31ST SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - YEAR C - Gospel (Luke 19:1-10) - THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE
- NHA CHUA CHA
- 3 days ago
- 5 min read
FIRST READING - Wis 11:22-12:2
"But you have mercy on all. For you love all things that are."
A reading from the Book of Wisdom
22 Indeed, before you the whole universe is like a grain from a balance,[a]
or a drop of morning dew come down upon the earth.
23 [b]But you have mercy on all, because you can do all things;
and you overlook sins for the sake of repentance.
24 For you love all things that are
and loathe nothing that you have made;
for you would not fashion what you hate.
25 How could a thing remain, unless you willed it;
or be preserved, had it not been called forth by you?
26 But you spare all things, because they are yours, O Ruler and Lover of souls,1
for your imperishable spirit is in all things!
SECOND READING - 2 Thess 1:11-2:2
"The name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him."
A reading from the second letter of Saint Paul the Apostle to the Thessalonians.
11 To this end, we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and powerfully bring to fulfillment every good purpose and every effort of faith, 12 [a]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.
[b] 1 We ask you, brothers, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our assembling with him, 2 not to be shaken out of your minds suddenly, or to be alarmed either by a “spirit,”[c] or by an oral statement, or by a letter allegedly from us to the effect that the day of the Lord is at hand.
GOSPEL OF THE DAY - Lk 19:1-10
"For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost."
✠From the Gospel according to Luke
[a] 1 He came to Jericho and intended to pass through the town. 2 Now a man there named Zacchaeus, who was a chief tax collector and also a wealthy man, 3 was seeking to see who Jesus was; but he could not see him because of the crowd, for he was short in stature. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree in order to see Jesus, who was about to pass that way. 5 When he reached the place, Jesus looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house.” 6 And he came down quickly and received him with joy. 7 When they all saw this, they began to grumble, saying, “He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner.” 8 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.” 9 [b]And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house because this man too is a descendant of Abraham. 10 [c]For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost.”
31ST SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - YEAR C - Gospel (Luke 19:1-10)
THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE
Dear People of God,
Today's Gospel recounts the story of Jesus visiting the house of Zacchaeus—a sinner. Before God, all people are sinners; no one is perfect, innocent, or holy.
God is the Wise One; He thoroughly comprehends everything from human thoughts, words, actions, deeds to the heart of every human being.
God does not abandon anyone while they are still living in this world.
He bestows upon humanity all things to use and to have life, such as light, breath, and all creation in this world to serve humanity, both the good and the bad; He discriminates against no one, for all are God’s children.
God is full of love, kindness, tolerance and selflessness. He is always patient, waiting and granting humanity opportunities and time to repent of their sins, to convert and return to God. He holds no grudge against any sinner!
In this world, no one possesses love and forgiveness like God.
God always invites everyone to return to Him, to listen to His Word of correction so that He may cut away the thorns, cleanse the impurities, defilements, and sins, so that humanity may become pure and worthy to enjoy the eternal happiness of the Kingdom of Heaven.
In the context of that story, the image of a God full of love and mercy was shown to the sinful tax collector: He did not condemn or judge the sinful tax collector; instead, He created an opportunity, bestowing His love and mercy upon his soul, through which he opened his heart to receive God's grace.
God reveals that all who open their hearts to receive God's grace will receive God's light and will be able to give up the sins they have committed. God wants everyone today to look at the image of Zacchaeus, a sinner who repented of his sins.
He returned and compensated for all the harm he had caused to others, and he offered all he possessed to God to atone for all his sins against God and his fellow human beings.
Through the story of Zacchaeus, God calls everyone, saying: “rise up! Open your hearts and receive the word of God; abandon the path of sin to receive God's grace, love, and mercy,” so that He may warm your souls and bodies and grant you eternal happy life in the everlasting Kingdom of Heaven hereafter.
God does not want any soul to fall from His loving embrace. He comes to sinful and suffering people to call and draw them back to God.
Therefore, today's Word of God also calls upon His apostles to:
Follow the example of Jesus Christ, going forth to sinners, to sufferers, to those in prison, to those in need of God's love and mercy to guide and help your brothers and sisters to repent of their sins and return to God's love and mercy, so that God may warm their souls and bodies and save them from the captivity of Satan.
This is the work and mission that God bestows upon His children.
Especially, to those whom God has chosen and sent forth, He invites them to put on the heart of a God of love, always compassionate towards others, towards sinners, towards sufferers, so that each of their gestures, actions, and deeds may bear much fruit by bringing souls back to God.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
Comments