What Does Jesus Want You To Know This Lent?

The Word Among Us Press Sample - Not for Printing

“Honey, what are you drawing?” asked a mother, morning coffee in hand, as she watched her little girl.

“Mommy, I’m drawing a picture of God,” the girl replied. Chuckling a bit, the mother said, “Well, honey, that’s nice, but nobody knows what God looks like,” to which the girl responded, “Mommy, you will when I’m done.”

Jesus said something quite similar—not about a drawing, but about himself: “Whoever has seen me

As Jesus comes into this town, a wealthy tax collector named Zacchaeus is provoked to curiosity and wants to see this Jesus of Nazareth. Tax collectors, scorned by their fellow Jews, worked for the Roman government and had the option to take a little extra for themselves.

They were seen as untrustworthy sinners—disgraceful swindlers to avoid at all costs.

Zacchaeus, a short man, can’t see Jesus because of the crowds. So he runs up ahead and climbs a tree.

Having no idea what God has in store for him, he just wants a chance to see Jesus. As it happens, Jesus comes directly under the tree and looks up to Zacchaeus. He calls him by name, saying,

from his heart and says to Jesus, “Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone I shall repay it four times over” (Luke 19:8), to which Jesus replies, “Today salvation has come to this house. . . . For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost” (19:9, 10).

From the moment Jesus looks at Zacchaeus and addresses him by name, God the Son reveals that he wants a relationship with him.

By inviting himself into Zacchaeus’ home—a personal space reserved for family and friends—Jesus offers him a personal friendship. Zacchaeus understands, and his heart is radically transformed. While he has sought happiness through an accumulation of wealth, he now recognizes his true purpose—a relationship with God that frees him to respond generously with the wealth he has acquired. Knowing that he is seen, known, and loved by God is a treasure that changes his whole perspective on his search for happiness.

doubts, or sins seem to get in the way of your ability to receive his love, his peace, and his joy? What treasures have you hoped in that have not brought you the happiness you sought?

Just like the little girl who drew a picture of God, Jesus wants you to know what God looks like.

And what does God look like?

God is a loving Father who created you and has joy, purpose, and peace for you that’s found in him.

Pope Benedict XVI said this:

The Word Among Us Press Sample - Not for Printing has seen the Father” (John 14:9). To a world struggling to know who God is, what God is like, and what his will is, Jesus says, in effect, “You will when I’m done.”

Jesus came to reveal the Father in himself. The Letter to the Hebrews says that the Son is the exact representation of God, “the very imprint of his being” (1:3). So as we look at Jesus’ life—his words and his actions— we are looking at God himself.

It’s personal.

In Luke 19:1-10, we read that as Jesus is passing through the affluent town of Jericho, large crowds follow him—not only to hear his profound teachings, but also to behold the signs and wonders that accompany him. The crowds follow him in hopes that he might truly be the Messiah, the Christ, whom God had promised through the prophets and who would rescue his people from every kind of oppression.

Lent_Pamphlet.indd 2

“Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house” (Luke 19:5).

Zacchaeus comes down quickly. By the time he’s on the ground again, he is already a changed man. While some people murmur and grumble about this rabbi going into the home of a sinner, Zacchaeus speaks

It’s life changing.

Zacchaeus isn’t the only one whom Jesus calls by name, looks in the eye, and beckons into greater freedom through friendship with God. The risen Jesus, present to us now through the Holy Spirit, continues to do this for each one of us.

The source of Christian joy is the certainty of being loved by God, loved personally by our Creator, by the One who holds the entire universe in his hands and loves each one of us and the whole great human family with a passionate and faithful love, a love greater than our infidelities and sins, a love which forgives. (June 5, 2006)

That’s the good news—the life-changing good news of God’s freely given, unconditional, proactive, and personal love.

Every time we come to know it—to know Jesus— even a little more, it changes our lives.

What tree must you climb to seek Jesus?

What do you need to do to see him and hear him above the noise and commotion of the crowds? What fears,

12/18/19 12:49 PM

So what does Jesus want you to know?

1 2

God’s love for you is personal. He knows you by name. You can be in a crowd and he knows you’re there. He knows your joys and your sorrows, your hopes and your fears. He recognizes the sound of your voice.

God’s love for you is unconditional. “God is love,” the Scriptures tell us (1 John 4:8).

He’s perfect in loving you with an unconditional, unending love. And when you fail or when you think you are completely separated from God and from others, his unconditional love for you remains unwavering.

and generous he was. Even in your sins and weaknesses, God offers you the free, unmerited gift of his love. And just as with any other gift, it is up to you to receive it and to respond to it with a generous heart.

God’s love transforms us.

Here are some practical ways you can open your heart more fully to his love: • Pray this simple prayer: Jesus, like Zacchaeus, I want to have a relationship with you. I welcome you into my life. Thank you, Lord!

Take the next step.

ChristLife presents What Does Jesus Want Us to Know?, a free video on the life-changing love of God, available at christlife.org/know.

Grow in your faith through daily devotions and articles from The Word Among Us. Read free daily meditations at wau.org.

Getting More Out of Lent will help you experience the wonderful gifts of the season of Lent; available at bookstore.wau.org.

The Word Among Us Press 3 Sample - Not for Printing God’s love for you is proactive. God loves you first—before you even have the capacity to return his love. He comes looking for you, inviting you into deeper friendship and into a place of resting in his love and receiving the good gifts of healing, peace, and joy that he has for you.

4

God’s love for you is freely given. It is a pure gift that is not based on your merit or on what you can give back in return. Jesus didn’t come to Zacchaeus because of how moral

Lent_Pamphlet.indd 1

• Consider how God is calling you to respond to his love, and take some time to reflect on ways you have wronged him or others. Then receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation and accept God’s forgiveness.

• Spend a few extra minutes each day in silence and stillness with God, away from the busyness of your life. Try reflecting on the Gospel reading from daily Mass. If you have never been involved in your parish, talk with the pastor or someone you know, and ask how to get connected. Consider attending an adult education class or volunteering your time to serve in a parish ministry.

What Does Jesus Want You to Know This Lent?

Nihil obstat: The Reverend Michael Morgan, J.D., J.C.L. Censor Librorum November 19, 2019 Imprimatur: +Most Reverend Felipe J. Estévez, S.T.D. Bishop of St. Augustine November 19, 2019

Copyright © 2020 ChristLife. All rights reserved.

Published by The Word Among Us Press 7115 Guilford Drive, Suite 100 Frederick, Maryland 21704.

24 23 22 21 20 1 2 3 4 5

ISBN: 978-1-59325-375-2

Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All rights reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

12/18/19 12:49 PM