Mass Readings for the 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C
- First Reading – Wisdom 11:22-12:2: "But you spare all things, because they are yours, O LORD and lover of souls, for your imperishable spirit is in all things!"
- Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 145: "I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God."
- Second Reading – 2 Thessalonians 1:11-2:2: "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."
- Gospel - Luke 19:1-10: ""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."
Themes for the 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C
The readings for the 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C focus on conversion and repentance. In the first reading tells us that God wants us to repent. In the second reading Paul speaks of the day of the Lord. In the gospel, Zacchaeus dines with Jesus and repents.
- Repentance
- Salvation
- Seeking those on the margins
- Encountering Jesus
See the Homilies and Reflections section and the More Thoughts section for further expansion on these readings and some reflection questions for the 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C.
Resources for the 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C
God Sustains Us
We know God sustains us and cares for us. This is a prayer based on Psalm 145, which is the responsorial psalm for this Sunday. It expresses praise to God for the way he watches over us.
Homilies and Reflections for the 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C
You Have Been Loved Into Being
From Bishop Robert Barron. "Friends, our first reading from the book of Wisdom makes an extraordinarily important observation that’s of both theological and philosophical significance—namely, that the very fact that something exists means that it has been loved into being. In light of that, we can read our famous Gospel about Zacchaeus as a story of the infinite love and mercy of God pouring into someone’s life—and the conversion that follows."
Welcome Jesus with Joy Like Zacchaeus
Jeff Cavins focuses on God’s mercy, and offers a few powerful insights on the readings for the 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C.
Zacchaeus, Hurry Down
From Bishop Robert Barron. The story of Zacchaeus is an icon of the spiritual life. Even the worst of us have, deep down, a hunger for God and a desire to see Jesus. When we follow the promptings of that desire, wonderful things can happen.
Lover of Souls
From Scott Hahn. Our Lord is a lover of souls, the Liturgy shows us today. As we sing in today’s Psalm, He is slow to anger and compassionate toward all that He has made. As He did last week, Jesus is again using a tax collector to show us the faith and humility we need to obtain salvation.
The Love of Predilection
Also from Bishop Robert Barron. Zacchaeus, as chief tax collector, was considered a very bad man in first-century Israel, but Christ greets him with love. It is the love of God that causes everything to be, and comes before everything we do. God does not love us because we do good; we do good because God loves us.
Repentance Is for Sinners—Just Ask Zacchaeus
From the Catholic Evangelization Podcast. How can we incorporate continual repentance and conversion in our day-to-day lives?
More Thoughts for the 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C
Tax collectors were despised for collaborating with the Roman occupiers. Many were dishonest and took more than they were due to make a larger profit. By the example of Zacchaeus, Jesus takes a person who was hated by society - a tax collector - and shows how nobody is beyond transformation and salvation.
Most of the Jews of the time wanted nothing to do with this group of people. They were pushed outside of polite society, and so their money and material goods became their only comfort. But Jesus has a different view. He sees a group who needs to be invited back into the fold. He was willing to speak with tax collectors and even dine with them in their homes.
Jesus knows that transformation starts with love. Once the outsider understands he is loved, then he can let go of the sins he is clinging to. This frees him to follow Jesus. Like Jesus, we should not be afraid to encounter sinners and tell them the Good News that they are loved. This offers them a freedom from the bonds of condemnation.
Reflection Questions for the 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C
- Does my encounter with Jesus change me?
- How am I called to repent?
- What can I do to be more welcoming to those who are on the outside of society?
Quotes and Social Media Graphics for the 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C
But you spare all things, because they are yours, O Lord and lover of souls, for your imperishable spirit is in all things!
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