He hurried and came down and received him joyfully. - Luke 19:6
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The Gospel fragment tells us the story of Zacchaeus; the chief tax collector in Jericho. This story illustrates well an invasion of grace in our lives.
Jesus saw Zacchaeus sitting in a tree and said that He wanted to stay in his house. The man did not invite Jesus. It was Jesus that spoke first and offered His visit. All that Zacchaeus did was to respond to these words. And he did that, as the Gospel tells us, joyfully. He accepted Jesus coming to him and offered not only his house for stay; he admitted his guilts and decided to change his life dramatically. All that, even though Jesus said at the time nothing about Zacchaeus' need for repentance.
Similar process takes place in our lives too. We do not need to change our lives and become saints before Jesus comes to us. He comes first. He wants to come even in our weaknesses, sins, failings. He offers His presence, His love to us, without any merit from our side. It is up to us whether we accept it, whether we respond to Jesus in a joyful way as Zacchaeus did. But when we accept this light and direct our lives toward Him, His grace enables us to become aware of our sins, then to repent, to change and fight with all our sins and shortcomings.
Thus, can we open ourselves to His grace, accept it with joy, allow Jesus to come to us, and let ourselves be purified by Him?
Reflection on Luke 19: 1-27 by Agata Wierzbowska
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