Lukewarmness

"I know your works; I know that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth."

I pray that I never hear these words from Revelation on judgement day. Though in my present state, I know God could justly accuse me of being lukewarm.

These words are among the most unsettling in Scripture. Some Bible footnotes I read about the text said that "spit" in this context means literally, vomit. In other words, the footnotes said, "Halfhearted commitment to the faith is nauseating to Christ."

I suspect that many people share my condition. Our lukewarmness could be the primary reason that the road to Hell is wide and the way to Heaven narrow. Few people, it seems, passionately love or hate God. Many of us are in a murky place in between, in which we know yet ignore the Truth. It would be understandable if we hate God because of our pride or ignorance. But to claim to follow Him and in no way resemble Him seems the ultimate betrayal.

Pope Francis took on our half-hearted faith in his homily Thursday morning:

". . . it takes us on the road of hypocrisy. ‘I call myself a Christian, but live like a pagan!’ Sometimes we say ‘Christians at half-speed,’ who do not take this seriously. We are holy, justified, sanctified by the blood of Christ: Take this sanctification and carry it forward! Though people do not take it seriously! Lukewarm Christians: ‘But, yes, yes , but, no, no’. Neither here nor there - as our mothers said, ‘rosewater Christians’ - no! A little touch here and there, of Christian paint, a little ‘paint catechesis’ - but inside there is no true conversion, there is no such conviction as that of St.Paul: ‘Everything I gave up and I consider garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him.’ ”

We have to take the faith, the sanctification, we received at Baptism and place it front and center in our lives, Pope Francis said. In Baptism, we were remade, recreated in Christ's blood. To be serious about our faith means to live it out in simple works of righteousness, he said.

“Worship God. God is always first! And then do what Jesus advises us to help others.”

These actions, the pope said, “are the works that Jesus did in his life: the works of justice, works of re-creation.” 

“When we give food to a hungry person, we re-create hope in him. So it is with others.

But if “we accept the faith and then do not live it, we are Christians only in memory.”

Pope Francis, St. Paul, and all the saints encourage us to live the holiness to which we are called.

 "You can do it!"

Inspired by this Year of Faith we will be posting columns like this from Susan Szalewski about exploring and/or deepening our faith. Watch for it on Thursdays and see the Year of Faith Blog here.

(Papal text from page http://en.radiovaticana.va/articolo.asp?c=740250
of the Vatican Radio website)