Come Down Quickly
Mother Teresa when visiting the United States once commented that the greatest disease in our country is “loneliness.” We are so busy making things more efficient, shopping, and engaging in superficial entertainment that we do not have time to be with one another at a deeper level. In fact, I suspect that many addictions are ways of trying to escape the pain of loneliness. I just learned that a new word has been invented, “talk-a-holic.” Even incessant talking can be an addiction that substitutes noise for closeness.
Today we listen to the story of one of the loneliest men who ever lived (Luke 19:1-10).
“At that time Jesus came to Jericho and intended to pass through the town. Now a man there named Zacchaeus, who was a chief tax collector and also a wealthy man, was seeking to see who Jesus was; but he could not see him because of the crowd, for he was short in stature. So, he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree in order to see Jesus…”
Though Zacchaeus was rich in money, he was poor in friendship. He knew the crowd of people hated him, so he went ran ahead of them and climbed a sycamore tree to see Jesus. There he sat like a lonely bird. No one liked this short little tax collector, and he probably did not even like himself. His only friend was money.
“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 Jesus with joy.”
Imagine the shock that Zacchaeus experienced. How could the holiest man in the world invite himself into the house of the worst sinner in Jericho? Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have a video of what happened in Zacchaeus’ house that day. His deep loneliness was filled by Jesus’ love, and he was transformed by meeting Jesus.
“Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, ‘Behold, half of my possessions I shall give to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone I shall repay it four times over.”
Zacchaeus was willing to give up his treasures only because he found a greater treasure in Jesus Christ. Jesus set him free from loneliness.
Jesus concluded with:
“Today salvation has come to this house because this man too is a descendant of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost.”
We think of salvation only in terms of being freed from sin; it frees us from loneliness as well, by opening us to the friendship of Jesus. He alone can fill the emptiness of the human heart.
If Mother Teresa were right, then most of us here face loneliness to some degree. How do we deal with it? Through work, food, entertainment, or even incessant talking? The pangs of loneliness are a reminder that we all need to be saved; we need Jesus to come into our hearts and fill the empty spaces with his merciful love.
Isn’t this what true prayer is all about? It is not so much a matter of reciting words as it is taking time to be alone with God and let him fill us with his love.
