In the first reading today, we begin reading from the Book of Revelation. This can be one of the most misunderstood and misinterpreted books in the Bible. Nothing a bit of study and reading won’t cure! In the Gospel reading today from Luke 18, Jesus gives a blind man his sight.
In Revelation 2, John is told to write to the angel of the Church in Ephesus: “I hold this against you: you have lost the love you had at first. Realize how far you have fallen. Repent, and do the works you did at first. Otherwise, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.” In other words, the Ephesians started out great, but over time the things of the world wore them down and they went back to their old ways. To paraphrase a familiar song, they lost that lovin’ feeling.
You’re familiar with the old saying, familiarity breeds contempt. It can be so true. We see it all the time, especially in relationships. We start to take people for granted and our love wanes rather than grows. I’m thinking this is what happened with the Ephesians. We must always make sure that this is not happening with us. Let us always move forward in faith and love, and remember that going backward is not an option.
Father, we pray that each day we can grow in love; for you and for our brothers and sisters. Help us to stay strong and never go back to our old ways. Amen.
0 comments