Today's Gospel: Luke 19:1-10 When I was a little girl, my parents would buy me the little Arch Books of Bible Stories that were always on sale in a display in the narthex at church. My favorite story was The Great Surprise, which was the story of Zacchaeus. I can still see the colorful cover, with Zacchaeus hanging on to a branch and looking down and out of the scene of the cover at what I imagine was a smiling Jesus beckoning him to come down out of the tree. I don’t know why that story made such an impression on me as a child -- so much so that whenever I hear this homily I remember that cover. I think that as a child I might have felt a real connection with Zacchaeus, because I was smaller than those around me. I would have climbed a tree to see Jesus. I know I would have! My adult sensibilities recognize that I am still like Zacchaeus, a sinner. I am encouraged by this story, that Jesus seeks me out, even when I’m hiding away from Him. He calls to me to join Him, and like Zacchaeus, I am saved.

Ponder:

Sometimes our sins make us feel unworthy, and we look at Jesus from afar. Are you ready to drop everything like Zacchaeus and join Jesus when He calls you?

Pray:

Dear Lord, thank You for Your unconditional love and acceptance in spite of my sinfulness. Thank You for calling me to be close to You.
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About the Author

Maria Morera Johnson

Maria Morera Johnson

Maria Morera Johnson, author of My Badass Book of Saints, Super Girls and Halo, and Our Lady of Charity: How a Cuban Devotion to Mary Helped Me Grow in Faith and Love writes about all the things that she loves. A cradle Catholic, she struggles with living in the world but not being of it, and blogs about those successes and failures, too.