31st Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle C, Year II)
Community Word: True followers of Christ live a life of unwavering faith.
Theme: We live a life of unwavering faith when we repent and make reparations of our wrongdoings.
Promise: “The Lord lifts up all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down.” (Ps 145:14)
Reflection:
“But you have mercy on all, because you can do all things; and you overlook people’s sins that they may repent,” (Wis 11:23). How reassuring it is to ponder this verse, for it speaks of a merciful and forgiving God and the greatness of His love for us, even our loathsome state, for He cannot hate any of His creation and wants us all to be restored to our inheritance as His children. For this reason, He rebukes us, warns us, and disciplines us, because He can never allow us to be forever lost, nor to continue sinning and suffer the destructive consequences of our sins.
He is a God of second chances, seeking us out from the wilderness and from the darkness to bring us back into the light, no matter how long it takes. No matter how difficult our circumstance may be, He will patiently wait for us to realize our folly, repent of them, and go back to Him who is always ready to forgive. That is His mercy flowing from His heart full of love. “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost,” (Lk19:10).
The Gospel talks about the conversion of Zacchaeus, the chief tax collector who was regarded as a sinner; a man despised by the people of his hometown because he was perceived to be corrupt. We know how Zacchaeus climbed a sycamore tree to be able to see Jesus amidst the vast crowd. Jesus’ magnetic presence must have inspired Zacchaeus to find a way for him to catch a glimpse of the passing Savior, a man he heard radiates with holiness. His action did not escape Jesus’ attention, much to the dismay of the crowds who looked at Zacchaeus with contempt. But Jesus saw the heart of Zacchaeus, and His mercy reached out to this man who came out to be transformed.
The conversion of Zacchaeus is not unlike ours in our personal encounter with Jesus during our LSS. This personal encounter was needed for us to truly believe that God loves us, that He sent His only Begotten Son, Jesus, to save us, by dying on the cross to take away our sins so that we might have eternal life. And He gave us His Holy Spirit to empower us to be bearers of this Good News of Salvation to all nations and to all peoples of the earth. Like Zacchaeus, we too have to find a way to climb that tree, to better see and know our Lord, to repent of our sins and honor God by sincerely living a new life in Christ. Thus, we become living witnesses to the transforming power of His healing love.
We are emissaries of His boundless mercy and we are His, expressed in this promise, “The Lord lifts up all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down,” (Ps 145:14). Jesus healed the soul of Zacchaeus just with His mere presence. When people see Jesus in us, the visible change that happens because of our personal encounter with the Lord, they too will be encouraged to seek the Lord, to turn away from sin, do reparations and live transformed lives. For our only hope of glory is in Jesus Christ, our Sovereign King.
Prayer:
Lord, Jesus Christ, we seek You right now so that we too may become whole again and go on to be Your emissaries of love to those You wish to call. Release unto us the gifts & fruit of the Holy Spirit and cause us to be zealous in our mission. Amen.
Reflection Guide Questions:

1. What attitude hinders you from recognizing, acknowledging and repenting of your sins?
2. How do you intend to change your attitude?
   This Week’s Daily Mass Reading Guide:
   October 30, 2022 (Sun) – Wis 11:22-12:2/Ps 145:1,2,8,11,13,14/ 2 Thes 1:11- 2:2/ Lk 19:1-10
   October 31, 2022 (Mon) – Phil 2:1-4/Ps 131:1-3/Lk 14:12-14
   November 1, 2022 (Tue) – Rv 7:2-4, 9-14/Ps 24:1-6/1Jn 3:1-3/Mt 5:1-12
   November 2, 2022 (Wed) – 2Mc 12:43-46/Ps 103/ Rom 8:31-35/Jn 14:1-6
   November 3, 2022 (Thu) – Phil 3:3-8/Ps 105:2-7/Lk 15:1-10
   November 4, 2022 (Fri) – Phil 3:17-4:1/Ps 122:1-5/Lk 16:1-8
   November 5, 2022 (Sat) – Phil 4:10-19/Ps 112:1, 2, 5, 6, 8, 9/Lk 16:9-15
   “Ignorance of the Bible is ignorance of Christ. Read your Bible daily!”