We played the flute for you, but you did not dance

1 Tm 3,14-16; Ps 110; Lk 7,31-35
18 SEPTEMBER

The evils that attack the soul and the spirit of man when he is in sin are many: sloth, ignorance, spiritual deafness, indifference, apathy and suffocation of the truth. It is as if the man wore an impermeable armour to every grace of the Lord with these evils. The greatest evil is when we overcome the limits of sin, we sin against the Holy Spirit and we cannot go back anymore. One is on earth, but it is as if he were already damned. If sin cannot be forgiven, one is already standing on the trapdoor of hell. He only waits for death to come so that he flings down inside. In the examination of conscience that the Holy Spirit gives to the Bishops of Asia, one of them lives in great lukewarmness. The Lord says that he will vomit him out of his mouth. A heavy but true word, even if no one today believes in these statements of God.

“To the angel of the church in Laodicea, write this: ” ‘The Amen, the faithful and true witness, the source of God’s creation, says this: “I know your works; I know that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. 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. 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. Those whom I love, I reprove and chastise. Be earnest, therefore, and repent. ” ‘”Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, (then) I will enter his house and dine with him, and he with me. I will give the victor the right to sit with me on my throne, as I myself first won the victory and sit with my Father on his throne. ” ‘”Whoever has ears ought to hear what the Spirit says to the churches”‘” (Rev 3,14-22).

As sloth and indifference grow they are transformed into a fight against the truth. The very stages of muteness, deafness and blindness are overcome. There is a real fight against the Lord. Scribes, Pharisees, chief priests, elders of the people and Sadducees not to be disturbed by their miserable spiritual state accuse Jesus with all falsehood, lies and slander, coming to the point of declaring him a friend of Beelzebùl. In the end they accused him of blasphemy because he had told them, under oath, to be the Son of Man, according to Daniel’s prophecy. When we fall into sin, we know where we start from, but nobody knows where we end up. For many the end is in eternal perdition. This is why Jesus exhorts his disciples to make an effort to remain always on the narrow path of his Word, without ever leaving it. It’s easy to get out. It suffices to listen to a temptation. It is difficult to return to the way. This is why we are all obliged to pay all attention. Will we also get up again if we fall? Nobody knows. For this reason the Scripture also invites man to not add sin to sin, because he does not know whether he will be forgiven from the first. Attention is urgent.

“Then to what shall I compare the people of this generation? What are they like? They are like children who sit in the marketplace and call to one another, ‘We played the flute for you, but you did not dance. We sang a dirge, but you did not weep.’ For John the Baptist came neither eating food nor drinking wine, and you said, ‘He is possessed by a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking and you said, ‘Look, he is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ But wisdom is vindicated by all her children.”

John the Baptist is an austere person. In order not to be converted to his word, they say he is a demon. Can one be converted to one who speaks in the name of the devil? Never. Jesus comes, he is a person among men, he shares in their life, but always from the highest holiness. What do they say about him? That is a glutton and a drunkard. A friend of sinners and publicans. Can one be converted to a friend of sinners or some publicans? Never. If then He is also one who works in the name of Beelzebùl, can one be converted to one who attends Satan? Never. A slander, a lie and a falsehood are enough and the conscience can continue in its evil. But are not slanders, falsehood and lies the fruit of evil? Even a very small falsity is enough to reveal to us that we are not in the truth.

Mother of God, Angels and Saints arrange that we never fall into sin. It is the beginning of perdition.