Letter of March 24, 2006

Neither Hot Nor Cold
The Most Reverend Carl F. Mengeling, Bishop of Lansing

Lent is a graced time to take a good look at ourselves. There is an old saying "the only difference between the rut and the grave are the dimensions." Lent is a time to shake ourselves free from the ruts that we so easily fall into. Lent is a time for new beginnings in the ever-urgent task of living a life that is worthwhile now and for eternity. Lent is a time for self-correction and change, into that new man who will rise with Christ on Easter, to a new and better life. Lent is a time for dying to everything in us that is opposed to God, opposed to our brethren and study and follow the Lord who shows us who we are, and who we are yet to become. Lent is a time of liberation from all that shackles us and binds us to what will perish. Lent is a time to become free again to soar to the heights of sanctity.

One of our worst enemies is lukewarmness that makes us sad, indifferent, lazy and cowardly. The Thesaurus adds: ‘half-hearted, tepid, uncommitted and unenthusiastic - plus LAODICEAN!

That’s a city in Asia Minor, one of seven major cities to which the Holy Spirit wrote a letter to the church there.

The Seven Letters in the Book of Revelation are for the Church at all times and for us now. The Letter to the Christian Community in Laodicea contains a severe warning for them and us. Let Christ, the AMEN (Yes) speak - " ‘The Amen, the faithful and true witness, the source of God’s creation, says this: "I know your works; I know that you are neither cold nor hot. So, because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, ‘I am rich and affluent and have no need of anything,’ and yet do not realize that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. I advise you to buy from me gold refined by fire so that you may be rich, and white garments to put on so that your shameful nakedness may not be exposed, and buy ointment to smear on your eyes so that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and chastise. Be earnest, therefore, and repent."

Some of the clearest and practical insights about lukewarmness is in a book by Francis Carvojal. It was published in the Philippines in 1978 as ‘LA TIBIEZA’. The English copy appeared in 1992 as ‘Lukewarmness’.

The author points out warning signs and symptoms of this spiritual sickness that can paralyze us. Lukewarmness also happens in other dimensions of our lives. Here’s real food for the soul.

Lukewarmness may be understood as a general breakdown of the theological virtues. Much like sin, it is a special cause for sadness. Christians fall into lukewarmness because of culpable neglect. They lose their peace and joy. The image of Christ is beclouded in mind and heart: "he is neither seen nor heard." There is no friendship with Christ. There is no service for Christ. Everything having to do with the supernatural is reduced to doing things" rather than "loving Someone." The soul is left with an emptiness towards God. It tries to fill that void with things that ultimately cannot satisfy. The entire life of piety becomes tainted with dejection.

Gone is the spontaneity and joy of authentic self-giving. Faith goes into a state of paralysis because love’s ardor has been cooled. "Here we have the essence of lukewarmness: lack of devotion. Devotion might be translated as a commitment of love, availability and surrender. This lack of surrender or ‘bad will’ explains everything. Lukewarmness involves a wholehearted disdain for prayer and sacrifice, a preoccupation with selfish concerns and comfort, a complete lack of refinement in dealings with God, a coarse and slothful approach to anything which pertains to the Lord and self-centered pursuit of human respect (The Way, 331). The Christian’s path to holiness, on the other hand, lies in love and devotion, that is to say, in loving faith and faith-filled love."

Lukewarmness is a grace sickness of soul which can strike at any stage of one’s interior life. We say that a tepid soul has "fallen away." It has grown weary of the interior struggle. It has lost Christ from view. Tepidity always entails a crisis of faith, hope and love. The afflicted person sees Christ in caricature as an indifferent figure. The soul is loathe to make the same selfless affirmations of earlier times. It increasingly becomes satisfied with less and less devotion.

St. Thomas defines lukewarmness as "a kind of sadness which makes a person sluggish in the performance of spiritual exercises on account of the effort they require." Conversation with God is reduced to bargaining, to getting by with as little exertion as possible, to avoiding sacrifice. The soul tries to make holiness compatible with worldly interests. It becomes overcome with exhaustion. Then, the soul yields to a series of concessions. The struggle to improve is abandoned. The soul gives in readily to venial sin. The soul’s former friendship with Christ is emptied of meaning. Lukewarmness means "softness, laziness bent on the easiest, most pleasurable way, any apparent shortcut, even at the expense of infidelity to God."

It should be stated from the very beginning that all sicknesses of the interior life have a cure. The soul can once again discover the "hidden treasure" which is Christ. He gave meaning to life in the past, he can do so once more. The cure comes easier in the early stages of this disease, but it is also possible in worse conditions. We may recall the unfortunate person in St. Luke’s Gospel who was full of leprosy. There came a day when he decided to ask Christ for a cure and he was healed right away.