Sloth
Most people associate sloth with laziness. But your garden variety
laziness probably doesn’t rise to the level of sin, much less
a deadly sin. After all, we’re all lazy now and again. So what
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is the deadly sin of sloth?
Sloth, or acedia (from the Greek a absence + kedos care), is a spiritual
malady. The Catechism of the Catholic Church mentions sloth as an
offense against God’s love. “Acedia or spiritual sloth goes so far as to
refuse the joy that comes from God and to be repelled by divine goodness.”
(CCC 2094)
Sloth as a deadly sin is indifference – to God, to prayer, to caring for
one’s spiritual well-being. The causes for sloth are many, like laziness,
boredom, the constant need to be entertained and much more. And sloth
can creep up on one. Skip Mass once (a mortal sin), then occasionally,
then frequently, then stop going altogether, then stop praying…you
know how the cycle goes. And it seems there’s always an excuse. Too
busy, too tired, “don’t get fed”, disinterested, and on and on. That’s how
sloth works.
In its section on The Battle of Prayer, the Catechism says this: “Another
temptation, to which presumption opens the gate, is acedia. The spiritual
writers understand by this a form of depression due to lax ascetical
practice, decreasing vigilance, carelessness of heart. ‘The spirit indeed is
So sloth may be thought of as lukewarmness. Jesus warns against this in
Revelation 3, and the consequences are dire. “I know your works. I know
that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either cold or hot. So,
because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my
mouth.” (Revelation 3:15-16)
For further study:
CCC 1866, 2094, 2733