by Joannie Watson | March 28, 2025 1:00 am
When we think of the deadly sin of sloth, we probably think of laziness. And while it could manifest itself in that way (laziness is a sin, and is radically different than leisure), it particularly refers to laziness in the things of God. The sin of sloth is a lack of drive and perseverance when it comes to the spiritual life.
In the original list of deadly sins by the fourth century desert monk Evagrius Ponticus, he referred to the sin as acedia. He dubbed it the “demon of noontide,” in reference to Psalm 91. Writing for monks, he describes the experience in the middle of the day when they were tempted to restlessness, distraction in prayer, a longing for their former life, and even an aversion to their cell.
The sin is not restricted to monks in cells.
In fact, it might be one of the most prevalent sins of our day. How often are we tempted to avoid the hard things of our vocation? To give into distraction? To do anything else but sit in silent prayer?
Interestingly, unlike the other deadly sins, sloth or acedia is a sin of omission. It is found not necessarily in doing something, but in not doing something. And while it might look like sitting on the couch all day watching TV, it also might look like the exactly opposite: extreme busyness, activism, and preoccupation. It might manifest in my life when I fill my life with going here, going there, doing this, doing that…at the cost of neglecting my spiritual life or the crosses of my vocation.
Notre Dame football coach Marcus Freeman has a saying: Choose hard. I think that encapsulates the fight against sloth. When we’re tempted to choose comfort over the cross, pleasure over sacrifice, sin over virtue… choose hard. It doesn’t mean that we have to be working every minute – in fact, for many of us, silence and rest and prayer might be the “hard” we are called to choose at that moment!
Sloth might manifest in my life as procrastination. I know what I need to do at work or at home, but it’s so much easier to decide to do it tomorrow. Just like that monk who is tempted to take a nap at noon or even go home to his family, you are probably being tempted when faced with the hard stuff of your vocation–do it later, make someone else do it, or just phone it in.
And what about my prayer life? Even if I am not a monk in the desert, I am still called to a deep, personal relationship with God that requires daily prayer. We can be so committed to other things in life – advancing in our career, being the best parent we can be, reaching our goals–are we working with the same passion to be holy? Are we setting goals for our spiritual life? Are we passionate about our relationship with God? Or are we putting it off until tomorrow…or worse, the end of our lives?
Prayer is hard. The Catechism actually refers to it as a battle. It requires perseverance!
And remember, you need help with this. You aren’t going to conquer this noonday demon by yourself. Even when you don’t feel like praying, throw up a plea to God that you need help.
Photo by Priscilla Du Preez 🇨🇦[1] on Unsplash[2]
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