Year 30 No.
18 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time (C) Green
He Found Me
I n his native language,
Zacchaeus as a name is
translated Mr. Clean. This
is ironic because everything
they see in him as a chief
tax collector is dirt and filth.
Every Jew hated Zacchaeus
because he worked for Rome,
their nations enemy. In order
to reach this top post, and to
be able to keep it, Zacchaeus
must be work-savvy and, as
seen in todays Gospel, also
street-smart.
The big crowd following
Jesus on Jericho road prevents
Zacchaeus from seeing Jesus.
He turns ingenuous, forgets
protocol and decorum, and
climbs a sycamore tree. The
Scripture also makes a remark
on Zacchaeus height he is
short in stature. Later, we
will see that the real reason
he was hindered from seeing
Jesus earlier was not his
short stature but the negative
conclusions made by people
about him. Zacchaeus did not
belong to the crowd and had
to fend on his own. It must be
chillingly lonely to be on top
of the sycamore tree.
What made Jesus stop at
that particular spot and call
out to Zacchaeus? It must
probably be Zacchaeus desire
for God that became very
transparent to Jesus. He saw
Zacchaeus burning desire
for God so Jesus commands
him: Zacchaeus, come down
quickly, for today I must stay
at your house. Jesus and
Zacchaeus share each others
excitement and joy. Jesus
is glad because his mission
to save the lostis being
fulfilled in Zacchaeus. On his
part, Zacchaeus is overjoyed
and proclaims: Behold, half
of my possessions, Lord, I
shall give to the poor, and if I
have extorted anything from
anyone I shall repay it four
times over.
There are people in todays
story who grumble and
complain about the joy shared
by Jesus and Zacchaeus. He
has gone to stay at the house
of a sinner, complains the
sad and unforgiving people.
All they see in Zacchaeus
is a failure of a person and
SUNDAY TV MARIA 8:30AM 3:00PM 9:00PM
Dream Satellite Ch 1 Destiny Cable Ch 94 Sky Cable Ch 160
October 30, 2016
a sinner, and nothing else.
Jesus looks at Zacchaeus and
sees him in a different way:
Today salvation has come
to this house because this
man too is a descendant of
Abraham.
His own community
considers Zacchaeus to
be damaged goods, not
anymore trustworthy and
therefore already worthless.
Jesus however sees him as a
man of faith, with a faith like
that of Abraham. And if God
had done great things through
Abraham, he can do the same
for Zacchaeus, and to every
lost sinner who will long and
hunger for God.
The huge crowd that
followed Jesus along Jericho
maybe had expected only
to see more miracles. Or
maybe they wanted to see
the face behind the miracles.
Zacchaeus at least was
sure why he climbed to the
sycamore tree. He wanted
to see his Savior. The Savior
came and found Zacchaeus
instead.
Can we tell ourselves
that we are earnestly and
sincerely seeking our Savior?
Be prepared to be found by
Him, as we climb our own
sycamore tree.
Fr. Paul J. Marquez, SSP

THE INTRODUCTORY RITES
Entrance Antiphon
[Cf. Ps 38(37):22-23]
(Recited when there is no opening song)
Forsake me not, O Lord, my
God; be not far from me!
Make haste and come to
my help, O Lord, my strong
salvation!
Greeting
(The sign of the cross is made here)
P The Lord be with you.
All And with your spirit.
Introduction
(The priest may address the assembly
with these or other similar words)
P In todays Gospel, Zac-
chaeus climbs a sycamore tree
to have a glimpse of Jesus.
Jesus inviting himself to have
dinner with him at Zacchaeus
house. This encounter with
Jesus made all the difference
in Zacchaeus life. It shows
how love and compassion can
change situations of isolation,
bitterness, and even despair to
attitudes of openness, kindness,
and hope.
As we observe Prison Aware-
ness Sunday, let us realize that
such a wondeful transforma-
tion can take place also in our
inmates if we follow the example
of Jesus toward Zacchaeus, if we
reach out to them in brotherly
and sisterly compassion. Like
Jesus, let us seek and save the
lost.
Penitential Act
P The Lord invites us to be
instr uments of hope. Let us
pause and ask how we have
responded to that call.(Pause)
P Lord Jesus, you reach out
to Zacchaeus and tur ns his
isolation and despair to hope.
Lord, have mercy.
All Lord, have mercy.
P Lord Jesus, by rising from
the dead you give hope and life
to all those who have suffered
a social or moral death. Christ,
have mercy.
All Christ, have mercy.
P Lord Jesus, you called us
to build your kingdom among
all people, and thus bring hope
where there is despair. Lord,
have mercy.
All Lord, have mercy.
P May almighty God have
mercy on us, forgive us our sins,
and bring us to everlasting life.
All Amen.
Gloria
All Glor y to God in the
highest, and on earth peace to
people of good will. We praise
you, we bless you, we adore
you, we glorify you, we give you
thanks for your great glor y,
Lord God, heavenly King, O
God, almighty Father. Lord
Jesus Christ, Only Begotten
Son, Lord God, Lamb of God,
Son of the Father, you take
away the sins of the world,
have mercy on us; you take
away the sins of the world,
receive our prayer; you are
seated at the right hand of
the Father, have mercy on us.
For you alone are the Holy
One, you alone are the Lord,
you alone are the Most High,
Jesus Christ, with the Holy
Spirit, in the glory of God the
Father. Amen.
Collect
P Let us pray. (Pause)
Almighty and merciful God,
by whose gift your faithful of-
fer you right and praiseworthy
service, grant, we pray, that we
may hasten without stumbling
to receive the things you have
promised.
Through our Lord Jesus
Christ, your Son, who lives and
reigns with you in the unity of
the Holy Spirit, one God, for
ever and ever.
All Amen.
THE LITURGY
OF THE WORD
First Reading [Wis 11:22
12:2] (Sit)
The Lord is a merciful God who
loves all things that are. He
rebukes offenders that they may
abandon their wickedness.
A reading from the Book of
Wisdom
BEFORE the Lord the whole
universe is as a grain from a
balance or a drop of morning
dew come down upon the earth.
But you have mercy on all,
because you can do all things;
and you overlook peoples sins
that they may repent.
For you love all things that
are and loathe nothing that you
have made; for what you hated,
you would not have fashioned.
And how could a thing remain,
unless you willed it; or be pre-
served, had it not been called
forth by you?
But you spare all things,
because they are yours, O Lord
and lover of souls, for your im-
perishable spirit is in all things!
Therefore you rebuke offend-
ers little by little, warn them
and remind them of the sins
they are committing, that they
may abandon their wickedness
and believe in you, O Lord!
The word of the Lord.
All Thanks be to God.
Responsorial Psalm (Ps 145)
R I will praise your name
for ever, my king and my
God.
1. I will extol you, O my God
and King;/ and I will bless your
name forever and ever./ Every
day will I bless you;/ and I will
praise your name forever and
ever. (R)
2. The Lord is gracious and
merciful,/ slow to anger and of
great kindness./ The Lord is
good to all/ and compassionate
toward all his works. (R)
3. Let all your works give you
thanks, O Lord,/ and let your
faithful ones bless you./ Let
them discourse of the glory of
your kingdom/ and speak of
your might. (R)
4. The Lord is faithful in all
his words/ and holy in all his
works./ The Lord lifts up all
who are falling/ and raises up
all who are bowed down. (R)
Second Reading
(2 Thes 1:112:2)
While we await the coming
of Christ in glory, we are not
alarmed by dire predictions.
Rather, we attend peacefully and
diligently to good works.
A reading from the second
Letter of Saint Paul to the
Thessalonians
BROTHERS and sisters:
We always pray for you, that
our God may make you worthy
of his calling and powerfully
bring to fulfillment every good
purpose and ever y ef for t of
faith, that the name of our Lord
Jesus may be glorified in you,
and you in him, in accord with
the grace of our God and Lord
Jesus Christ.
We ask you, brothers and
sisters, with regard to the com-
ing of our Lord Jesus Christ and
our assembling with him, not
to be shaken out of your minds
suddenly, or to be alarmed
either by a spirit, or by an oral
statement, or by a letter alleg-
edly from us to the effect that
the day of the Lord is at hand.
The word of the Lord.
All Thanks be to God.
Alleluia [Jn 3:16] (Stand)
All Alleluia, alleluia. God
so loved the world that he
gave his only Son, so that
ever yone who believes in
him might have eternal life.
Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel (Lk 19:1-10)
P A reading from the holy
Gospel according to Luke
All Glor y to you, O Lord.
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 seek-
ing 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, 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
extor ted anything from any-
one 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.
For the Son of Man has come to
seek and to save what was lost.
The Gospel of the Lord.
All Praise to you, Lord
Jesus Christ.
Homily (Sit)
Profession of Faith (Stand)
All I believe in one God,
the Father almighty, maker of
heaven and earth, of all things
visible and invisible.
C That prisoners and their
I believe in one Lord Jesus
Christ, the Only Begotten Son
of God, born of the Father
before all ages. God from
God, Light from Light, true
God from true God, begotten,
not made, consubstantial with
the Father; through him all
things were made. For us men
and for our salvation he came
down from heaven,
(At the words that follow, up to and
including and became man, all bow)
and by the Holy Spirit was
incarnate of the Virgin Mar y
and became man.
For our sake he was
crucified under Pontius Pilate,
he suf fered death and was
buried, and rose again on the
third day in accordance with
the Scriptures. He ascended
into heaven and is seated at the
right hand of the Father. He will
come again in glor y to judge
the living and the dead and his
kingdom will have no end.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the giver of life, who
proceeds from the Father and
the Son, who with the Father
and the Son is adored and
glorified, who has spoken
through the prophets.
I believe in one, holy,
catholic and apostolic Church.
I confess one Baptism for the
forgiveness of sins and I look
for ward to the resurrection
of the dead and the life of the
world to come. Amen.
Prayer of the Faithful
P Let us pray to the Lord
who is challenging us to turn
the despair of his people, espe-
cially those who are in prison,
to hope. With confidence, we
pray:
R Lord, help us to seek
and save the lost.
C That the Church and her
leaders be a sign of hope for all
people as they zealously and
faithfully live out the Gospel
value of compassion and active
charity, we pray: (R)
C That our government
leaders, the judiciary, and law
enforcer may show a special
concern for those who are poor,
the victims of social injustices,
and the oppressed, we pray: (R)
families may be sustained by
the love and mercy of God and
experience his joy and com-
fort, in spite of their physical
separation from one another,
we pray: (R)
C That those working in our
correctional institutions and
the volunteers in the prisons
may help the inmates find
hope amidst their difficult life
situation by respecting their
basic dignity and treating them
with compassion and love, we
pray: (R)
C That all the victims of
violence and hatred throughout
the world, may find in their
religious faith the strength to
hope for better days and build
a society characterized by love
and cooperation, we pray: (R)
(The urgent concerns of the com-
munity are prayed here.)
P Lord, source of hope and
peace, lead us to an ever greater
Christian compassion toward
those who are marginalized for
whatever reason. May we be
for them instruments of your
peace, joy, and fullness of love.
Through Christ our Lord.
All Amen.
THE LITURGY OF
THE EUCHARIST
Presentation of the Gifts
(Stand)
P Pray, brethren
All May the Lord accept
the sacrifice at your hands
for the praise and glor y of
his name, for our good,
and the good of all his holy
Church.
Prayer over the Offerings
P May these sacrificial offer-
ings, O Lord, become for you a
pure oblation, and for us a holy
outpouring of your mercy.
Through Christ our Lord.
All Amen.
Preface VIII of the Sundays
in Ordinar y Time
P The Lord be with you.
All And with your spirit.
P Lift up your hearts.
All We lift them up to the
Lord.
P Let us give thanks to the
Lord our God.
All It is right and just.
P It is truly right and just,
our duty and our salvation,
always and everywhere to give
you thanks, Lord, holy Father,
almighty and eternal God.
For when your children were
scattered afar by sin, through
the Blood of your Son and the
power of the Spirit, you gath-
ered them again to yourself,
that a people, formed as one
by the unity of the Trinity,
made the body of Christ and
the temple of the Holy Spirit,
might, to the praise of your
manifold wisdom, be manifest
as the Church.
And so, in company with the
choirs of Angels, we praise you,
and with joy we proclaim:
All Holy, Holy, Holy...
(Kneel)
Acclamation (Stand)
All Save us, Savior of the
world, for by your Cross and
Resurrection you have set
us free.
THE COMMUNION RITE
The Lords Prayer
All Our Father
ONE BREAD, ONE FAMILY
Year of the Eucharist and Family Catechesis
Fr. James H. Kroeger, MM
A Family Examination of Conscience
Catholics are familiar with the practice of the examination of
conscience, before retiring at night and especially in preparation for
the sacrament of reconciliation. Everyone might apply this practice to
their family relationships. Some few points are offered here; many other
areas would need examination.
Responsibilities to God. Do I try to pray every day (10-15 minutes)?
Have I thanked God for my many blessings through my family? Do
I recognize my need for Jesus and his salvation? Have I tried to be a
Christian husband/wife or son/daughter?
Responsibilities to the Family. Have I genuinely listened to other
family members? Am I generous with my time? Have I sincerely forgiven
others for past wrongs? Have I been moody, sullen, deceitful, stubborn,
or selfish?
Responsibilities to Society. Have I been kind and generous with my
friends? How do I share my materials goods with the poor and needy?
Have I been a genuine witness of my Christian faith to others, my co-
workers, my neighbors?
Lord, help me love you better through a more genuine love of my
family members!
P Deliver us, Lord Through Christ our Lord.
All For the kingdom, the All Amen.
power, and the glor y are
yours, now and for ever. THE CONCLUDING RITES
Invitation to Peace
P The Lord be with you.
Invitation to Communion All And with your spirit.
(Kneel)
Solemn Blessing
P Behold the Lamb of God,
behold him who takes away the P Bow down for the bless-
sins of the world. Blessed are ing. (Pause)
those called to the supper of May God bless you with
the Lamb. every heavenly blessing, make
All Lord, I am not worthy you always holy and pure in his
that you should enter under sight, pour out in abundance
my roof, but only say the upon you the riches of his glory,
word and my soul shall be and teach you with the words
healed. of truth; may he instruct you
in the Gospel of salvation, and
Communion Antiphon
ever endow you with fraternal
[Cf. Ps 16(15):11]
charity.
Through Christ our Lord.
You will show me the path
of life, the fullness of joy in All Amen.
your presence, O Lord.
P And may the blessing of
Prayer after Communion almighty God, the Father, and
(Stand) the Son, () and the Holy Spirit,
come down on you and remain
P Let us pray. (Pause) with you for ever.
May the working of your All Amen.
power, O Lord, increase in us,
we pray, so that, renewed by Dismissal
these heavenly Sacraments,
we may be prepared by your P Go and announce the
gift for receiving what they Gospel of the Lord.
promise. All Thanks be to God.