“A ship is always safe at the shore - but that is NOT what it is built for.”

"A man would do nothing, if he waited until he could do it so well that no one would find fault with what he has done." — Blessed John Henry Cardinal Newman 1801 – 1890 British Preacher

Gospel Text: (LK 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.”

Every time you pray, read the Scriptures, or go to Mass, you too are in the crowd where Jesus is passing by. Will you be a spectator or a participant? It takes some humility, and some determination, to “climb the tree with Zacchaeus”, but think of the reward. While the beauty and familiarity of prayer or the liturgy can be a source of peace and comfort, God has much more in store for you. He wants to meet you. So go ahead and climb that tree! Actively seek out Jesus’ presence, and let him show himself to you. As you do, you’ll learn even more about who you are—a man or woman destined for greatness in his kingdom.

For every day, for those who listen, the words of Jesus echo and re-echo "I must stay at your house today.."