Saturday, January 19, 2008

Capital sins: sloth or acedia...

One common vice I accuse myself of is acedia. It helps to talk about it. Here are some thoughts from the Catechismus Catholicae Ecclesiae section entitled The Battle of Payer:

"Two frequent temptations threaten prayer: lack of faith and acedia - a form of depression stemming from lax ascetical practice that leads to discouragement. "

"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, carelesness of heart. 'The spirit is indeed willing, but the flesh is weak.' The greater the height, the harder the fall. Painful as discouragement is, it is the reverse of presumption. The humble are not surprised by their distress; it leads them to trust more, to hold fast in constancy."

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

We do have to "fight for time to pray"

and turn off the TV, and computer

Danda