First Reading - 2 Maccabees 6:18-31
Gospel - Luke 19:1-10
Sometimes faith asks something of us that is neither comfortable nor easy. Sometimes it calls us to stand firm when everything in us would prefer a simpler path. Today’s readings place before us two people—Eleazar and Zacchaeus—whose lives move in opposite directions but meet at the same truth: faithfulness transforms the human heart.
In the first reading, Eleazar is an elderly man, respected and well-loved. He is offered a way out, a way to save his life without appearing to break the law. No one would blame him for choosing the easier road. But Eleazar knows that faithfulness is not only about what others see; it is about who he is before God. He would rather lose his life than lose his integrity. And in doing so, he leaves behind not only a story of courage but a legacy that strengthens the young. His faithfulness becomes a light for others.
Then the Gospel introduces us to Zacchaeus—someone very different. A man who had been living a life of compromise, a man who gained wealth at the cost of his integrity. Yet something in him longs for more. He climbs a tree just to catch a glimpse of Jesus. And when Jesus stops, looks up, and calls him by name, Zacchaeus discovers the kind of love that awakens the deepest parts of the heart. That encounter changes him. He lets go of the life of compromise, not because of fear, but because he finally sees what true life looks like.
Dear friends, the two readings might seem like opposites—one man refusing to compromise, the other turning away from his compromise—but together they show a beautiful truth: God meets us wherever we are, as long as we are willing to take a step toward Him. For some, like Eleazar, that step is standing firm. For others, like Zacchaeus, that step is turning back.
In our own lives, we face both moments. There are times when we, like Eleazar, must stand our ground—choosing honesty over advantage, faith over comfort, truth over convenience. And there are other times when we, like Zacchaeus, must admit we have drifted, must acknowledge the corners we’ve cut or the compromises we’ve allowed, and then choose to return.
What matters most is the movement of the heart. Eleazar shows us the strength of fidelity. Zacchaeus shows us the joy of conversion. And both show us that God honors the person who seeks to be true—whether by standing firm or by starting again.
Wherever we find ourselves today—holding the line or climbing the tree—God meets us there. And His desire is the same for both the steadfast and the searching: to bring salvation to our house, to restore our hearts, and to lead us into a life that is honest, whole, and full of grace.
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