33rd Week in Ordinary Time 2022 - Tuesday - Message to the lukewarm and weak of faith (& St. Albert the Great)

 As I mentioned yesterday, for these final two weeks of the Church year, we read from the final book of the Bible—the book of Revelation. 

The book begins with a series of seven visions and messages to be delivered to seven particular Churches in Asia Minor. Yesterday’s reading ended with a message to the Christians at Ephesus, the place where the Blessed Mother lived before her Assumption into heaven. 

Today’s reading has skipped ahead abit, after all, we have just two weeks to get through the whole book. We heard the messages to the Church in Sardis and the Church in Laodicea, the fifth and seventh churches to be addressed. The messages share many similarities, the primary one being that Jesus Christ is aware of the situation in their communities, and that he offers them words both of comfort and challenge. 

The situation in Sardis was pretty pitiful. The Christians were on the verge of losing their faith entirely. Jesus said, “I know your works, you have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead.” There couldn’t be a stronger rebuke. Could you image? Jesus himself saying to the Church at West Blvd. “You claim to be Christian, you claim to be faithful, but your faith is dead because your works are incomplete in my sight.” So, Jesus urges the Christians at Sardis to fan into flame the little faith they had left. 

Jesus’ message to Laodicea is nearly just as correctional: he says, the Christians there are neither hot nor cold for the faith, simply lukewarm, and it makes him want to spit them out of his mouth. And their lukewarm faith was the result of growing complacent in the mission of the Church, and placing more trust in money and politics than in the teaching of the Church. 

And then came one of the most beautiful passages in all the new testament, at least one of my favorites: Jesus says, "'Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, then I will enter his house and dine with him, and he with me.” Jesus is knocking on the doors of our hearts, and he is knocking on the doors of the hearts of the lukewarm and those who have grown weak in faith. 

How do we help others open the doors of their hearts to Christ? How do witness how good it is when faith is on fire, when Christ is invited into the home, when intimate friendship with Jesus is developed? 

Today, we honor one of the great saints of the middle ages, who did just that: Saint Albert the Great. The Collect for his feast speaks of how God made Albert great through his joining of wisdom and divine faith. What made Albert Great? He wisely put his life in order, he had his priorities straight. He put God first, he put his tremendous intellectual gifts at the service of the kingdom. He sought to love and serve the Lord with his whole mind, heart, soul, and strength and he taught others to do the same. May St. Albert assist us in our share in the mission, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

 

For blessings upon the Bishops gathered in Baltimore for their annual meeting this week, that their conversations, prayers, and deliberations for the good of the Church may be blessed. 

Through the intercession of St. Albert the Great, patron of philosophers and scientists, that those involved in the sciences may be men and women of faith may glorify God in their learning, research, and work. 

For safety for travelers and for the homeless and destitute affected by cold and inclement weather, and that Christians may be every more attentive to the needs of the poor and the despairing in our midst. 

For the transformation of all attitudes which lead to violence, racial hatred, and religious persecution. For the safety of police and firefighters, for first responders, the underemployed and unemployed, for those struggling with addiction, for those suffering from depression or burn-out, and the healing of all the sick.  

We pray in a special way for all of the faithful departed during this Month of November, for the deceased members of our family, friends, and parish, and all the souls in purgatory, and for N. for whom this mass is offered. 

Incline your merciful ear to our prayers, we ask, O Lord, and listen in kindness to the supplications of those who call on you. Through Christ our Lord