SATURDAY, TWENTY SECOND WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
Col 1: 21-23 Ps 54: 3-4, 6, 8 Lk 6: 1-5
THE GATE OF MERCY
Nelson Mandela spent 27 years in prison, much of it under unjust and harsh conditions. Upon his release in 1990, he remarked, “As I finally walked through those gates, I felt -even at the age of 71- that my life was beginning anew.”
His words capture the essence of liberation, a new beginning after long captivity. That experience echoes the spiritual reality described in the first reading Col 1:21–23 -a reconciliation that leads to true freedom and new life in God. His words speak of liberation, of a radical new beginning- one that emerged from long suffering and deep injustice. They reflect something profound that lies at the heart of our faith: the experience of being set free, of beginning anew -not politically or socially, but spiritually. In today’s reading from Colossians, Paul describes something even greater than release from a prison cell. He speaks of a reconciliation with God that reaches into the depths of who we are and changes our eternal destiny.
God, rich in mercy, did not leave us in that state of separation from Him. Through Christ’s death, we have been reconciled. Paul declares, “He has now reconciled you in his body of flesh by his death.” This reconciliation is total and complete. It restores relationship and redefines identity. We are no longer enemies, but those presented as holy, blameless, and irreproachable before God. The barrier is removed. The Father receives us not as slaves or strangers, but as sons and daughters.
However, reconciliation demands perseverance. “Indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast,” Paul adds. This is not uncertainty but a call to remain grounded in the gospel, never shifting from its hope. The grace that reconciles also empowers us to endure. Faith is the root, but perseverance is the fruit. As Mandela walked into freedom, let us walk into the life that Christ has won for us!
Response: See, I have God for my help.
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