occupation. As a Church, we could spend a lot more time looking for those who are lost instead of concentrating on serving the already converted.
 
A Thought for the week-Our Sycamore tree
In a society filled with noise and constant visual and audio stimulation, one dimension of our stepping away from the crowd in order to get a better look at Jesus involves taking time regularly for prayer and reflection.