Liturgical Leaflet for an Active Participation in the Celebration of the Eucharist

3 November 2019 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C

THE “MARVELOUS WAYS”

OF GOD’S MERCIFUL LOVE

I
n today’s Gospel, we will hear about a man named Zacchaeus, who
climbed a sycamore tree, just to have a glimpse of Jesus. Zacchaeus’ cu-
riosity led to his conversion when Jesus reached out to him by inviting
himself to have dinner with him at his 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 celebrate the 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time, let us realize that such
a wonderful transformation can take place also in the sinners around us if we
follow the example of Jesus toward Zacchaeus, if we reach out to them in
brotherly and sisterly compassion.
Today is the first Sunday of November, the month of prayer for our de-
parted brethren. Let us be generous toward them!

mercy! Lord Jesus Christ, Only Be-

Entrance Antiphon
(To be recited only when no Entrance
Hymn is sung.)
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
P –Grace and peace from God
our Father, the Lord Jesus Christ,
and the Holy Spirit be with you
all!
All – And with your spirit!
Penitential Act
P – The Lord invites us to open
our hearts to him. Let us pause
for a while and ask how we have
responded to this call. (Pause)
P –Lord Jesus, you reached out
to Zacchaeus and turned
his isolation to conversion
and salvation. Lord, have
All – Lord, have mercy!
P – Lord Jesus, by your compas-
sion and optimism you gave
hope 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 be heralds of your King-
dom and 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 – Glory to God in the high-
est, 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 glory, Lord God,
heavenly King, O God, almighty
Father.
gotten 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 (Opening Prayer)
P –Almighty and merciful
God, by whose gift your faithful
offer 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!

1st Reading Wis 11:22-12:2
Sometimes we wonder why
God is so patient with sinners.
This short passage from the
Book of Wisdom gives us the an-
swer which is based on the truths
that God is the Creator of all
and loves all His creatures im-
mensely.
R –A proclamation 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, be-
cause you can do all things; and
you overlook people’s 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 preserved,
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 offenders
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!
* 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
3 November 2019
praise your name forever and
ever. R.
* 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.
* 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.
* 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.
2nd Reading 2 Thes 1:11-2:2
In this brief text, the apostle
Paul offers a simple prayer for
the faithful of Thessalonica and
reassures them about the Second
Coming of the Lord.
R – A proclamation from the
Second Letter of Paul to the
Thessalonians
Brothers and sisters:
We always pray for you,
that our God may make you
worthy of his calling and pow-
erfully bring to fulfillment ev-
ery good purpose and every
effort of faith, that the name of
our Lord Jesus may be glori-
fied 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 allegedly from us to the
effect that the day of the Lord
is at hand.
The Word of the Lord!
All – Thanks be to God!
Gospel Acclamation Jn 3:16
All – Alleluia! Alleluia!
God so loved the world
that he gave his only Son,
so that everyone who be-
lieves in him might have
eternal life.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Gospel Lk 19:1-10
In today’s episode of Zac-
chaeus’ conversion, we see the
actualization of the parable of
the Lost Sheep. God does not
simply accept the repentant
sinners, but positively goes in
search of them, the “lost sheep”
to bring them home where they
belong.
P –The Lord be with you!
All –And with your spirit!
P – A proclamation from the
holy Gospel according to
Luke
All – Glory 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 or-
der to see Jesus, who was about
to pass that way.
When he reached the place,
Jesus looked up and said, “Zac-
chaeus, come down quickly,
for today I must stay at your
house.” Zacchaeus came down
quickly and received Jesus
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 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. 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
Profession of Faith
(Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed)
All –I believe in one God, the Fa-
ther almighty, maker of heaven
and earth, of all things visible
and invisible.
I believe in one Lord Jesus
Christ, the Only Begotten Son
of God, born of the Father be-
fore 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, (bow)* and by the Holy
Spirit was incarnate of the Vir-
gin Mary, 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
glory 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 glori-
fied, who has spoken through
the prophets.
I believe in one, holy, cath-
olic and apostolic Church. I
confess one Baptism for the
forgiveness of sins and I look
forward to the resurrection of
the dead and the life of the world
to come. Amen!
Prayer of the Faithful
P –Conquered by God’s patient
love, we restate our allegiance to
Him, and even dare to present to
Him our petitions as we say:
All –Merciful Lord, hear us!
C –That the Church may not
lose hope about the conversion
of sinners and may never cease
inviting them to live according
to the Gospel, let us pray! R.
C –That our spiritual leaders
may always be our inspiration
with their patience in dealing
with those who have gone astray
and in seeking their salvation, let
us pray!
R.
C –That all those who are walk-
ing the road of moral perversion
may understand the danger of
their situation and accept God’s
invitation to return to Him, let us
pray! R.
C –That parents, teachers,
and catechists may learn from
God’s patience toward sinners,
and always deal with the youth
in a manner that brings out the
best in them, let us pray! R.
C –That all victims of crimes
may see that it is only through
forgiveness that they will be to-
tally healed from the pain caused
to them, let us pray! R.
C –That as we begin the month
of November we may be faithful
to our commitment to pray every
day for our departed brothers and
sisters, let us pray! R.
C – Let us pray in silence for our
personal intentions. (Pause)
Let us pray! R.
P –Lord Jesus, Good Shep-
herd of our souls, be our guest
today and change our hearts for
the better. Make us firm in our
resolution to be honest and fair
to all in imitation of Zacchaeus
who was conquered by your
merciful love. You who forgive
and live for ever and ever.
All –Amen!
Preparation of the Gifts
P – Pray, brethren . . .
All – May the Lord accept the
sacrifice at your hands, for the
praise and glory 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 VII
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, al-
ways and everywhere to give
you thanks, Lord, holy Father,
almighty and eternal God.
For you so loved the world
that in your mercy you sent us
the Redeemer, to live like us in
all things but sin, so that you
might love in us what you loved
in your Son, by whose obedience
we have been restored to those
gifts of yours that, by sinning,
we had lost in disobedience.
And so, Lord, with all the
Angels and Saints, we, too, give
you thanks, as in exultation we
acclaim:
All –Holy, holy, holy Lord, God
of hosts. Heaven and earth are
full of your glory. Hosanna in
the highest!
Blessed is he who comes in
the name of the Lord. Hosanna
in the highest!
Memorial Acclamation
P –The mystery of faith!
All –We proclaim your Death,
O Lord, and profess your
Resurrection until you
come again!
All – Our Father . . .
P –Deliver us, Lord . . .
All –For the kingdom, the
power, and the glory are
yours, now and for ever.
Sign of Peace
Breaking of the Bread
All – Lamb of God, you take
away the sins of the world: have
mercy on us. (2×)
Lamb of God, you take
away the sins of the world:
grant us peace.
Communion
P –Behold the Lamb of God, be-
31st Sunday in Ordinary Time (C)
hold him who takes away the sins
of the world. Blessed are those
called to the Supper of the Lamb.
All –Lord, I am not worthy
that you should enter under
my roof, but only say the word
and my soul shall be healed.
Communion Antiphon
(To be recited only when no
Communion Hymn is sung.)
You will show me the path
of life, the fullness of joy in
your presence, O Lord.
Prayer after Communion
P –May the working of your
power, O Lord, increase in us, we
pray, so that, renewed by these
heavenly Sacraments, we may be
prepared by your gift for receiv-
ing what they promise.
Through Christ our Lord.
All – Amen!
P –The Lord be with you.
All – And with your spirit!
P –Bow your heads and pray
for God’s blessing. (Pause)
– May the Lord make you
actively concerned about
those who are separated
from Him.
All – Amen!
P –May He strengthen in you
the resolve to live an up-
right life despite all tempta-
tion to the contrary.
All – Amen!
P –May He fill you with love
for Him, your country, and
your neighbor.
All – Amen!
P –May almighty God bless
you: the Father, and the
Son, and the Holy Spirit.
All – Amen!
P –Go in peace, glorifying the
Lord by your life!
All – Thanks be to God!
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JESUS, THE GREAT “RESCUER OF SOULS”
by Jess P. Balon
M oney and whatever can generate it were the main
concern of the tax collectors throughout the Roman
Empire, including Palestine. A breed of avid creatures, they
looked at people almost exclusively from the perspective of
the material profit they could derive from them. They were
hated because of that, but they did not mind it at all, as long
as they could get what they wanted . . . .
Zacchaeus, the chief tax collector of Jericho, was not
only hated by his own townsfolk because of his profession,
but was also despised on account of his short height. And
whenever they could take some petty revenge on him, they
did it with gusto . . . .
This is why, as Jesus arrived in Jericho, causing quite a
stir among the populace, Zacchaeus found himself hedged
out of the front rows and buried in the noisy crowd of taller
people. But, being a resourceful man, he soon found a solution
to popular rejection. In a short while, he was perched on a tree,
like a street child awaiting to see Jesus better than anybody
else and hoping that nobody might notice him . . . .
This time, Zacchaeus didn’t mean any harm. He just
wanted to see Jesus. He could never imagine that his climb-
ing that tree was going to be the turning point of his life, for
not only did he manage to see Jesus, but WAS SEEN by him.
Jesus saw Zacchaeus the way God sees people – through
and through, even in his most secret thoughts, desires, fears,
needs . . . . Jesus saw the spiritual bankruptcy of the wealthy
tax collector, his eagerness to be accepted and his need to be
saved. Jesus’ self-invitation to stay in the house of Zacchaeus
caused not only an emotional earthquake in the biased crowd
(see Lk 19:7), but a real spiritual revolution in the despised tax
collector. Jesus’ saving look totally disintegrated the chains
of greed and mercilessness which had fettered Zacchaeus
up to that moment. The man who came down from the tree
was a “new Zacchaeus,” splendidly renewed from within,
beaming with the happiness that can only come from God’s
redeeming grace.
In the light of his new-found treasure – the love of Jesus
Christ – all his riches appeared to Zacchaeus like scum.
Guided by his new perception of things, he promptly declared
his readiness to give half of his belongings to the poor, and
to repay abundantly those he might have victimized. (See Lk
19:8.)
That day, salvation had indeed entered the house and
the heart of the poor sinner, despised by all but not by God,
who overlooks the sins of men that they may repent. (See
Wis 11:23.) He, actually, ventures beyond that: He goes “to
search out and save what is lost” (Lk 19:10), for He loathes
nothing of what He has made and is a passionate “lover of
souls.” (See Wis 11:24 and 26.)