Gospel Reflections 800x800 gold outline

Today's Gospel: Luke 19:1-10

Memorial of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, Religious

Have you ever felt “small in stature,” too insignificant for Christ’s attention? Today’s gospel gives us hope. We don’t have to be somebody in the parish—the director of such-and-such, the greatest CCD teacher, the person with the most beautiful voice in the choir, the one who has the greatest understanding of Latin—to be noticed by Christ. We can be the one who sits in the very back of the church, head bowed, avoiding everyone. We can be the one with the noisy children that has to take them out every Sunday. We can be the one with the greatest sin on our hearts (so we may think). Christ has come to seek us out, each and every one of us. He fulfills the prophecy of Ezekiel, “I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed” (34:16). We don’t even have to climb the tree and look toward Him. But we do, like Zacchaeus, have to answer when He calls. It is in taking Him home with us that we will then find the love only He can give. In a general audience address given by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, he spoke of the saint whose feast we celebrate today, St. Elizabeth of Hungary, saying St. Elizabeth shows a life of “faith, friendship with Christ, creates a sense of justice, equality of all, of the rights of others, which creates love, charity, and from this comes the hope and certainty that we are loved by Christ and the love of Christ awaits us.” Zacchaeus shows us today that Christ’s love awaits us all. We just have to be open to inviting him over for dinner.

Ponder:

Do I ever feel that I am too small for Christ to love me? Am I willing to open the door of my heart and let Him feast with me?

Pray:

Lord, when you asked your apostles if they too wanted to leave you, St. Peter replied, “Lord, where would we go? You have the words of everlasting life.” Help us to accept your invitation to come to You, even when we don’t feel worthy.
Help us to feel Your love so that we know that it is only in You that we will find the peace and joy we long to live. Amen.

We thank our friends at The Word Among Us for providing our gospel reflection team with copies of Abide In My Word 2015: Mass Readings at Your Fingertips. To pray the daily gospels with this wonderful resource, visit The Word Among Us.

Copyright 2015 Diane Schwind