Menu
First Reading: Wisdom 11:22-12:2
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 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 imperishable 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
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 145:1-2, 8-9, 10-11, 13, 14
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 praise your name forever and ever.
R./ I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God.
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./ I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God.
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./ I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God.
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./ I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God.
Second Reading Introduction: God's People, Sign Of Christ's Glory
No sensational rumors about the coming end of the world can upset us if we live up to our calling as Christians, and thus become the signs of the glory of Jesus Christ.
Second Reading: 2 Thessalonians 1:11-2:2
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 every effort 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 coming 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.
Gospel Introduction: I Have Come To Seek Out What Was Lost
A real encounter with Jesus cannot leave us indifferent. Zacchaeus meets Jesus and is converted.
Gospel Reading: Luke 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.
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 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."
Greetings
The Lord God loves all that exists
and he is merciful to all.
He overlooks our sins, so that we can repent.
May our Lord, the lover of life, be always with you.
R/ And also with you.
Introduction by the Celebrant
A. I Must Stay In Your House Today
What a consolation and encouragement for us that the Lord Jesus wants to be our guest, our friend, our companion on the road! And this holds true whoever we are, whatever we have done wrong. The Lord Jesus sees us and knows us and he wants to stay with us today, now, in our actual situation. In this Eucharist we ask him that we may become more aware of his offer and accept it with great joy.
B. A Small Person
There are people who keep searching for higher values in life. Perhaps one is only half satisfied with the kind of life one is leading, or feels guilty about his or her way of life. The Gospel of today shows us a small man, literally and morally, in search of the Lord. To his surprise, Jesus sees the hunger in the man's heart and turns to him. Jesus wishes to encounter him. If we ourselves recognize our smallness, the Lord will show himself to us, and invite himself to go with us and to stay with us. He will make us great in love and goodness.
Penitential Act
The Lord overlooks our sins,
so that we can repent and live.
Let us commend ourselves to his mercy.
(pause)
Lord Jesus, you are kind
and full of compassion:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Jesus Christ, you support all who fall
and raise up all who are bowed down:
Christ have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.
Lord Jesus, you are slow to anger
and you are good and loving to all:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Lord, lover of life,
let us live in your forgiving love;
restore us and lead us to everlasting life. R/ Amen.
Opening Prayer
Let us pray to God
that Jesus may be close to us and change us
(pause)
Lord God, lover of life,
we are small before you
because we are aware that we are sinners.
We bless you for the joy and the forgiveness
that you let your Son Jesus bring to your people.
Let him be very close to us,
so that he may change our lives and mentality.
May he dispose us to share with our brothers and sisters
your mercy and forgiving love.
We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord. R/ Amen.
Liturgy of the Word
First Reading Introduction: God, The Lover Of Life
The patient, merciful God gives the sinner a chance to repent, for he loves people. Even his punishments are "educational," intended not to condemn but to correct and to lead to conversion.
General Intercessions
With trust, let us pray to God who is kind and full of compassion and let us say: R/ Give us a new heart, Lord.
• The Lord is merciful to all: that he may not walk on our road of life without encountering us, let us pray: R/ Give us a new heart, Lord.
• The Lord is powerful: that his grace may touch and heal us, let us pray: R/ Give us a new heart, Lord.
• The Lord closes his eyes to our sins: that he may not walk by without changing us, let us pray: R/ Give us a new heart, Lord.
• The Lord loves every living being: that he may not fail to lift us up, let us pray: R/ Give us a new heart, Lord.
• The Lord loves life: that he may give us the life of the Spirit, let us pray: R/ Give us a new heart, Lord.
• The Lord raises all who are bowed down: that he may give us the courage to help spare people from injustice and exploitation, let us pray: R/ Give us a new heart, Lord.
Lord our God, you are good to all and faithful to your people. Lift us up, help us in our need. We ask this through Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.
Prayer over the Gifts
Merciful Father,
your Son Jesus did not shun or condemn
outcasts and sinners.
He shared their table as he eats with us.
In his presence they found the courage
to stand up and walk straight.
Let your Son strengthen us to go his way
to the poor, the unwanted, social lepers,
that they may see your goodness in us
and recover faith in you.
May we thus proclaim your Good News to the poor
and walk in the footsteps
of Jesus Christ our Lord.R/ Amen.
Introduction to the Eucharistic Prayer
God does not keep us imprisoned in our sins. Through Jesus he takes us back into his friendship and trusts us enough to make us his Church. For all this we thank our Father.
Invitation to the Lord's Prayer
In the name of Jesus the Lord
we ask our heavenly Father
to forgive us as we forgive those who hurt us.
R/ Our Father...
Deliver Us
Deliver us Lord from the pride
that makes us admire ourselves
as to how great we are,
and makes us look down on others.
Make us look forward to the coming of him
who makes us great in your eyes,
our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
R/ For the kingdom...
Invitation to Communion
This is Jesus our Lord,
who tells us that today
he will stay at our houses.
Happy are we
that we can welcome him
and receive salvation from him.
R/ Lord, I am not worthy...
Prayer after Communion
Lord God, merciful Father,
often we meet people who crave for a smile,
or wait for a kind word,
who look for a sign of friendship and sympathy.
Do not allow us to pass them by
with unseeing eyes.
Give us sharp ears and sensitive hearts
to hear and understand
their silent plea for help,
as Jesus did, your Son,
who lives with you and with us
now and for ever. R/ Amen.
Blessing
Genuine love is gratuitous,
a free, undeserved gift.
This is why God, the source of all true love,
is responsive to people's miseries.
His Son came to forgive our sins
and to put us back on the way of life and love
simply because he loves us.
Should our Christian communities, then,
not care more for marginal people
with the same kind of generous love
that God has shown to us?
May you do so with the blessing of Almighty God:
the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. R/ Amen.
Go in peace and love one another. R/ Thanks be to God.
