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Today, 21st of November, we celebrate
The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Write this to the angel of the Church in Sardis, “Thus says he who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars:
I know your worth: you think you live but you are dead. Wake up and strengthen that which is not already dead. For I have found your works to be imperfect in the sight of my God. Remember what you were taught; keep it and change your ways. If you do not repent I will come upon you like a thief at an hour you least expect.
Yet, there are some left in Sardis who have not soiled their robes; these will come with me, dressed in white, since they deserve it. The victor will be dressed in white and I will never erase his name from the book of life; instead, I will acknowledge it before my Father and his angels. …
Write this to the angel of the Church in Laodicea, “Thus says the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation:
I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were cold or hot! You are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold so I will spit you out of my mouth. You think you are rich and have piled up so much that you need nothing, but you do not realize that you are wretched and to be pitied, poor, blind and naked.
I advise you to buy from me gold that has been tested by fire, so that you may be rich, and white clothes to wear so that your nakedness may not shame you, and ointment for your eyes that you may see. I reprimand and correct all those I love. Be earnest and change your ways.
Look, I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my call and open the door, I will come in to you and have supper with you, and you with me. I will let the victor sit with me on my throne just as I was victorious and took my place with my Father on his throne. …
R./ I will seat the victor beside me on my throne.
He who walks blamelessly and does justice;
who thinks the truth in his heart
and slanders not with his tongue.
R./ I will seat the victor beside me on my throne.
Who harms not his fellow man,
nor takes up a reproach against his neighbor;
By whom the reprobate is despised,
while he honors those who fear the Lord.
R./ I will seat the victor beside me on my throne.
Who lends not his money at usury
and accepts no bribe against the innocent.
He who does these things
shall never be disturbed.
R./ I will seat the victor beside me on my throne.
When Jesus entered Jericho and was going through the city, a man named Zaccheus was 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 because of the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed up a sycamore tree. From there he would be able to see Jesus who had 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 hurried down and received him joyfully.
All the people who saw it began to grumble and said, “He has gone to the house of a sinner as a guest.” But Zaccheus spoke to Jesus, “The half of my goods, Lord, I 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 Gospel leads us to the heart of Jesus’s mission: reaching those on the margins. As Jesus nears Jerusalem, He stops in Jericho, encountering Zacchaeus, a tax collector shunned by his community. Despite his wealth, Zacchaeus yearns for something more and, pushing past societal barriers, climbs a tree to see Jesus. Christ’s response is unexpected and radical: He invites Himself into Zacchaeus’s home, disregarding the judgment of onlookers who call Zacchaeus a sinner. Through His simple presence, Jesus offers acceptance, and this acceptance transforms Zacchaeus’s heart.
This passage teaches us that every person, no matter their background or mistakes, is beloved by God. We are called to look at others as Jesus did, seeing their potential for transformation rather than their past or limitations. Our task as Catholics is to break down barriers that exclude and to build bridges of compassion and understanding.
Zacchaeus’s story also invites us to open our hearts, allowing Jesus to dwell within. True faith calls us to step beyond comfort and societal normss to go deeper in our love for God and our neighbour. Like Zacchaeus, we can examine our lives and ask: What am I holding back? How can I live in a way that benefits others?
Jesus’s welcome of Zacchaeus reminds us that salvation is a daily, communal journey. We’re called to foster communities of inclusion and hope where every person finds dignity and belonging. By following Jesus’s example—living justly, embracing compassion, and loving courageously—we bring the Gospel to life. This week, let us pray for a heart like Christ’s, open and ready to welcome, and for the courage to live as beacons of His love in our world.
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 Introduction:
If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will enter his house and dine with him. John reprimands the Christians of Sardis and Laodicea that they have abandoned their earlier fervor and are in need of conversion. Note the harsh words to the Laodiceans who are neither cold nor hot but only lukewarm: “I will spit you out of my mouth.”
Gospel Reading Introduction:
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.
– 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:
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.
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.
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.
