[ Today's Readings ]
I know that you are neither cold nor hot.
I wish you were either cold or hot.
Indifference is not enough. We cannot drift into the kingdom. The current, in fact, flows the other way. We need to be like Zacchaeus, willing to climb a tree to see Jesus when he is passing by.
And perhaps we were on fire like that at one point.
Be watchful and strengthen what is left, which is going to die,
for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God.
Remember then how you accepted and heard; keep it, and repent.
The good news is that we can have that zeal again. It might not come with the same feelings that accompanied it when we were just discovering the faith. But precisely because of that it can be even more steadfast and unwavering. This is true because the source of our zeal and perseverance is meant to be God more than our feelings. We think that we are rich, able to produce all of this motivation from within. It is rather that we need the gold refined by fire that is the grace that God gives us. We think we're already presentable, well dressed, ready to be seen at the feast, but we need to again receive the white garments that Jesus first gives in baptism and makes new for us in confession.
We climb the tree to see Jesus only to realize that he first places the desire to see him in our hearts. Everything we do is a response to his grace. This is why he already knows our names. This is why he already has plans for us.
“Zacchaeus, come down quickly,
for today I must stay at your house.”
Jesus is always standing at the door and knocking. He is always just waiting for us to let him in. Learning to hear the knock is how we gain the true zeal and fire we are meant to have. When we learn to hear it we receive Jesus with joy not just once but every time we listen.
And he came down quickly and received him with joy.
No comments:
Post a Comment