Let nothing disturb you, let nothing frighten you. God alone is enough. ~Teresa of Avila
Acedia, boredom or apathy that leads to despair.
The desert monastics called it the noon-day devil, from Psalm 91:6, “the destruction that wastes at noonday.”
Acedia is also known as sloth, not as in lazy–acedia can hide behind frenetic activity–but as in spiritually paralyzed.
Acedia is one of the Eight Deadly Thoughts that divert us from the way of love.
The voice of acedia beckons when,
- your spiritual progress is slow,
- you discover all Christians are hypocrites,
- admired leaders fall from their pedestal,
- you pray, read your Bible and help others and feel only empty and dry,
- it takes more energy than you have to care.
Acedia is the rank, foggy bog of the spiritual journey. No stars glimmer above, no soft-green-grass comforts underfoot. You can’t see light ahead, and you can’t remember any good behind.
You see no reason to keep going. Your mind wanders, imagining a life with no demands, where all is safe, soft and sanitized and any effort you make is wildly applauded.
In some ways this is the New American dream–escape to a safe cocoon of gated, gratifying comfort. Years ago I noticed a billboard along the freeway, declaring, in large, bold letters, “Life isn’t meant to be painful.”
But it is painful, sometimes necessarily so. And when some Christian voices claim we can avoid suffering, that prosperity is our given right, acedia is whispering in the background.
The Only Antidote For Acedia
Only one word of advice is offered by the ancient church fathers: Resist. Resist the devil and he will flee from you (James 4:7)
Don’t listen. Stand firm. Commit. Stay constant. Keep walking through the fog and it will clear.
- If love may hurt you, love anyway.
- If prayer is un-rewarding, pray anyway.
- If everyone is a hypocrite, be genuine anyway.
- If you are weary of trying, try anyway.
- If one person can’t make a difference, make it anyway.
- If it’s hard to follow Christ, follow him anyway.
As Teresa of Avila reminds, when everything and everyone else fails, God alone is enough.
When are you most tempted to stop caring? What helps you recover your joy?
6 replies on “Sixth Deadly Thought: Acedia”
St. John of the Cross expands on this, among other spiritual maladies, in “The Dark Night of the Soul” that, of necessity, generally begins with the dark night of the senses. When nothing we are or do pokes us in our spiritual tickle spots, we’re left to either fret or revel in the exponentially greater work God is doing in us. This is a sin to which I am especially prone. It is closely related to your earlier post on melancholy, a demeanor for which I have a deep affinity (as a 4, of course!).
Interesting that the greater work of God in us is often when we are least aware of any progress.
Avoidance comes too easily. The dance to avoid. Avoidance of being vulnerable and involved.
.. I will trust and love, anyway.
Yes!
Once again Janet, like an arrow straight to the heart of the matter and yet it rushes toward its goal with grace.
Thanks, Rebecca. Great to “see” you here!