“I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of my mouth” (Revelations 3: 15-16).

Sloth, sometimes called acedia, is often described simply as the sin of laziness. However, while this is part of the manifestation of sloth, the central problem with sloth as a mortal sin is spiritual laziness — which leads to lukewarmness.

Sloth is connected with sensuality. It proceeds from a love of pleasure, in as much as it inclines us toward avoiding effort and hardship. There is in all of us a tendency to follow the line of least resistance, which paralyzes or lessens our activity.

Sloth is an inclination to idleness or at least to aimlessness, to apathy in action. At times, this is a morbid disposition due to a poor condition of health. More frequently, it is a disease of the will, which fears effort and recoils from it. The slothful person wants to escape all exertion, whatever might interfere with their comfort or involve fatigue.

Like a parasite, a slothful person lives on others to whatever extent they can, becoming gruff and ill-tempered when one tries to rouse them from their inaction.

There are various degrees of sloth. The indolent person takes up his task reluctantly and indifferently; what he does, he does badly. The sluggard does not absolutely refuse to work, but he delays and postpones indefinitely the accepted task. The truly lazy person wants to do nothing that proves irksome and shows a distinct aversion to all real work, whether physical or mental. The idea of right living inspires in him not joy but disgust, because of its laboriousness.

When sloth is related to spiritual exercises, it is called spiritual sloth. This consists of a certain dislike for things spiritual, which tends to make us negligent in the performance of our exercises of piety (prayer, the sacraments etc.), causes us to shorten them or to omit them altogether based on vain excuses.

The slothful man sins more or less grievously according to the obligations and duties he neglects. When he shuns matters of importance with regards to his duties of state, or goes so far as to neglect religious duties necessary to his salvation or sanctification, he commits a grievous fault.

A venial sin, however, is committed when he fails in civil or religious duties of lesser moment.

Indeed, this is what one finds in the soul of the slothful man. Where there should be virtues and charity one finds vices alongside crumbling walls, which mortification had raised to protect virtue.

As a result, temptation soon becomes more persistent and assailing: “For idleness has taught much evil” (Sirach: 33: 29). It was idleness and pride that destroyed Sodom (Ezech. 16: 49).

To remedy sloth, we need first of all to form in ourselves a strong conviction concerning the necessity to work; to make ourselves understand that both the rich and the poor come under this law, and that its infringement may involve eternal damnation.

If a person is rich and not obliged to work for himself, he must do so for others.

And, indeed, the opportunities are not lacking: how many poor need help, how many ignorant need instruction, how many broken hearts need mending, how many families need rearing to ensure, among other things, that the future of the children will be safeguarded!

Paul Kokoski
Ontario, Canada

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