Zacchaeus the Tax Collector: Seeing Others as God Sees Them

About this sermon

In today’s Gospel reflection, we explore the powerful story of Zacchaeus the tax collector and the deeper spiritual meaning behind seeing others as God sees them. Drawing from the Nicene Creed—“of all things visible and invisible”—this homily invites us to reflect on the duality of the human person, body and soul, and how Christ looks beyond outward appearances into the unseen heart. While society judged Zacchaeus by his wealth, profession, and sins, Jesus saw a repentant soul seeking salvation. Through the teachings of the Church Fathers—St. Cyril of Alexandria, St. Ephrem the Syrian, and St. Maximus of Turin—we uncover how Zacchaeus’ climb into the tree symbolizes humility, repentance, and the path toward the Cross. His encounter with Christ transforms greed into generosity and earthly wealth into heavenly treasure. This Gospel challenges us today: Do we judge by what is visible? Do we see the image of God in every person? Are we willing to climb the tree and seek Christ? As we approach Lent, this reflection prepares our hearts for transformation through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, reminding us that Christ knows what holds us back—and lovingly calls us forward. 🙏 May we learn to see others with the eyes of God and seek Christ in all we do. 00:00 Opening Prayer & Trinitarian Invocation 00:15 Christ Is Among Us 00:21 The Creed: Visible and Invisible Creation 00:47 Humanity’s Dual Nature: Body and Soul 01:14 How Do We See Others vs. How Jesus Sees 01:29 Zacchaeus: Sinner in the Eyes of the World 02:04 The Unseen Heart of Zacchaeus 02:44 Climbing the Tree: A Sign of Seeking 02:55 Repentance and Radical Transformation 03:31 Judging by Appearances in Modern Society 03:48 Seeing the Image of God in Every Person 04:12 Loving Others as God Calls Them to Be 04:42 The Spiritual Battles Within the Heart 05:19 Greed, Wealth, and the Teachings of the Fathers 05:59 St. Cyril of Alexandria on Zacchaeus 06:31 The Tree, the Fall, and Redemption 07:26 Adam, Humility, and the Cross 08:24 Carrying the Cross as Christians 08:48 Zacchaeus and the Journey Toward Lent 09:24 The Church as Our Path to Salvation 09:41 Final Doxology and Amen For more please visit https://www.youtube.com/@stjohnmelkite & say 3 Hail Marys for the priest 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 Support Catholic Businesses here - https://sensusfidelium.com/catholic-businesses/ Sensus Fidelium Press - https://sensusfideliumpress.com/ Sensus Fidelium Apps - https://sensusfidelium.tv/ Support Sensus Fidelium - https://sensusfidelium.com/donate-support/ 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 🙏🏻PLEASE HELP OUR CHANNEL GROW 🙏🏻 ▶️ 1. Become a Channel Patron: https://www.patreon.com/SensusFidelium ▶️ 2. Visit the website https://www.sensusfidelium.us for Gueranger, Saint of the Day, Apologetics, Meditation by the Saints, Scripture Study and more. ▶️ 3. Subscribe to Other Video Platforms 🔴 SpiritusTV - https://spiritustv.com/@SensusFidelium 🔴 BitChute --- https://www.bitchute.com/channel/Sensus_Fidelium/ 🔴 Rumble --- https://rumble.com/c/c-298311 🔴 My Catholic Tube - https://mycatholictube.com/videos/sensus-fidelium-channel/ 🔴 LBRY.tv --- https://lbry.tv/@SensusFidelium:c 🔴 ODYSEE - https://odysee.com/@SensusFidelium:c 🔴 UGETube - https://videos.utahgunexchange.com/@Sensus%20Fidelium 🔴 BrandNewTube - https://brandnewtube.com/@SensusFidelium 🔴 GabTV - https://tv.gab.com/channel/Sensus_Fidelium 🔴 GloriaTV - https://gloria.tv/Sensus%20Fidelium 🔴 Brighteon - https://www.brighteon.com/channels/sensusfidelium ▶️ 4. Paypal, Bitcoin, Anedot, Stripe, Square & PO Box donations - https://sensusfidelium.com/donate-support/ ▶️ 5. YouTube: Click Subscribe, then Click "Notification Bell" = 🔔 Please "Like" our videos so that Youtube shares it to others by clicking the "Like" thumbs-up under the video = 👍🏻 ▶️ 6. Please share this video 📲, and help others find Christ inside the Catholic Church! Please share this video on Facebook and Twitter using the share button. ▶️ 7. Follow on Social Media: 🔴 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SensusFidelium/ 🔴 Twitter: https://https://twitter.com/Sensus_Fidelium 🔴 YouTube: Click Subscribe, then Click "Notification Bell" = 🔔 🔴 Parler: https://parler.com/profile/Sensusfidelium/posts 🔴 SP3RN: https://www.sp3rn.com/community/pages/14-sensus-fidelium 🔴 GAB: https://gab.com/Sensus_Fidelium 🔴 Bastyon: https://bastyon.com/sensusfidelium 🔴 GETTR: https://gettr.com/user/sensus_fidelium 🔴 INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/sensusfidelium/ 🔴 Telegram: https//t.me/RealSensusFidelium ▶️ 8. Follow on iTunes: 🔴 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sensus-fidelium-catholic-podcast/id1477010758 #Zacchaeus #OrthodoxChristianity #GospelReflection #Repentance #SeeingWithGodsEyes #PreparingForLent #ChristianHomily #ImageOfGod #Salvation #OrthodoxFaith #JesusChrist #Humility #ChurchFathers #LentenJourney