I think one of the most challenging Scripture verses is in the book of Revelation where Christ admonishes us in our lukewarmness of the spiritual life and good works: "So, because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth." (Revelation 3:16)
As hard as it may be to face, if this impediment to fervent love for God is not fended against, one's lukewarmness in the spiritual life will ultimately result in a rejection by God.
This should challenge us and the modern psuedo-Christian mentality that plagues us in which most Christians assume heaven is an easy and generally-applied reward to most people.
People suffer from spiritual tepidity more than they realize; it infects especially those who attend Mass regularly - even daily, those who pray every day, are involved in their parish churches, and are in a general practicing their faith. In fact, those who do the former are actually more at risk of this spiritual disease which stops one's growth in holiness and love of God. What makes spiritual tepidity so atrocious and displeasing to God is that lukewarmness causes one to be blind to it and not even realize they're suffering from it: It cripples God's faithful hence God despises it.
Those who regularly practice their faith and consider themselves practicing Catholics should be most on guard against this spiritual malady which leads to death.
I recently listened to an incredibly inspiring 20-minute talk on Youtube called "Impediments to holiness." The priest listed a handful of common "impediments" that hold us back from growing closer to God and our love of Him as well as "stall us" in our call to holiness. I will basically transcribe what he spoke about spiritual lukewarmness or tepidity.
What is spiritual tepidity?
It is a defect in one's spiritual life where one "stalls out" because he is complacent with where he is at in his spiritual life. "Complacent" comes from a Latin root which means "to be pleased with." So a person who is complacent with how they're practicing their faith and the state of their soul doesn't really care to advance in holiness because they're content with where they are at. As a result, they tend to think "Well, I'm not sinning gravely so I'm fine and doing pretty good" or "I'm not that bad of a person...it's not like I'm committing serious sins." These people tend to take joy in the idea that they're probably going to be saved and going to heaven. This is the sin of presumption. The Catechism of the Catholic Church further explains:
"2091 The first commandment is also concerned with sins against hope, namely, despair and presumption:
By despair, man ceases to hope for his personal salvation from God, for help in attaining it or for the forgiveness of his sins. Despair is contrary to God's goodness, to his justice - for the Lord is faithful to his promises - and to his mercy.
2092 There are two kinds of presumption. Either man presumes upon his own capacities, (hoping to be able to save himself without help from on high), or he presumes upon God's almighty power or his mercy (hoping to obtain his forgiveness without conversion and glory without merit)."
Those who suffer from spiritual lukewarmness take no strides and little effort in ridding their lives of their venial sins ...often because they're attached to them (or kind of enjoy them). Venial sins are those "smaller sins" which diminish or wound the love of God in a soul. They are lesser than mortal sins which is referenced as "deadly sins" in Sacred Scripture. Mortal sins destroy the charity and love of God in a soul completely; a person who commits mortal sin does not live in a state of sanctifying grace anymore because they have so gravely offended the love of God. Mortal sin is remedied only through the Sacrament of Confession.
Tepedity in the end results in a rejection by God if we do not convert our hearts to God and do our part to leave this state (see Revelation 3:16).
St. Alphonsus Liguori noted of lukewarm souls that "often they find themselves without fervor, varied and wandering in their devotions and devout exercises."
Fr. John Croiset who wrote a book on the Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus wrote:
"A tepid soul is in a state of blindness because of the passions which tyrannize it, by the continual dissipation in which it lives by the multitude of venial sins which it continues to commit, and because of the withdrawal of the grace from heaven brought onto it by its resistance and lack of concern for progress.
The blindness also causes people to form a false conscience, causing people to remain in venial sin for many years because they have neither the will nor the courage to correct themselves. Tepid souls, therefore, are rarely cured if they do not acknowledge this blindness in them. They tend to commit sins which are interior and of the heart; they have more of the exterior sins under control, but they still sin interiorly by judging people, getting angry, holding grudges, detracting or thinking ill thoughts of things or people and in general lack control over their interior life. The most solid devotions are useless to the tepid soul and he draws almost no fruit from them and sometimes may get so familiar with them that it breeds contempt."
Signs of Spiritual Tepidity
Negligence in spiritual exercises and devotions.
Prayers without attention.
Confessions and asking God's forgiveness without amendment and change in life.
Attendance of Mass and reception of Holy Communion without preparation beforehand and little or no fervor or thanksgiving after Mass and receiving Holy Communion. Inattentive and willful wandering mind or "daydreaming" during Mass.
Continual dissipation of spirit which is scarcely attentive to self or God. They do not keep watch over their sins, faults, and passions.
Become engrossed indifferently in all kind of objects and occupies itself in trifles; becomes overconcerned with worldly things and distractions.
Perverse habit of doing actions without any interior spirit and takes no pains against its disordered passions, self-love, and human esteem it secretly seeks.
Sloth, laziness and lack of care in acquiring virtue proper to one's state in life, never overcoming their defects and acquiring virtue.
Disgust for spiritual things and indifference to the great virtues, especially humility. These souls typically suffer from acadia or spiritual sloth which St. Thomas Aquinas defines as a type of sorrow or resentment to those things which are arduous. This person doesn't want to put aside his pleasure or complacency in order to pursue what is arduous for their good and salvation. In other words, they have a distaste for spiritual things because spiritual things (even as basic as persistent daily prayer) are hard and difficult and require discipline.
They have a deep-seated and hidden love for themselves above God and show signs of contempt or anger when confronted with any kind of contradiction, difficultly or challenge in the spiritual life or their moral behavior. If they are lacking anything, their laments are raised to heaven. If those around them ask them of things that don't please them, they murmur in complaint. If anyone criticizes or humiliates them, they become angry at them or even enemies with them.
The souls that experience these things have been stopped in their progress to holiness. They neglect smaller things in the spiritual life which leads to the greater things. They neglect to say their prayers with attention and devotion, or they tend to neglect prayer altogether.
Causes of Tepidity
Refusal to make the sacrfices which are asked of them by God either by inspirations of grace or by their state in life or life's circumstances at that time.
Tepidity is a result and a state of habitual negligence. These souls do not want themselves to be "stretched" by God because one neglects the spirtual life and sees it of no primary importance in daily life.
Allevity of spirit where a person does not see the seriousness, gravity, and importance of God and the condition of their soul.
Spiritual sloth and laziness which leads to an abandonment of spiritual warfare and battling against their defects and sins. They tend to do nothing about their predominant faults. They tend toward derision, insults, murmur and detraction against the reputation of others; very often they murmur or detract against people who are holy; they are bothered by people who are ardent in God's love.
Remedies to Lukewarmness
One has to make a resolution at all costs to escape and leave behind this miserable state of lukewarmness. It's a matter of choice of the will and they must be strong in it.
Removal of the near occasions of falling into venial sins, especially their most predominant one. If they don't, there's little hope of amending their lives. It is necessary to avoid the near occasions of sin. For example, if one tends to gossip when in the company of another particular person, they must take pains to avoid putting themselves around this person.
Constant recommendation of oneself to God asking to be delivered from this tepid state.
Praying the Act of Charity every day. It will help inflame the heart to dot he will of God rather than just be slothful.
Practicing Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in which one of Christ's promises is to make tepid souls fervent.
I don't know about you, but all of these points on spiritual lukewarmness have shed light on things for me and have challenged me further. What about you?
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us and save us from spiritual tepidity!