“Betrayal! Betrayal!
Many of My people
are betraying Me with kisses!
They sing My name and praise Me,
professing their love for Me,
but they hate me in the stranger,
in their enemies and neighbors,
in the poor and in the migrant,
and in those they consider undeserving.
They have given their hearts
for wealth, for war, for boastfulness,
and for leaders who promise them power.
They proclaim My name from the mountaintops,
and then bow down to another
to gain the kingdoms of the earth.
They call Me ‘Lord, Lord’
but they do not know My heart
for they scorn My commands
and reject My ways,
blaspheming My spirit
by calling it the enemy.
Woe! Woe to them!
Woe to those who sing My praises
and betray Me with kisses!
It would have been better
if they had never known My name
than to have rebelled against My commands!
Weep! Weep, My faithful servants!
Weep for them and pray—
pray for their repentance!”
*****
Art: “Lord, Lord”
