He wanted to know you, Lord.

Here is the origin of this story,

so evangelical and full of life,

both surprising and shocking,

so near and captivating,

since it is about someone like us

with dirty hands and a selfish heart.

Just like many other people,

Zacchaeus wanted to know you, Lord;

perhaps out of simple curiosity

or perhaps because he needed to;

possibly because he was used to hearing your name

or because a secret wish was burning him,

perhaps because he was already thirsty for justice.

And although he tried, he didn't manage to see you,

because he was very small in stature

and the crowd blocked his view;

or perhaps because he was like he was

in his life, both inside and outside,

or because he was looking for other riches...

Perhaps because he was treading on unsafe ground!

But You, Lord, animate the story

and its protagonist who wasn't far away.

From the public square you look up,

and your eyes, which hypnotise,

meet the eyes of the man in the fig tree

regarding his innermost self with sorrow

and with his eyes fixed on the ground.

Your voice, which sounds friendly,

draws Zaccheus from his blindness

- doubts, fears and blame-

although it scandalises other people.

There is a meeting, dialogue and a table,

in his own house, the den of fraud,

he falls in love and tells you in his own way.

In this way a new horizon surges,

both for him and for all those who search for you

throughout the paths of history,

because salvation is generous,

it cures our faults and our wounds,

and fills us with joy and life.

Once again your presence disconcerts us!