We heard in the first reading St. John writing to the seven churches.
And the first reading talks about St. John's writing to the church of Sardis and Laodicea.
It's really too much to comment on everything, so I just want to focus on what our Lord actually says to the church of Laodicea by means of St. John.
First it says, well, we can say that there are three parts, basically.
To this message to the church of Laodicea.
First, it's a rebuke against those who are lukewarm.
Secondly, it tells us about the necessity and the blessing of trials and troubles in this world.
And finally, it expresses our Lord's desire to make us partakers of his glory.
First, regarding the rebuke against those who are lukewarm.
Our Lord says,
And to the angel of the church of Laodicea write.
The Latin fathers interpret this angel of the church to be the bishop in charge of that locality.
I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot.
I would thou wert cold or hot, but because thou art lukewarm and neither cold nor hot,
I will begin to vomit thee out of my mouth.
This is truly a dreadful, dreadful reprehension against those who are lukewarm.
The cold, of course, refers to those who commit great sins,
who perhaps despise God and his laws and hate the church, etc.
The hot are those who are fervent and who are striving to love God with all of their strength,
striving to serve him.
Faithfully and perseveringly, day after day.
While the lukewarm are those who are negligent in fulfilling their Christian duties.
Those, perhaps, who criticize and mock others,
who maybe pray the rosary every day and go to mass more than once a week
and consider the fervent to be fanatics.
So our Lord despises the lukewarm.
These lukewarm souls, and says that they're worse than those who are cold.
And we can understand why, because the cold, being so rooted in evil and against God,
are less likely to draw others after them.
While those who are lukewarm imagine themselves to be good and in good standing with God,
and as a result, can easily draw others
down their path.
So for this reason, our Lord despises them more than the cold.
He says,
Because thou sayest, I am rich and made wealthy, and have need of nothing,
and knowest not that thou art wretched and miserable and poor, and blind and naked.
We see here that the lukewarm, as I said,
often consider themselves to be in good standing,
to be safe, because they live as many others commonly live.
And we see how a false conscience commonly accompanies those who are lukewarm.
And our Lord says,
That's not the case.
But you are wretched, miserable,
poor and blind and naked.
Then we come to the second part, which explains to us
the necessity and the blessing of having trials and troubles in this world.
When our Lord says,
I counsel thee to buy of me gold fire tried,
that thou mayest be made rich.
This gold fire tried refers to the soul in this world,
which is purified.
In the trials and tribulations of this life,
the love of God purified by the crosses that he sends us.
And he says that this is what makes us truly rich in this life.
And he follows it up by saying,
Those whom I love, I rebuke and chastise.
And in fact, to be under trials and tribulations,
notwithstanding one's sincere efforts,
to serve God and obey his commandments
is definitely a mark of God's favor
and paternal care for that soul.
So we should never think that
notwithstanding our best efforts to grow in holiness,
we seem to constantly meet up with affliction
and various difficulties that God isn't pleased with our efforts.
Rather, we should consider that a blessing.
As the scripture says,
Those whom I love,
I rebuke and chastise.
Urging us on to further perfection and purification.
And then finally,
we see our Lord's desire to make us partakers of his glory.
After all of this,
rebuking those who are lukewarm
and telling us the blessings of trials and tribulations,
he then says,
Behold, I stand at the gate and knock.
If any man shall hear my voice
and open me up to the Lord,
and open to me the door,
I will come in to him
and will sup with him,
and he with me.
Our Lord's desire to enter into our souls
and to dwell within us
and to intimately unite himself with us
by means of grace.
To him that shall overcome,
I will give to sit with me in my throne.
And to him that shall overcome,
that is, he who shall overcome,
the threats that we find in this present state of life,
the devil, the world, and the flesh.
To him that shall overcome these things,
I will give to sit with me in my throne.
It is our Lord promises us the reward of eternal bliss.
Amen.
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Doom
contributed to his punishment
in Jerusalem
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