REVELATION 3:1-6, 14-22
I, John, heard the Lord saying to me: “To the angel of the Church in Sardis, write this:
“‘The one who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars says this: “I know your works, that you have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 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. If you are not watchful, I will come like a thief, and you will never know at what hour I will come upon you. However, you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their garments; they will walk with me dressed in white, because they are worthy.
“‘The victor will thus be dressed in white, and I will never erase his name from the book of life but will acknowledge his name in the presence of my Father and of his angels.
“‘Whoever has ears ought to hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”’
“To the angel of the Church in Laodicea, write this:
“‘The Amen, the faithful and true witness, the source of God’s creation, says this: “I know your works; I know that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, ‘I am rich and affluent and have no need of anything,’ and yet do not realize that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. I advise you to buy from me gold refined by fire so that you may be rich, and white garments to put on so that your shameful nakedness may not be exposed, and buy ointment to smear on your eyes so that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and chastise. Be earnest, therefore, and repent.
“‘Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, then I will enter his house and dine with him, and he with me. I will give the victor the right to sit with me on my throne, as I myself first won the victory and sit with my Father on his throne.
“‘Whoever has ears ought to hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’”
LUKE 19:1-10
At that time Jesus came to Jericho and intended to pass through the town. Now a man there named Zacchaeus, who was a chief tax collector and also a wealthy man, was seeking to see who Jesus was; but he could not see him because of the crowd, for he was short in stature. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree in order to see Jesus, who was about to pass that way. When he reached the place, Jesus looked up and said, “Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house.” And he came down quickly and received him with joy. When they saw this, they began to grumble, saying, “He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner.” But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone I shall repay it four times over.” And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house because this man too is a descendant of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost.”
Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house. (Luke 19:5)
Which came first, the chicken or the egg? That’s a difficult question! Today’s Gospel poses a similar dilemma. Who saw whom first, Zacchaeus or Jesus?
Maybe it was Zacchaeus. After all, he hoisted himself into a sycamore tree so that he could catch a glimpse of the Lord. Then again, maybe it was Jesus. He seemed to know exactly where Zacchaeus was, and he readily called him by name and invited himself over for dinner. So who saw whom first?
We may never know. But we do have a good idea of what each person saw. Zacchaeus saw a holy man, and he dared to hope that Jesus could bring him peace.
Jesus looked into Zacchaeus’ heart and saw his eagerness and curiosity. He saw his desire to grow closer to God. Of course, he saw his sin, but that didn’t stop him. He loved everything else he saw so much that he answered Zacchaeus’ silent prayer and called him.
Commenting on this passage, St. Augustine wrote, “The Lord, who had already welcomed Zacchaeus in his heart, was now ready to be welcomed by him into his home.” Before Zacchaeus had even thought about climbing that tree, Jesus was already at work in him.
In the same way, Jesus saw you before you woke up this morning. He loved what he saw, and he began working in your heart. While you slept, he was giving you the grace you’ll need today.
Jesus came “to seek and to save what was lost” (Luke 19:10). To seek out Zacchaeus, he provided the grace—the curiosity, the longing, and the hunger for God—that would get him up that tree. He is seeking you today too.
Do you feel a nudge to pray? To read Scripture or go to Mass? To turn away from a tempting situation? Those promptings come from the Lord. He is nudging you every day, trying to get your attention. Even when you are oblivious or resistant, he keeps working to bring you back.
Jesus has already welcomed you into his heart. Now he wants you to welcome him into yours. Are you ready to receive him? Follow those “nudges,” and he will come in.
“Jesus, you see my heart and know what this day holds. Help me to stay close to you.”
Word Among Us
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