20221115 LETHARGY AND LUKEWARMNESS TOWARDS LIFE
15 November, 2022, Tuesday, 33rd Week in Ordinary Time
First reading |
Apocalypse 3:1-6,14-22 © |
If one of you hears me calling, I will come in to share his meal
I, John, heard the Lord saying to me: ‘Write to the angel of the church in Sardis and say, “Here is the message of the one who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars: I know all about you: how you are reputed to be alive and yet are dead. Wake up; revive what little you have left: it is dying fast. So far I have failed to notice anything in the way you live that my God could possibly call perfect, and yet do you remember how eager you were when you first heard the message? Hold on to that. Repent. If you do not wake up, I shall come to you like a thief, without telling you at what hour to expect me. There are a few in Sardis, it is true, who have kept their robes from being dirtied, and they are fit to come with me, dressed in white. Those who prove victorious will be dressed, like these, in white robes; I shall not blot their names out of the book of life, but acknowledge their names in the presence of my Father and his angels. If anyone has ears to hear, let him listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches.”
‘Write to the angel of the church in Laodicea and say, “Here is the message of the Amen, the faithful, the true witness, the ultimate source of God’s creation: I know all about you: how you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were one or the other, but since you are neither, but only lukewarm, I will spit you out of my mouth. You say to yourself, ‘I am rich, I have made a fortune, and have everything I want’, never realising that you are wretchedly and pitiably poor, and blind and naked too. I warn you, buy from me the gold that has been tested in the fire to make you really rich, and white robes to clothe you and cover your shameful nakedness, and eye ointment to put on your eyes so that you are able to see. I am the one who reproves and disciplines all those he loves: so repent in real earnest. Look, I am standing at the door, knocking. If one of you hears me calling and opens the door, I will come in to share his meal, side by side with him. Those who prove victorious I will allow to share my throne, just as I was victorious myself and took my place with my Father on his throne. If anyone has ears to hear, let him listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches.”’
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 14(15):2-5 © |
Those who prove victorious I will allow to share my throne.
Lord, who shall dwell on your holy mountain?
He who walks without fault;
he who acts with justice
and speaks the truth from his heart;
he who does not slander with his tongue.
Those who prove victorious I will allow to share my throne.
He who does no wrong to his brother,
who casts no slur on his neighbour,
who holds the godless in disdain,
but honours those who fear the Lord.
Those who prove victorious I will allow to share my throne.
He who keeps his pledge, come what may;
who takes no interest on a loan
and accepts no bribes against the innocent.
Such a man will stand firm for ever.
Those who prove victorious I will allow to share my throne.
Gospel Acclamation | cf.Ps129:5 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
My soul is waiting for the Lord,
I count on his word.
Alleluia!
Or: | 1Jn4:10 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
God so loved us that he sent his Son
to be the sacrifice that takes our sins away.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 19:1-10 © |
Salvation comes to the house of Zacchaeus
Jesus entered Jericho and was going through the town when a man whose name was Zacchaeus made his appearance: he was one of the senior tax collectors and a wealthy man. He was anxious to see what kind of man Jesus was, but he was too short and could not see him for the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to catch a glimpse of Jesus who was to pass that way. When Jesus reached the spot he looked up and spoke to him: ‘Zacchaeus, come down. Hurry, because I must stay at your house today.’ And he hurried down and welcomed him joyfully. They all complained when they saw what was happening. ‘He has gone to stay at a sinner’s house’ they said. But Zacchaeus stood his ground and said to the Lord, ‘Look, sir, I am going to give half my property to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody I will pay him back four times the amount.’ And 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 has come to seek out and save what was lost.’
LETHARGY AND LUKEWARMNESS TOWARDS LIFE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [REV 3:1-6,14-22; LUKE 19:1-10]
How do you feel when you wake up each morning? What are your feelings towards life? Are you excited to meet your loved ones? Are you happy to go to work? Are you looking forward to praying and to bring Christ to others? If you are losing zeal and passion, if life has become drudgery, then you are falling into the state that the Christians in Sardis and Laodicea were in.
The inhabitants of Sardis were rich and wealthy. It was one of the greatest cities in the world. But the city degenerated because of self-sufficiency. The people became lazy and soft. They took what they had for granted and were over confident of themselves. They thought that their splendour would be theirs forever. As a result of complacency, the church was losing vitality. It was becoming a lifeless church.
We too are much like the Christians in Sardis. We tend to take our lives for granted. We take our comfort for granted. What is a privilege soon becomes a right. Very soon, without any fight, we just sink into the complacency of life. This is true in every area of life. Is your married life full of love and passion? Is your relationship with your spouse alive, rich and life-giving? We take each other for granted and don’t value each other’s presence and love. We forget to affirm each other and renew our love for each other.
So, too, in your work and ministry, are you just going through the motion of doing without any zeal or joy? Some of us in ministry are externally doing everything, but the heart of worship and the heart of love is not there.
The truth is, when we are no longer challenged, we just drift through life. When life is just a routine and all easy, we become complacent. We lose our adrenalin. We are no longer passionate. Eventually, we will die, as the Lord warned us; “Wake up; revive what little you have left: it is dying fast. So far, I have failed to notice anything in the way you live that my God could possibly call perfect, and yet do you remember how eager you were when you first heard the message?” That is why persecutions in the Church and sufferings are good – they keep us alive. When Christianity is no longer persecuted, the faith of the people dies. So when the world is opposing or reacting to our message, it means that our faith is alive and vibrant.
Or we could be like the Christians in Laodicea. This city was a great commercial city. It was a financial centre, a cloth trading market and even a medical centre. The people were rich. But wealth had made them indifferent. The Lord said, “I know all about you: how you are neither cold nor hot.” Indifference is even worse than lethargy. If we are just drifting through life and our faith, it means that we are still alive although dying, like one who has cancer or a terminal illness. But indifference means that we are no longer bothered at all. We cannot even feel that we are dying. We cannot be bothered about anything. Life becomes meaningless, a burden, a chore. We become sceptical of life. We are not passionate about anything. We have no conscience.
Indifference is the most dangerous in our attitude to life. When we are indifferent to whether our loved ones exist or not, this is even worse than hate. When we are indifferent in our work, we become slothful and irresponsible in what we do. When we are indifferent to our faith, the indifference will become neutrality. From neutrality, we gradually become enemies of God. That is how Catholics degenerate. Christianity in many ways have lost its dynamism and relevance to society and life, so much so that many are indifferent to the faith as the gospel no longer speaks to them. The Lord warns such people, “I wish you were one or the other, but since you are neither, but only lukewarm, I will spit you out of my mouth. You say to yourself, ‘I am rich, I have made a fortune, and have everything I want,’ never realizing that you are wretchedly and pitiably poor, and blind and naked too.” The Lord cannot tolerate indifference.
Indeed, the wealth of the people was empty. The Lord condemns such people. “I warn you, buy from me the gold that has been tested in the fire to make you really rich, and white robes to clothe you and cover your shameful nakedness, and eye ointment to put on your eyes so that you are able to see. I am the one who reproves and disciplines all those he loves: so repent in real earnest.” One day, we will come to see the emptiness of all that we have.
Today, we are called to be like Zacchaeus. We are told that “he was one of the senior tax collectors and a wealthy man.” Although wealthy, he felt the sense of emptiness. He was looking for more. He heard about Jesus and was curious and “anxious to see what kind of man Jesus was.” But we read that “he was too short and could not see him for the crowd.” But that did not prevent him from finding his way. He was not complacent and so “he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to catch a glimpse of Jesus who was to pass that way.” This man was certainly not lazy or indifferent in his search for happiness.
And because he took the risk even of being ridiculed, as he was a tax-collector, that Jesus would even have a look at him, we are told that “when Jesus reached the spot he looked up and spoke to him: ‘Zacchaeus, come down. Hurry, because I must stay at your house today.'” Such was the reward for one who is sincere in looking for fullness of life. “And he hurried down and welcomed him joyfully.” Indeed, this was what St John wrote as well. “I am the one who reproves and disciplines all those he loves: so repent in real earnest. Look, I am standing at the door, I will come in to share his meal, side by side with him. Those who prove victorious I will allow to share my throne, just as I was victorious myself and took, my place with my Father on his throne.”
And the wonderful thing is that when Jesus becomes our guest and our friend, we can see changes in our hearts. The transformation was radical, for Zacchaeus told the Lord, “Look, sir, I am going to give half my property to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody I will pay him back four times the amount.” To have Jesus with us is the greatest joy of life. In repentance, we share the life of Christ. This is what Jesus remarked, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man too is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek out and save what was lost.” To be saved means to share the throne of Jesus, to reign with Him in love and in joy.
But to reign with Him in love, justice and compassion, we must now keep ourselves pure and alive in the faith. St John wrote, “There are a few in Sardis, it is true, who have kept their robes from being dirtied, and they are fit to come with me, dressed in white. Those who prove victorious will be dressed, like these, in white robes; I shall not blot their names out of the book of life, but acknowledge their names in the presence of my Father and his angels.” This is what the psalmist says, “Lord, who shall be admitted to your tent? He who walks without fault; he who acts with justice and speaks the truth from his heart; he who does not slander with his tongue. He who does no wrong to his brother, who casts no slur on his neighbour, who holds the godless in disdain, but honours those who fear the Lord.” So let us repent. Let us wake up before it is too late. “If you do not wake up, I shall come to you like a thief, without telling you at what hour to expect me.”
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
No comments:
Post a Comment