Tuesday November 18th: Hanging on to The Branch

… “and [Jesus] said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” 

Luke 19: 1-10

There must have been great stirrings in Zacchaeus. He just wanted to see Jesus, but his desire was so great, and he was ‘too short,’ so he climbed a tree. He longed to get a glimpse of Jesus but instead he got much more.

Jesus notices him. Instead of simply meeting Jesus, Zacchaeus had an encounter with Jesus. A meeting is fleeting but an encounter creates a deep impression and brings about long-lasting change. This encounter, the day Jesus came to his heart and home, changed Zacchaeus’ life forever. All walls came tumbling down.

We too often long to see Jesus. We climb that tree. We who have cheated from our brothers and sisters, often hang humbly on that branch until Jesus calls us to come down. As we hang and wait, we feast on his Word and Sacraments, especially the Eucharist. He calls Zacchaeus by name, and he calls each of us by name to come down so he could dwell with us. May we too, welcome him joyfully!