"God does not pass by without looking for those who are lost": Pope Francis

While commending Zacchaeus’ courage and simplicity for not being intimidated by those who excluded him because he was the chief publican “who collects taxes from his fellow citizens for the Roman invaders,” the Holy Father noted that it is Jesus who takes the first step to start a conversation with the man “despised by everyone.”

“Jesus asks Zacchaeus to come down immediately, almost surprised to see him in the tree, and says to him, ‘Today I must stay at your house!’ (Lk 19:5),” he wrote. “God does not pass by without looking for those who are lost.”

Reflecting on Zacchaeus’ reaction to Jesus’ openness toward him, the pope said: “It is the joy of one who feels that he has been seen, acknowledged, and above all forgiven.”

After welcoming Jesus into his home, the Holy Father remarked that it is the merciful gaze of God that inspired Zacchaeus to transform his life and “imitate the One by whom he felt loved.”  

“He gets up to make a commitment: to return four times what he has stolen,” he said. “He does so because he understands that this is his way of loving.” 

More in Vatican

The Sickbed As a Holy Place: Pope Francis Reflects on His Own Illness at Jubilee of Sick

Read the article

Concluding his catechesis with an invitation to take “practical steps” forward so as to welcome Jesus and his forgiveness into our own lives, the Holy Father said: “Let us allow ourselves to be found by the mercy of God, who always comes in search of us, in whatever situation we may be lost.”

Kristina Millare is a freelance journalist with a professional communications background in the humanitarian aid and development sector, news journalism, entertainment marketing, politics and government, business and entrepreneurship.