Pope Francis Santa Marta Mass Lukewarm Christians

In the first reading from the Book of Haggai (1: 1-8) the Lord urges His people to reflect on their behaviour and to change it by working to rebuild the House of God.

The prophet Haggai, was trying to move the heart of the lazy people who had resigned themselves to a life of defeat. The Temple had been destroyed by enemies, all was in ruin, but those people let the years go by without taking any action.

Then, the Lord sent the prophet to rebuild the Temple, but the hearts of the people were bitter and they had no wish to take risks and to work.

Those people, did not want to pick themselves up, to start again. They would not let the Lord help them to do so, and their excuse was that the time had not yet come.

This, is the same drama of so many lukewarm Christians who say "Yes, yes, Lord, it's fine ... but slowly, slowly, Lord, let's leave it like this ... I’ll do it tomorrow!", to say the same tomorrow and postpone the day after tomorrow and so postpone the decisions of conversion of the heart and change of life ...

It is a fear that so often hides behind uncertainties and meanwhile postpones. It causes so many people to waste their lives and end up like a rag because they have done nothing except nurture sentiments of peace and calm within themselves. But that, is the peace of graveyards.

When we become spiritually lukewarm, we become half-Christians, without substance. Instead, the Lord wants conversion, today.

When we enter this tepore, in this attitude of spiritual lukewarmness, we turn our lives into a cemetery: there is no life.

All this happens to us with the little things that are not good that the Lord wants us to change. He asks us to for conversion and we answer him: tomorrow

Let us ask the Lord for the grace not to fall into that half-Christian spirit which makes us Christians without substance – or as the old ladies say "Rose water Christians", - Christians who perhaps have sown a lot but reaped very little, lives that promised so much, and in the end did nothing.

May the Lord help us, to wake-up from a tepid spirit and fight this gentle anaesthesia of spiritual life.