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PRAYER FOR THE WEEK
Jesus, teach me to be inspired by people I admire. Amen!

A tax collector named Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus. Zacchaeus was short, so he climbed a tree to look. Jesus saw him and called, "Come down! I'm having lunch with you." Zacchaeus happily came, but the crowd grumbled that Jesus would eat with a bad person. Then Zacchaeus told Jesus, "Lord, I'll give money to the poor and pay back anyone I cheated." Jesus answered, "You've been saved."

Would you just die for a backstage pass to a Justin Bieber concert? Would you do anything to win the contest that's being advertised to volunteer with the cast of "Glee"?

Meeting a star is a dream for many kids. You might even have the idea that it would change your life somehow. In this week's Gospel (Luke 19:1-10), a tax collector meets a "rock star" - Jesus, of course - and it really does change his life.

Why do you want to meet Justin Bieber? It might be enough that he's good-looking; maybe his talent inspires you. The cast of "Glee" have been making commercials encouraging kids and teens to get involved and donate to charities, and that's also impressive.

If you did satisfy your "Bieber fever," would it really change your life? You'd just have a great story to tell, and that would be it.

Zacchaeus made a bigger change. He'd been stealing money from people, taking extra when he collected taxes - but, when he met Jesus, he was inspired to look at things differently. Just the fact that Jesus had lunch with someone who was considered a big sinner made Zacchaeus want to be like Jesus.

Some famous people, like the "Glee" stars, use their fame like Jesus did: to get people to change. Zacchaeus decided to give back the money he'd stolen and to stop cheating people.

What star inspires you - and what will you do about it?

(10/28/10)[[In-content Ad]]

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