Reconciled and Steadfast in Christ

Col 1:21-23, Psalm: 53, Lk 6:1-5

My dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

In our journey of faith, we can sometimes feel caught between two realities: the pull of old habits, judgments, and ways of thinking, and the radiant call of the new life we have received in Christ. Today’s readings speak directly to this tension, offering us both a profound comfort and a challenging call to perseverance.

Saint Paul, in his Letter to the Colossians, presents us with a stunning truth about our past and our present. He does not mince words: “You once were alienated and hostile in mind because of evil deeds.” This is our past, the old self, separated from the life of God. But then comes the great “yet” of our salvation: “But now he has reconciled you.” How? Not by anything we have done, but “by the death of his physical body.” This is the foundation of our hope. Reconciliation is a free, total, and complete gift offered to us through the Cross. God’s initiative has brought us back from alienation into a right relationship with Himself.

Yet, Paul immediately adds a crucial condition: this reconciled state is not a onetime event to be taken for granted. We are called to persevere in it: “provided that you persevere in the faith, firmly grounded, stable, and not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard.” Our free will must cooperate with God’s grace. We are to be like a tree planted deep in the soil of the Gospel, able to withstand the storms of doubt, persecution, and the temptations of the world.

This theme of shifting from an old, rigid mindset to a new, living reality is powerfully illustrated in the Gospel. The Pharisees see the disciples picking grain on the Sabbath and immediately accuse them of breaking the law. They are “hostile in mind,” focused solely on the external observance of a rule. Jesus responds not by abolishing the law, but by revealing its true purpose and its Author. He reminds them of David’s need, and then declares the breathtaking truth: “The Son of Man is lord of the sabbath.”

With this, Jesus shifts the entire paradigm. The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. It is a gift for our restoration and good. And He, as its Lord, is the ultimate interpreter of its meaning. The law finds its fulfillment in Him. To be “firmly grounded” in the faith, then, is to be grounded in Christ Himself, not merely in a list of rules. It is a relationship with the Lord of all.

This is where we find our spiritual strength and comfort. When we feel the weight of our past failures, we can remember that we are already reconciled by the Blood of the Cross. As Pope Francis often reminds us, “God never tires of forgiving us; we are the ones who tire of asking for mercy.” And when we feel challenged by the Gospel or tempted to slide back into a comfortable, legalistic faith, we hear the call to be stable and steadfast, anchored in the person of Jesus Christ.

The application for our daily lives is clear:

1. Embrace Your Reconciliation: Begin each day acknowledging you are a reconciled sinner, loved infinitely by God. Let this truth free you from guilt and empower you for joy.
2. Cultivate Steadfastness: Nourish your faith through prayer, the Eucharist, and Scripture. As St. Teresa of Calcutta taught, “Prayer enlarges the heart until it is capable of containing God’s gift of himself.”
3. Seek the Spirit of the Law: Move beyond a minimalistic approach to faith. Ask not, “What’s the minimum I must do?” but “How can I love more fully?” Let love of Christ and neighbor be the guiding principle of all your actions.

My friends, we have been brought from alienation to intimacy. Let us therefore live as steadfast and joyful children of God, whose Lord is Christ, and whose law is love. Amen.