Homily delivered Wednesday 24th August 2022, for a year level at St John the Baptist Primary School, Gladstone, Qld.

"For Christ himself has brought us peace by making Jews and Gentiles one people. With his own body he broke down the wall that separated them and kept them enemies... By his death on the cross Christ destroyed their enmity; by means of the cross he united both races into one body and brought them back to God — Good News of peace to all – [brought by the] one Spirit into the presence of the Father." (cf. Eph 2:14-18).

"Jesus went into Jericho and was passing through. There was a chief tax collector there named Zacchaeus, who was rich. He was trying to see who Jesus was, but he was a little man and could not see Jesus because of the crowd. So he ran ahead of the crowd and climbed a sycamore tree to see Jesus who was going to pass that way. When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to Zacchaeus, 'Hurry down Zacchaeus, because I must stay in your house today...' Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, 'Listen, sir! I will give half my belongings to the poor, and if I have cheated anyone, I will pay him back four times as much.' Jesus said to him, "Salvation has come to this house today." (cf. Lk 19:1-9).

Artwork: "What Our Lord Saw from the Cross" by James Tissot, (1886-94).