Jesus Comes to Your "House" Today

In today's Gospel, Luke 19: 1-10, Zacchaeus, a chief tax collector, who gained his wealth by cheating people, learns that Jesus is passing by his house.  He is a short man so he climbs a sycamore tree to get a glimpse of Him.  Jesus looks up and says: "Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house."  Quickly, Zacchaeus comes down and joyfully receives Jesus into his house, and vows to make restitution to those he has cheated: "'Behold, half of my possessions [and he is a wealthy man], 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."

Jesus sees and knows who is seeking Him even when the person him/herself does not realize that one's frantic engagement in this and that, running here and there, switching jobs and relationships feverishly is actually a search for the Divine, for the Reconciler, for the One who really brings salvation to one's "house."  And as urgent as a person's search for that which he/she believes is the answer to his/her problems, just as urgent is Jesus' invitation:  "Come down quickly," Jesus says to Zacchaeus.  He says the same to us: "Come quickly; salvation has come to your house today"!  Jesus does not want us to delay our coming to Him or letting Him come to us with the gift of salvation!

Am I, are you, willing to step off the speeding "train"of distractions and spend time with Jesus? will you, will I , accept Jesus' invitation today? He truly wants to bring salvation to our "houses."

"Stirring the Pool of Life-giving Water"

In today's Gospel, John 5: 1-16, Jesus goes up to Jerusalem and finds blind, lame, and crippled persons going down to the Bethesda pool. The first person to enter the pool when the waters are stirred up is healed. Jesus notices a man there "who had been ill for thirty-eight  years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had been ill for a long time, said to him, 'Do you want to be well?'"  He answered: "'Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; while I am on the way, someone else gets down there before me.'  Jesus said to him, 'Rise, take up your mat, and walk.' Immediately the man became well, took up his mat and walked."

Jesus noticed the man's inability to get to the pool first and, knowing that he had been ill for a long time, had pity on him. He asks him: "Do you want to be well?"  Jesus asks us the same question. "Do you want to healed" of that which  holds us back from being made whole, of becoming well so that we, too, can participate fully in life around  us!  What is crippling us? Do we know? And do we want to be healed?  Just sitting around, when other options are possible, is an option but there are other ones if we accept Jesus' invitation!

What is holding you and I back from the pool of graces available to us on a daily basis?  What prevents us from "stirring the pool" that will give live to others and to ourselves?

Living through the Eyes of Faith

In yesterday's first reading, 1 Thes 3: 7-13, Saint Paul tells the Thessalonians that they are "reassured about you, brothers and sisters, in our every distress and affliction, through your faith."  Could those who know me, know you, be reassured in what they are going through because of our faith?  Do you, do I, live each day and look upon each circumstance of life through the eyes of faith?  "Night and day," Saint Paul tells the Thessalonians, "we pray beyond measure to see you in person and remedy the deficiencies of your faith."

May the deficiencies of your faith and mine be remedied. May our hearts be so strengthened that we are found "blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his holy ones."  This is Paul's prayer for the Thessalonians and for us. It is my prayer for my loved ones and for myself, so that our faith strengthens others and does not lead to their downfall, causing them to lose faith in Christ Jesus and especially to lose faith in Jesus' invitation at each Eucharist:  "Take and eat; this is my body given up for you. Take and drink of this cup; it is the blood of the New Covenant poured our for you" (Luke 22: 19-20).

"Get hold of yourselves"

Today’s Scripture readings, Numbers  12: 1-13 and Mt. 14: 22-36, give us lots upon which to reflect.  In the first reading we read about Miriam and Aaron complaining about their brother Moses and expressing their jealousy, God confronting them and then punishing them for their sinfulness, and Aaron and Moses begging for God’s mercy toward Miriam, who was struck with leprosy for her part in the sinful behaviors.  

In the Gospel, we are presented with the disciple’s “losing it,” when they see Jesus walking on the turbulent waters, believing He is a ghost, while Peter challenges Jesus to bid him come to him, if it is really He. Peter starts out bravely, then as he encounters the strong winds, gets scared and begins to sink. Jesus reaches out his hand and saves him.  Jesus rebukes the disciples, saying to them: “Get hold of yourselves” and says to Peter, as he is sinking, “How little faith you have!...Why did you falter?”

You and I are each of the characters in today's readings:  at times, Miriam and Aaron complaining about and jealous of others; Moses and Aaron begging for mercy; the disciples losing their cool, becoming frantic, anxious, believing in “ghosts” when Jesus is actually present in the disguise they misnamed; Peter, boldly setting out at God’s invitation to take the risk and then losing faith when he encountered difficulties.

Lord, over and over again, I find myself complaining about something as were Aaron and Miriam. Over and over again I find myself in turbulent waters caused by the "storms" I encounter and you bid me to come to You, to believe in You walking those same waters with me, there to save me when I sink.  Over and over again You say to me, as You said to the disciples in the boat, “Get hold of yourself. It is I. Do not be afraid.” Strengthen me when my faith is weak. Calm me when I am losing it. Encourage me when I am faltering. Save me when I am sinking. I ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

This is my experience. What is yours? This is my prayer, what is yours?