Authentic Change of Heart, Journey of Faith

Today’s Gospel story of Zaccheus, the “short guy in the sycamore tree,” is both well-known and popular. Who is this man, what is his identity? He was a chief “publican” and a corrupt man. Publicans were Jews who worked for the foreign Romans; they betrayed their own homeland and people. As a tax collector, Zaccheus sought money in customs tariffs and various illegitimate means. He exploited people, benefitting himself instead of helping others.