Tag: acedia
St. Benedict’s advice for beating the blues
Acedia has two remedies, one is psalmody. As to the other… A while back, for whatever reason, I was most uncharacteristically doing battle with the devilish little megrim that is acedia. Actually, “doing battle” sounds romantic and pro-active. It would be more accurate to say I have been whining, and sitting before my oratory with… Read More ›
The noonday devil (Acedia) and the experience of nothingness
When ask to respond to the invitation to describe the ‘Cistercian charism’ specific to our Order as you desire to live it out in your community? My spontaneous response was this: “I believe that Lectio Divina is at the heart of our charism. Without it, our lives can become too scattered and we can lose… Read More ›
You may be suffering from acedia — and it’s deadly
It’s been described as the sin of our day, and we need to set about rooting it out In connection with the Memorial of Saint Bernard (August 20), First Things reposted this article about the deadly sin of acedia, which Bernard and other writers in the monastic tradition regarded as “the noonday devil” of Psalm… Read More ›
St. Benedict Knew How to Beat the Blues
A while back, for whatever reason, I was most uncharacteristically doing battle with the devilish little megrim that is acedia. Actually, “doing battle” sounds romantic and pro-active. It would be more accurate to say I have been whining, and sitting before my oratory with nothing but a keening emptiness in my heart and mind and… Read More ›
The devil lurks in the middle of our day
Beware the Noonday Bandit There are many places in our lives the devil lurks. Perhaps he’s not under every rock, but at least every other. One of the most dangerous places he awaits us is smack dab in the middle of our day. At noontime, our morning prayer is wearing off and physical and spiritual… Read More ›
Grab a Rosary and Beat Acedia
How to beat the spiritual disease of ‘acedia’: grab a rosary and go for a walk Acedia was first identified by [John Cassian] – perils to the soul haven’t changed much over the centuries. We know that Pope Francis talks about “the peripheries” a lot in his homilies. I took this to mean those on the margins of… Read More ›
Acedia: Spiritual Weariness
Originally one of Evagrius’ and Cassian’s eight principal logismoi, acedia came to be included among the medieval seven deadly sins. Although generally translated as “sloth”, the terms “apathy” or “spiritual weariness” are closer to the original meaning. Thomas Aquinas (d. 1274) cited John Damascene’s definition of acedia as “weariness in the face of work” (Sum.Theol…. Read More ›
Towards Eternal Life
Happiness consists in knowing what you want, and then knowing you have it, or you are on the way to getting it. What we want is God. Our hearts will not rest, until they rest in you, O Lord [1]. Our minds seek infinite truth. Our hearts are made for infinite love. The purpose of… Read More ›
Balance in the Rule
. . . The important thing, and it is what Benedict warns of, is the monastic vice of acedia. Apathetic is the word in English, but the Latin word is acediosus (RB 48:18). The monk has lost the zeal that is looked for in the new man coming to the monastery [1]. The man truly… Read More ›
Towards Eternal Life
Happiness consists in knowing what you want, and then knowing you have it, or you are on the way to getting it. What we want is God. Our hearts will not rest, until they rest in you, O Lord [1]. Our minds seek infinite truth. Our hearts are made for infinite love. The purpose of… Read More ›