From today's gospel of Luke reading: "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." I love the dynamism of this story. Zacchaeus was short of stature, but he wanted to see Jesus. Jesus looked up! and found Zacchaeus! and invited him to "come down quickly". I imagine a part of me .. short of stature, but full of curiosity, stuck in an unsavory place (Z. was a tax collector, despised occupation).. .courageous enough to climb a tree to catch a glimpse of this man, Jesus. Ah! Not only am I noticed by Jesus, but he invites himself over to my house! I get to host ... this Jesus of Nazareth. What will we talk about? Zacchaeus sees that he must divest himself of his wealth for the sake of the poor. It is as clear as a perfect diamond. What possession am I liberated by giving away?
From Wikipedia, the stats on St. Elizabeth, whose image is one of a princess carrying roses:
Saint Elisabeth of Hungary (German: Heilige Elisabeth von Thüringen or Heilige Elisabeth von Ungarn, Hungarian: Árpád-házi Szent Erzsébet, July 7, 1207 – November 17, 1231)[1] is a Hungarian Catholic saint, princess of Hungary.[2] According to tradition, she was born in the castle of Sárospatak, Hungary, on July 7, 1207.[3][4][5] She was the daughter of King Andrew II of Hungary and Gertrude of Andechs-Merania, and at age four was brought to the court of the rulers of Thuringia in Central Germany, to become a future bride who would reinforce political alliances between the families. Elisabeth was married at the age of fourteen, widowed at twenty, relinquished her wealth to the poor, built hospitals, and became a symbol of Christian charity in Germany and elsewhere after her death at the age of twenty-four.
No comments:
Post a Comment