Zacchaeus Was a Wee Little Man
“Lent is a time for discipline, for confession, for honesty, not because God is mean or fault-finding or finger-pointing but because He wants us to know the joy of being cleaned out, ready for all the good things He now has in store." N.T. Wright
"As Lent is the time for greater love, listen to Jesus’ thirst …. He knows your weakness. He wants only your love, wants only the chance to love you.” Mother Theresa
"It's easier to hug a dirty kid than a stiff one." Dr. Steve Brown
An Excerpt from The Great Lent by Father Alexander Schmemann, an Orthodox priest.
"To prepare us for Great Lent, the Orthodox Church starts announcing its approach a full month before it actually begins. Lent is a time of repentance, and repentance is a re-examination, a re-appraisal, a deepening, a shaking upside down. Repentance is the sorrowful uncovering of one's neglected, forgotten, soiled 'inner' person. The first announcement of Lent, the first reminder, comes through a short Gospel story about an entirely unremarkable man, 'small of stature,' whose occupation as a tax collector marked him, in that time and society, as greedy, cruel and dishonest.
"Zacchaeus wanted to see Christ; he wanted this so much that his desire attracted the attention of the Lord Jesus. Desire is the beginning of everything. As the gospel says, 'Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also' (Matthew 6:21). Everything in our life begins with desire, since what we desire is also what we love, what draws us from within, what we surrender to. We know that Zacchaeus loved money, and by his own admission we know that to get it he had no scruples about defrauding others. Zacchaeus was rich and he loved riches, but within himself he discovered another desire, he wanted something else, and this desire became the pivotal moment of his life.
"This Gospel story poses a question to each of us: What do you love, what do you desire–not superficially, but deeply? 'Behold, I stand at the door and knock,' says Jesus (Revelation 3:20). Do you hear this quiet knock? Desire. The soul taking a deep breath. The little man, Zacchaeus, with his eyes to the ground focusing on earthly desires, encounters Christ and now ceases to be little as his victory over himself begins. Here is the start, the first step from exterior to interior, toward that mysterious homeland which all human beings, unknown often to themselves, long for and desire."
When you're quiet and still, what do you desire? What bubbles up in you?
Name it in the presence of Jesus whose favorite question may be, "What can I do for you?"
Now, simply behold Him as He beholds you, your desire offered.