The needy

In today’s first reading, from Revelation 3, we hear more prophecies directed at churches: sayings that are multifaceted, thickly layered, and damning.

The latter part of this passage is directed at the church in Laodicea, a booming commercial center in ancient Asia Minor.

It could very well be directed at many of us today (I myself certainly feel these words strike at me – may God have mercy on us all).

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.

The Laodiceans were indeed rich, with a state-of-the-art medical school. They made fortunes exporting fine garments and popular eye ointments.

Here is Laodicea today.

Sic transit gloria mundi.
Thus passes the glory of the world.

The comforts of this world are fleeting. In fact, they are a trap: lulling us into inactivity, making us lukewarm in our preparations for the world to come, making us forget our absolute need for God’s grace.

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.

God's grace is the treasure that will make us rich in eternity. It is the covering that will make us beautiful and protect us from all evil. God's grace gives us the ability to see beyond the ups and downs of life to his all-powerful plan for our salvation.

We must beware of the comforts of this world. We must disentangle ourselves.

We must keep our focus on our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and his grace, at all times and in all things, so that he may take us according to his will through all the good and the bad of this world into the everlasting, never-fading glory of his eternal love in the world without end.