31st Sunday in Ordinary Time (C)
First Reading (Wis 11, 22 – 12, 2)
For the whole world before the Lord is as the least grain of the balance, and as a drop of the morning dew, that falls down upon the earth. But you have mercy upon all, because you can do all things, and overlook the sins of men for the sake of repentance. For you love all things that are, and hate none of the things which you have made : for you did not appoint, or make anything hating it. And how could anything endure, if you would not? Or be preserved, if not called by you? But you spare all: because they are yours, O Lord, who love souls, for your imperishable spirit is in all things! And therefore you chastise them that err, by little and little: and admonish them, and speak to them, concerning the things wherein they offend: that leaving their wickedness, they may believe in you, O Lord.
Second Reading (2 Thes 1, 11 – 2, 2)
Brothers and sisters : We constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith. We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come.
The Gospel (Lk 19, 1 – 10)
Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a ‘sinner.’” But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.”