Know your Zacchaeus : behind his door

When we walk through someone's door, we enter his universe. We can perceive (I write well "perceive") what a little life. If you go to the house of a person to whom you speak of the Lord, look at the walls, observe a little... What did you see ? Are there pictures of family, holidays ? Have you seen crucifixes or religious books ? These are all elements that can provide you with an indication of that person's interests or life.

When we testify, we can not and must never manipulate people. "We simply act as ambassadors, as if Christ spoke through us : we beseech you, be reconciled to God" (2 Corinthians 5:20). We can dance, sing and exclaim before them, it will not create miracles. However, we need to be compassionate. If a Christian does not regularly announce the gospel, it is because he lacks compassion. We must grow on this point. When we are compassionate, we see the needs of people. We put ourselves in their place, we understand their pain, we carry their burdens for a time, before putting them on Christ.

I often go past a block of apartments in front of which an old gentleman spends his time. His life looks so sad. When I invited myself (myself) one day for a few minutes, I realized that he lived in a small apartment of about 30m2, his walls being completely lined with pornographic photographs, frames and crucifixes. He had 3 televisions placed next to each other, 2 of which were lit. I left him after vaguely speaking of the Lord, my clothes impregnated with a cigarette smell. I had passed his apartment without ever imagining the conditions in which this man lived, behind his door. There are houses of "Zacchaeus" in which we have never entered, even though they are "open". So, why not come in ?

Jeremy Sourdril