Let us avoid religious indifference

Rev. 3:1-6.14-22, Lk. 19:1-10. Through a series of visions in the Book of Revelation, the risen Lord sends messages of conversion to each of the seven Churches in Asia Minor. The last of them was to the Church in Laodicea recorded in today's first reading, an important financial centre, famous for its medical discoveries and commercial wealth. Tempted by the desire to forget God, the Christians there were the ones to whom Christ says: “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”. What an apt message for contemporary time, where we see such widespread of religious indifference. Like the Laodiceans, some are neither hot nor cold but remain indifference.

We are lukewarm when we profess Christian faith, yet practice our Christianity half-heartedly: we neither help the poor, nor sympathetic and forgiving. It would be preferable to be capable of conversion, rather than “lukewarm, neither hot nor cold,” standing up for nothing and just taking the easy option all the time. To help us to get inner conversion, God makes use of human agents. A perfect example of such inner conversion is the encounter of Zacchaeus with Jesus in today's Gospel. To be found by Jesus, Zacchaeus was prepared to lose much of himself. First of all, he let go of his social dignity by climbing up the sycamore tree to get a view. At the end of the story, he gave away much of his wealth to paying back with interest those he had defrauded. Jesus also set aside his reputation as a divine person by going to dine at the home of a well-known “sinner”, the tax-collector like Zacchaeus. On reaching the shade of the sycamore tree, Jesus looked up and said, “Zacchaeus, hurry down,” as He recognised a spirit of repentance in his heart. Then, Jesus gave the reason: His purpose was “to search out and save what was lost.”

May the Lord grant us the desire to see Jesus and zeal to practice our faith diligently! Amen!! Stay safe and have a pleasant day!!!