To All Clergy, Religious, and Faithful in Christ,
Beloved Brethren,
Grace and peace be unto you in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who said, “By this shall all men know that ye are My disciples, if ye have love one to another” (John 13:35).
Among the gravest yet most overlooked sins of our time is the sin of indifference—the coldness of heart that blinds humanity to the suffering of others, to injustice, and to the call of God Himself. While wars, poverty, and spiritual decay abound, multitudes turn away, content to remain spectators of pain rather than instruments of compassion. Yet to ignore the cry of the afflicted is to ignore Christ, Who declared, “Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to Me” (Matthew 25:45).
Indifference is an active rejection of love. It is the quiet voice that says, “It is not my concern,” when confronted with the needs of neighbour and the wounds of the world. It is the comfortable detachment that allows cruelty to prosper and truth to fade. The Lord warns in the Book of Revelation, “I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of My mouth” (Revelation 3:15–16). The tepid soul—content to neither serve evil nor oppose it—grieves the Holy Spirit.
Our life is to be one of action. Love must take flesh in mercy, faith must be proven by works, and prayer must issue forth in service. The one who passes by the wounded traveller on the road, excusing himself with pious words or self-interest, is no better than the priest and Levite whom the Saviour condemned by the example of the Good Samaritan. Every believer is called to see Christ in the poor, the lonely, the stranger, and the despised. To neglect them is to turn away from the very Presence of God.
We lament that a spirit of indifference has infected even the hearts of some of the faithful. The suffering of others is too often reduced to a spectacle, compassion to sentiment, and charity to convenience. The Gospel demands more. It calls for a love that costs, a compassion that acts, and a faith that endures. The indifferent Christian cannot claim fellowship with the Cross, for love crucified is never complacent.
Let every household, parish, and institution examine its conscience. Have we comforted the sorrowful, fed the hungry, defended the oppressed, or lifted the fallen? Have we prayed for those who suffer in silence, or have we turned away to preserve our own peace? Let us remember that indifference not only harms others—it hardens the heart until it can no longer hear the voice of God.
To awaken from this spiritual slumber, one must begin with repentance and prayer. The heart that prays earnestly for compassion will not remain cold. Acts of mercy, however small, kindle love anew. A kind word, a visit to the sick, an offering to the poor, or a stand for justice—all these are seeds of divine grace. The Lord does not ask for perfection of strength but for sincerity of heart. “Whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?” (1 John 3:17).
We therefore call upon all the faithful to reject the sin of indifference and to embrace the commandment of love in its fullness. Let the Church be known as a refuge of the broken, a voice of the voiceless, and a servant of the suffering. Let believers pray not only for their own salvation, but for the healing of the world through acts of mercy and courage.
May the Lord, Who alone can soften hearts of stone, pour His Spirit into us anew, that we may burn with compassion, labour for justice, and live as witnesses of His unbounded love. Then the darkness of apathy shall give way to the light of charity, and the world shall know that God is love.
Given this day under my hand and seal, at Nashville, Tennessee, this 14th day of October, in the Year of Our Lord 2025.
+ Mar Mattai