Who’s there?
Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ, who?
…..Well, there’s really no good punchline to this is there?
Today’s first reading is from Revelation (3:20) which inspired this image. ‘Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.’
Considering Thanksgiving is right around the corner we can easily imagine inviting friends and family and those same people knocking and coming into our homes to dine and be with us. So it is with Christ. He awaits the invitation.
This is an invitation we need to extend every single day. Of course, as baptized Catholics, Jesus never departs from us but He will always await an invitation from us to be a part of our day. He wants to be welcomed to accompany us as we drive the kids hither and yon. He wants to sit on the couch as we watch TV and cruise the internet. He wants to be there when we make dinner or change a baby’s diaper.
Take a closer look at this classic image – notice one important fact – there is NO doorknob on the outside. Jesus cannot enter into our hearts and our lives without us opening the door ourselves.
While modern renditions of this painting have added doorknobs or latches on the outside, that was not the original artist’s (Warner Sallman) intention. He wanted to remind us very clearly, very visually that we are called to be directly involved in our own salvation and life.
Come on, get up and open the door, can’t you hear Jesus knocking?
Warner Sallman Collection Information
