“Zacchaeus” means pure and righteous one. He is a tax collector. He is the chief tax collector. In other words, he is a thug. Tax collectors were grouped with murderers. They killed people in other ways; they killed them by depriving them of that which is needed to sustain life.

 Jesus calls this tax collector, this thug, pure and righteous one. Jesus refuses to see us in the shadow of our past. He chooses to see us in the light of our future. When Jesus greets any one of us, he calls us Zacchaeus. You pure and righteous one. It is a greeting of grace.

 Grace touches this little person’s life.  Zacchaeus is a little man. A little man; little in all the things that matter: Little in gentleness. Little in generosity. Little in love. This tax collector spent his whole life hoarding. Now he spends his life sharing. Up to 50 percent. Which is forty percent more than ten percent. May God have mercy on the church who has limited our generosity to ten percent. When grace touches little lives, that life is filled with gratitude. And gratitude overflows in generosity. Andrew Harvey writes that “it is
essential to learn how to awaken and sustain gratitude, for gratitude is the key to many of the highest, most noble, and most transformatory sacred emotions. A heart tuned constantly to be grateful comes to revere the Divine in the whole of existence and slowly to recognize the unity of the Presence behind all diverse appearances. A heart trained always to be grateful will also grow more and more humble; it will be fearless in its recognition of how everything it loves, needs, and celebrates streams in a never-ending river of grace from God.” May our All Saints experience be characterised by gratitude. (in The Direct Path: Creating a Journey to the Divine Using the World's Mystical Traditions).

The Gospel according to Luke 6:20–36

20 Then he looked up at his disciples and said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. 21 “Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled. “Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. 22 “Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. 23 Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets. 24 “But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. 25 “Woe to you who are full now, for you will be hungry. “Woe to you who are laughing now, for you will mourn and weep. 26 “Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets. 27 “But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. 29 If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. 30 Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. 31 Do to others as you would have them do to you. 32 “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. 35 But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”