It is said of a very wealthy but very homely woman, that she would not tolerate any mirrors in her home. She did not want to be reminded of her homeliness, and desired to give herself to the illusion that in appearance she was agreeable, without taking any chances of having this illusion destroyed by seeing her homeliness in a mirror.

There are millions of people today who refuse to look at themselves in the mirrors of their own conscience. They are perfectly satisfied with themselves. Yet, we know, that to be satisfied with oneself is to be mired down deeply in the rut of mediocrity. They are perfectly satisfied to be mediocre. All they want is to be considered as good as the other fellow. THIS IS THE SPIRIT OF THE WORLD AND THE WORLDLING!!

Now there are two kinds of worldly-minded people. The first is the one who practically ignores the existence of God, who is addicted to false pleasures, and the profane joys and criminal intrigues which the world sanctions, but which God condemns; one who is not mortified and does not know what it is to check his passions. One who hates Christ in his soul because the life of Christ rebukes him. All of us should be familiar with the picture.

The other type of worldling is the one who calls himself Christian, but is only Christian through fear of God; who commits no grave sins but goes as far in venial sins as he possibly can.

One who likes the world and half wishes that there were no Heaven but the world. One who is often seen in places of public amusement, but very seldom in the house of God. One who is often seen in the public streets ministering to his own vanity, but is never seen in places ministering to the poor of Christ. One who thinks that religion – that is, much prayer and frequent reception of the Sacraments – is a very good thing for children, but is scarcely fitting for men. One who does not know how God can be pleased with fasting, and who goes to confession but makes no serious resolutions to avoid the sins in the future. One who is fond of joking about the holiest things and is a constant reader of the corruption of the day. One who would think it a very hard penance to be asked to read a page of the "Lives of the Saints" or "The Imitation of Christ". He looks like the strangest of all creations, a Catholic worldling. A Catholic who declares himself a follower of Christ, and yet is a follower of the world which Christ abhorred.

Devotion to the Sacred Heart is one sure antidote to this poison of lukewarmness, indifference, tepidity, or whatever you want to call it. The seventh promise of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is explicit on this point: "I will make indifferent souls fervent."

No man can long cultivate a love for the Heart of Christ and remain indifferent in the spiritual life. By his love for the Sacred Heart, he will scrutinize every daily action to note if it conforms to the dictates of God’s Law. Through his love for the Heart of the God-Man he will be given the grace to appreciate the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, to attend it with greater love and devotion; to receive the Sacraments with greater frequency; to practice charity in thought, word, and deed, and to say prayers with greater attention.

I am speaking on lukewarmness this morning and the promise of the Sacred Heart to help all those who are lukewarm to overcome this evil. A priest has a lot of unpleasant things to do and one of these is to constantly point out faults which all of us have to a greater or lesser degree and to help you through sermons to lead better lives. It has been said that the priest ought to be a lion in the pulpit and a lamb in the confessional. I can’t be a lion without getting a bit rough at times. You cannot and must not believe that there is any personal animosity in what I say. The Priest must fight for the laws of God and God’s laws are not, as a rule, easy.