Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year C
October 30, 2016
Gospel: Lk
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 (1). So he ran
ahead and climbed a sycamore tree in order to see Jesus, who was about to pass
that way. 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 him with joy. When they all saw this, they began to grumble, saying,
“He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner.” But Zacchaeus stood there and
said to the Lord, “Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the
poor, and if I have extorted (2) anything from anyone I shall repay it
four times over.” And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this
house because this man too is a descendant of Abraham (3). For the Son of Man has
come to seek and to save what was lost.”
http://www.usccb.org
The difficult words
(1)Stature means height.
(2)To extort means to cheat, to take advantage of someone.
(3)Jesus calls Zacchaeus a descendant of Abraham because Zacchaeus has
come to have faith as Abraham did.
This week’s spotlight
The opening prayer
Though the many people at Mass are very different,
they love the same God, who gathers them as his Church. After the Gloria and
before the first reading, the opening prayer helps us to form a true assembly,
a community of believers united in prayer. The opening prayer often expresses
the central theme of that Sunday's liturgy.
To be in communion through the Eucharist
In the Eucharist, God does something amazing. Though
we are many, he forms a "holy communion” between us. When we receive
together the same body and blood of Christ, the divisions caused by sin melt
away. We cannot help but share the same divine life of grace. By the power of
the Holy Spirit, God fills our hearts with the desire to live in the love that
leads to eternal life.
Reflection
Discussion questions
1.How does Jesus meet Zacchaeus?
2.Why is Zacchaeus up in a tree?
3.What does Jesus say to Zacchaeus?
4.How does the crowd react?
5.How does Zacchaeus respond to Jesus?
After
receiving Holy Communion,
you can say this prayer silently to yourself. If you
have not yet
received your First Communion, you can still say this prayer because of your desire to
receive Jesus.
Father, through Jesus, in
communion with the whole Church, I thank you for coming into my heart. You are
always calling me and inviting me to
come to you. Help me to rejoice in your forgiveness and love.
This week…
Jesus comes to meet you in the Eucharist,
in his word, and also through the loving acts of other people. When you’re
going to bed each night this week, think about the kind words or loving acts
that you received from other people. Thank Jesus for coming to meet you!
When you help someone, you are
putting yourself at the service of Jesus Christ. Each morning, decide to make
yourself available for somebody. You can help a friend with his homework, play
with the new child in the class, visit a neighbor who is sick...
Crossword Puzzle
Source: usccb.org
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–usccb.org/bible/readings-audio.cfm