Today’s Reflection
Gospel: Luke 19: 1-10
November 18, 2025 | Tuesday

Today’s Gospel

Jesus entered  Jericho  and  was  passing  through  it. A man named Zaccheus lived there. He was a tax collector and a wealthy man. He wanted to see what Jesus was like, but he was a short man and could not see him because of the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed up a sycamore tree. From there he would be able to see Jesus, who was going to pass that way. When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zaccheus, come down quickly, for I must stay at your house today.” So Zaccheus climbed down and received him joyfully.

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.”

Today’s Reflection

Zacchaeus is a man of contradiction; he is tall yet short. He is tall in the sense that he is wealthy and holds a position in society. But he is short in stature, needing to climb up a sycamore tree just to see Jesus. His short stature also symbolizes his relationship with God. As a tax collector, he is hated by the people because many tax collectors of his time used their positions for personal gain, rendering the people powerless. When Zacchaeus heard that Jesus was passing by, he got excited, perhaps because he wanted to change his life for the better, to know the truth, and he believed that only Jesus could satisfy the longing of his heart. Indeed, he not only saw Jesus but also welcomed Him into his house. Although he remained short in stature, his faith made him taller and taller every time he fulfilled his promises 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.”

/Vulnerasti, 2025