Saturday of the 10th Week in Ordinary Time

In the flurry of daily routines, the Gospel can slip into the background—a familiar sound that no longer stirs us. But today’s readings call us back to something essential: not surface-level goodness, but a change that begins deep in the heart and reaches outward into our lives.

St Paul speaks with the clarity of one who has been changed by grace: “So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!” (2 Cor 5:17). This isn’t just encouragement—it’s a wake-up call. To follow Christ is not just to adjust our behaviour, but to be remade. To let go of the life built around self, and take on the life of Christ—a life shaped by love, by mercy, and by justice.

Being a “new creation” is not something hidden in private prayer. It shows up in daily life—in how we speak, how we forgive, how we respond to suffering around us. It means seeing the world through Christ’s eyes. And when we do, we are no longer satisfied with comfort while others are in pain. We begin to take up our role as peacemakers and bridge-builders.

The Psalm reminds us who God is at His core: “The Lord is compassion and love, slow to anger and rich in mercy.”
This mercy is not given to the perfect, but to the honest—to those who remember, as the fuller Psalm says, that we are dust (Ps 103:14). Fragile. Wounded. Often inconsistent. And yet, deeply loved.

“He forgives all your guilt… crowns you with love and compassion.” God’s mercy is not cautious or conditional. He does not wait until we have it all together. He acts first. He heals. He restores. And we, in turn, are called to live that same mercy with others. Not because they deserve it, but because we have received it first.

In Zambia today, where so many live with the weight of poverty, disappointment, and dishonesty in public life, this Psalm isn’t just a comfort—it’s a challenge. If God lifts people up, so must we. Mercy must take form in action. Compassion must lead us toward justice.

Then in the Gospel, Jesus gives us a simple but difficult command: “Let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’” (Matt 5:37). In a world full of half-truths and hidden agendas, Christ calls us to integrity—to live as whole people, whose actions and words match. No double life. No masks. Just steady faithfulness in daily things.

And when we fall short—and we all do—Ignatian spirituality gives us the tools to begin again. The Examen helps us notice where God was inviting us to mercy or truth, and how we responded. Prayer helps us ask: Where have I not yet let Christ in?

This path of transformation often begins in small things: forgiving someone quietly, speaking truth when it’s hard, giving where no one sees. These are the seeds of a new creation.

So today, we ask:

• What part of me still needs Christ’s transforming love?
• Who needs mercy from me this week?
• Where is God asking me to speak and live with more honesty?

May our yes be true. May our mercy be generous. And may our lives show the world that something new has begun in us.

Amen.

In preparing this homily, I consulted various resources to deepen my understanding of today’s readings, including using Magisterium AI for assistance. The final content remains the responsibility of the author.