When Faith Becomes “Whatever”
What the church in Laodicea can teach us about apathy
As we move deeper into the Lenten season, we’re invited to examine not only what we believe, but how awake we are to it.
Lent has never been simply about giving things up. It is about clearing space. Creating silence where there was noise. Attention where there was drift. Honesty where there was comfort.
The letter to Laodicea is unnerving precisely because it speaks to spiritual half-sleep, a faith that has grown polite, respectable… and lukewarm.
So today’s reflection isn’t written to condemn, but to gently wake.
Where has faith become “whatever”?
And where might Christ still be standing at the door, knocking … waiting not for perfection, but for attention?
A man named John (we’re not entirely sure if it’s the John) had a vision.
In it, Jesus tells him to write down what he sees and send it to a group of churches scattered across Asia Minor. Not buildings, mind you, but communities of believers.
These are the famous “letters to the seven churches” in the Book of Revelation.
Each is addressed to the angel of that church, which, if you ask me, is a wonderful thought. Imagine each community having an angelic presence, with a guardian watching over it.
The final letter, written to the church in Laodicea, still sends a shiver down the spine. It’s not a comforting letter. It’s a warning that cuts straight through time to our modern Western world.
