In Sunday's (October 30, 2022) Gospel reading (Luke 19:1-10), a wealthy tax collector named Zacchaeus encounters Jesus.
Like Zacchaeus, if we are "seeking to see who Jesus" is, we need to find a good vantage point "in order to see Jesus". In today's age, a good place to see Jesus is in serving our neighbors, especially the poor, the hungry, the homeless.
Do we hear Jesus calling out to us, to encounter Him through our neighbors? Notice what Jesus is doing - telling Zacchaeus (us) to welcome Him (our neighbor) into his house. When Jesus calls, do we "come down quickly" and receive our neighbors "with joy".
How close are we willing to become with our neighbors, especially the poor, the hungry, the homeless? Into our homes? It might sound odd to think of being that intimate with our neighbors. But, continuing with the analogy, perhaps we need to be more humble - since in welcoming our neighbor in, Jesus is doing nothing more than going "to stay at the house of a sinner." Jesus wants us to serve others because he has "come to seek and to save what was lost" - us. Loving others is one way we learn how to love like He does, and how he saves us.
In that light, when it comes to serving our neighbors, especially in volunteering in our communities, consider these challenge questions for this week:
How close are we willing to get to the poor, hungry, and homeless in our community?
How quickly are we willing to go to them?
Will we do it with joy?
And when we are done, will we recognize Jesus, coming to us, and staying at the house of sinners?
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