Father Albertus Herwanta, O. Carm
Today's gospel is the continuation of the last two Sundays. It is about the Kingdom of Heaven, which calls us to actively respond to it. We are not to be indifferent in front of it. Indifference is the purposeful and thoughtless decision to separate our God-given will from the ethical demands of justice and love; it is not mere neutrality.
It is the refusal to see the clear path God sets before us, treating the critical distinction between good and evil as if it were irrelevant. In Christian life, this apathy of the soul is particularly dangerous because it quietly surrenders our freedom to the currents of convenience, selfishness, and sin.
"Before man are life and death, good and evil, whichever he chooses shall be given him." (Sirach 15:17)
The scriptures starkly reject this passivity. Sirach 15:15-20 presents life as a fundamental choice placed before us: "If you choose, you can keep the command-ments… Before you are life and death; whichever you choose will be given to you."
Indifference foolishly tries to stand in the middle, ignoring that the refusal to choose for life is, in effect, a choice for death. Instead of the obedience that leads to prosperity, it claims that our freedom is for self-serving autonomy.
Jesus strongly emphasizes this challenge for active, purposeful discipleship in Matthew 5:17–37, eradicating any haven of complacency. He fulfils the Law by internalizing its demands to the extent of His heart's desire, and not by abolishing it.
It is not enough to not murder (a passive avoidance); we must actively pursue reconciliation (5:21-24). Not to commit adultery (a passive restraint) is not enough; we must actively guard our hearts from lust (5:27-30). Even in speech, a simple "yes" or "no" must be actively truthful, leaving no room for the indifferent evasion of oaths (5:33-37).
"Let your 'Yes' mean 'Yes,' and your 'No' mean 'No.' Anything more is from the evil one." (Matthew 5:37)
Jesus shows that true righteousness is proactive, engaging our whole person—heart, mind, and will—in a positive pursuit of God's kingdom.
The danger of indifference for the Christian is threefold. First, it corrupts our freedom.
We received freedom not for license but for love. Indifference allows this sacred faculty to atrophy, making us subservient to the path of least resistance. A church indifferent to anger, lust, deceit, or reconciliation within its ranks becomes a lukewarm body, indistinguishable from the world in its passive acceptance of broken relationships and injustice.
By implementing the Lord's advice to make wise decisions, we can avoid this sin. We are required to:
1. Acknowledge the binary:
Accept that before us are life and death, blessing and curse (Deuteronomy 30:19). Spiritual neutrality is an illusion.
2. Internalize the demand:
Move beyond a checklist of forbidden actions. Regularly examine our hearts—our anger, our contempt, our hidden lusts, our evasions—and actively cultivate their opposites: peace, respect, purity, and truthfulness.
3. Embrace proactive righteousness:
Translate avoidance into action. Don't just avoid enmity; seek reconciliation. Don't just avoid false oaths; be so truthful that your word alone is your bond. See every command as a call to pursue a positive good.
Our free will is the faculty to take life. Indifference is a slow form of "suicide." God offers fire and water before us; we cannot pretend they are the same. We must reach out, choose, and live. Have we consciously chosen life and rejected death? (*)