But you have mercy on all, because you can do all things;
and you overlook people’s sins that they may repent.
For you love all things that are
and loathe nothing that you have made;
for what you hated, you would not have fashioned.
And how could a thing remain, unless you willed it;
or be preserved, had it not been called forth by you?
But you spare all things, because they are yours,
O LORD and lover of souls,
for your imperishable spirit is in all things!
Wis 11:22-12

As I started looking at today’s readings, I was enchanted by the Wisdom passage, possibly because I never hear enough about Godde’s love for us. It is the message I thirst for, that needs to be given to those at the margins, those who feel the earth would be a better place if they did not exist.

Godde does not make junk; Godde does not create garbage. We all are Her beloved daughters and sons. Each of us, whoever we are, is precious, made in Her image and Her work of art.

Zacchaeus, the short man who needs height to glimpse at Jesus coming through his town, understands this in a flash. By inviting himself to the tax-collector’s house, Jesus recognizes the small man as worthy of his friendship and of sharing bread with Him. Jesus’ acceptance opens Zacchaeus’ heart and creates a revolution in his lifestyle now that he feels lovable.

Jesus again and again goes out toward those at the margins, sinners and tax-collectors, outcasts, the waifs and strays, the flotsam and jetsam of life.

When I know that Jesus loves me and recognizes me as a companion on the journey, I find that all He asks me to do is “to live in the world as a sign of the Kingdom” (J.C. Fenhagen), to be someone who welcomes and loves those He sends me, and to share with them what Godde has gifted me.

For Zacchaeus, it took him just a moment to recognize this. It is taking me a lifetime.

 

Art: Etsy, Art for the soul

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