Deadly Acedia (Ex 23:23) by Bishop Paprocki

20 Apr Deadly Acedia (Ex 23:23) by Bishop Paprocki

See, I am sending an angel before you, to guard you on the way and bring you to the place I have prepared. ~ Ex 23:23
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Reflection:  The greatest obstacle to success is sloth.  The capital sin of sloth refers to a spiritual sluggishness also known as acedia, which refuses the joy that comes from God and is repelled by divine goodness.  The word acedia (pronounced ə-sē’dē-ə) captures the more profound meaning of the spiritual reality than the commonly-used word sloth.  The reason acedia is so deadly is that this capital sin creates a void at the center of our being that we try to fill with transitory rushes of pleasure—primarily sexual—hence, its connection to other deadly sins such as lust and vices such as pornography.  But these pleasures can never fill the void created by the loss of our transcendent calling to the love and friendship of God.  That is why such vices are so addictive, because they never leave us satisfied, and this vicious circle of unfulfilled compulsion ultimately leads to acedia’s most dangerous offshoot: despair.  The devil uses the despair of acedia to tempt us to doubt our ability to achieve our aspirations, whether that is to fight abortion effectively or to finish a marathon successfully.  That is why we need the help of our Holy Guardian Angels to lead us and to guard us from the onslaughts of the Evil One.
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Pray LIFE Runners Creed to end abortion.  
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All In Christ for Pro-Life,
+Bishop Paprocki
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* Bishop Thomas John Paprocki is the Bishop of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois.