Regeneration: A Gift of God to Those Who Seek Him

31st Sunday in Ordinary Time

Today, we continue to reflect on the theme of “Prayer”. Prayer is an encounter with the living God, who is our Father and every encounter with Him is transforming. In the gospel. St. Luke introduces us to a tax collector named Zacheus. He seeks to see Jesus more than maintaining his economical status. He is short in stature but was even smaller in the eyes of his brother Jews because being a tax collector working for the Romans, he was considered a traitor. To be able to see Jesus, who is passing on the road, he climbed a “sycamore tree”. The tree made him tall enough to see Jesus his Master.

Prayer is an encounter with the living God, who is our Father and every encounter with Him is transforming.

The sycamore tree was considered a symbol of regeneration. Luke in his Gospel wants to convey the message that his desire to be regenerated (with new life) was received by Jesus. Jesus regained his dignity and gave him new life.

We are all like Zacheus in one way or another. Jesus seeks to find that “desire to be regenerated” in our hearts. The truth is: Jesus is the one seeking more than Zacheus. May Jesus find our hearts desiring to be reconciled with God!