A reflection on on Revelation 3:1-6, 14-22 for Tuesday of the 33rd Week in Ordinary Time.
The idea of Jesus standing at a door and knocking is familiar. We usually see it as an invitation to someone who has never believed. But in Revelation, Jesus is addressing those words to a church. These are people who already know Him.
The Christians in Laodicea consider themselves rich and in need of nothing. Jesus sees their poverty and blindness. Sardis has a reputation for being lively in faith, yet Jesus tells them the community dead.
A church can have a great reputation and still need to change.
These warnings are more than just Revelation’s strange images. The risen Christ is looking at the lives of Christian communities. He tells them to do better.
The problem in Laodicea is more than lackluster enthusiasm. We might think lukewarm faith as feeling not excited enough about God. But faith is not feelings. A person praying through exhaustion may be deeply faithful. But Laodicea feels self sufficient: it believes it needs nothing.
Christian life depends on understanding that we cannot provide for ourselves. Forgiveness comes through God’s mercy. Our hope is in Christ’s death and resurrection. The Holy Spirit breathes life into the Church. Even the most capable community needs grace. A balanced budget is useful, but it does not absolve sins.
Jesus’ warning seems severe, but He explains that it comes from love. He has given up on these people. He wants them to see their need for what He offers.
And he promises a good meal.
Christ seeks communion with the person who opens the door. That promise is the Eucharist, where Christ gives Himself to His people. We come hungry, dependent on a gift we could never make ourselves.
Can the Church still admit that we need what only Christ can give? We should listen to His voice, even when it disrupts the good account we have given of ourselves as Catholics.
Lord Jesus, wake Your Church where we have grown complacent. Help us receive Your correction, acknowledge our need for grace, and welcome the communion You offer. Amen.
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