Seven Killer Thoughts Acedia and Love (Charity) May 24, 2020
We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised. Hebrews 6:12
How Acedia is Deadly!
Evagrius Ponticus: Acedia, which is also called the noonday demon, is the most burdensome of all the demons. It besets the monk at about the fourth hour (10 am) of the morning, encircling his soul until about the eighth hour (2 pm). [1] First it makes the sun seem to slow down or stop moving, so that the day appears to be fifty hours long. [2] Then it makes the monk keep looking out of his window and forces him to go bounding out of his cell to examine the sun to see how much longer it is to 3 o’clock, and to look round in all directions in case any of the brethren is there. [3] Then it makes him hate the place and his way of life and his manual work. It makes him think that there is no charity left among the brethren; no one is going to come and visit him. [4] If anyone has upset the monk recently, the demon throws this in too to increase his hatred. [5] It makes him desire other places where he can easily find all that he needs and practice an easier, more convenient craft. After all, pleasing the Lord is not dependent on geography, the demon adds; God is to be worshipped everywhere. [6] It joins to this the remembrance of the monk’s family and his previous way of life, and suggests to him that he still has a long time to live, raising up before his eyes a vision of how burdensome the ascetic life is. So, it employs, as they say, every [possible] means to move the monk to abandon his cell and give up the race. No other demon follows on immediately after this one but after its struggle the soul is taken over by a peaceful condition and by unspeakable joy.
A waterless cloud is chased away by a wind, a mind without perseverance by the spirit of acedia... A person afflicted with acedia proposes visiting the sick, but is fulfilling his own purpose. A monk given to acedia is quick to undertake a service, but considers his own satisfaction to be a precept. A light breeze bends a feeble plant; a fantasy about a trip away drags off the person overcome with acedia. The force of the wind does not shake a well-rooted tree; acedia does not bend the soul that is firmly established.
Proverbs 10:4 Lazy hands make for poverty, but diligent hands bring wealth.
Proverbs 12:27 The lazy do not roast any game, but the diligent feed on the riches of the hunt.
Proverbs 26:15 A sluggard buries his hand in the dish; he is too lazy to bring it back to his mouth.
Distracted in my Own Head
Distracted because it’s all about me!
Distracted by how others treat me!
Distracted because I wish I were someplace else!
Distracted by the “Good Old Days!”
John Cassian- Acedia, described metaphorically as a fever, takes possession of the afflicted one’s mind causing disgust for one’s location, contempt for one’s community of faith, and robs one of the motivation or ability to complete the work, reading, or prayers entrusted to them.
How Charity (Love) Brings Life
Charity- willful love for God and all others Love- Desiring and willing the highest good for the one loved
Hebrews 6:9 Even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are convinced of better things in your case—the things that have to do with salvation. 10 God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. 11 We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, so that what you hope for may be fully realized. 12 We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.
Because it is about love—accepting God’s love for us and the cost of loving him back—acedia earns its place among the seven capital vices, or deadly sins. We are made for love. To resist it is to deny who we are. In their reluctance to die to the old self, those with acedia choose slow spiritual suffocation to the birth pains of new life. They cannot fully accept the only thing that would ultimately bring them joy. They refuse the thing they most desire, and they turn away from the only thing that can bring them life. RKD
Aquinas- In effect, acedia is a sin against charity in two ways, which meet in reality. On the one hand, acedia is a sin against the joy that springs from charity; it is sadness against what ought to gladden us most: participation in the very life of God. On the other hand, acedia is a sin against charity when it crushes or paralyzes activity, because then it affects the deepest motive force of activity, namely, charity, the participation of the Holy Spirit.
Puts My Attention on God
Puts My Attention on Serving Others
Puts My Attention on Giving My Best Right Now
Puts My Attention on Hope for the Future
Follow Through Readings May 25-31, 2020
Life has always been full of distractions and is now more than ever. Here are some passages that help us keep focused on what is most important and eternal.
PASSAGE PRAYER
MONDAY Psalm 1 Missionaries of the Week: Doug and Diane Shindler- CRU
TUESDAY Joshua 1:8 Ministry of the Week: Men’s Ministry- Pastor Matthew
WEDNESDAYProverbs 1 Those more Vulnerable to Covid-19
THURSDAY Matthew 6:19-34 Our High School and College Graduates
FRIDAY John 15 Friends and Family Traveling
SATURDAY Romans 7:14-25 That we can gather again- SOON
SUNDAY Ephesians 4:17-31 Worshipping Together in our Homes