Acedia – Ακηδία(6th Evil Thought)

Sloth / Negligence / Distraction / Despondency / Listlessness / Indifference /

Laziness / Boredom / Depression / Fatigue / Exhaustion / Torpor / Tedium /

Inattention/Procrastination/ Restlessness /

Can be defined as :

- To be without care- Dispersion of thoughts- Being immersed in useless activity- Not being concerned with one’s position in the

world- Unable to perform one’s duties in life- A state of restlessness and inability either to work

or to pray- Spiritual apathy

Acedia

Best described as:

- Not doing things we know we are supposed to do

- Doing what you are not supposed to do

Acedia - Ascetism

-Originally noted as a problem among monks and other ascetics who maintained a solitary life

Acedia and Depression

- Related but also distinct from depression- State of spiritual listlessness can easily be

confused with clinical depression

St. John’s Ladder of Divine Ascent

Step Thirteen: Tedium of the spirit

Tedium is a paralysis of the soul, a slackness of the mind, a neglect of religious exercises, a hostility to vows taken. It is an approval of worldly things

Ascending the Heights

Very often, it [acedia] begins as a loss of a sense of purpose and ends in despair and spiritual death. Father John Mack

Acedia and Me (Kathleen Norris)

It [acedia] is that strange laziness and passivity of our entire being which always pushes us “down“ rather than “up“ – which constantly convinces us that no change is possible and therefore desirable. It is in fact a deeply rooted cynicism which to every spiritual challenge responds “what for?“ and makes our life one tremendous spiritual waste. It is the root of all sin because it poisons the spiritual energy at its very source.

First Things - Fighting the Noonday Devil ( by R.R. Reno)

Most of us want to be left alone so that we can get on with our lives. Most of us want to be safe. We want to find a cocoon, a spiritually, psychologically, economically, and physically gated community in which to live without danger or disturbance. The carefree life, a life a-cedia (without care) is our cultural idea. Pride may be at the root of all evil, but in our day , the trunk, branches, and leaves of evil are characterized by a belief that moral responsibility, spiritual effort, and religious disciple are empty burdens, ineffective and archaic demands that cannot lead us forward, inaccessible ideals that, even if we believe in them, are beyond our capacity.

Evagrius

Praktikos:12. The demon of 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.

Evagrius

[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.

Evagrius

[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 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.

Evagrius

[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.

Evagrius

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.

Case Study: Unsatisfied with daily work life

Praktikos (12) Example Antirrhetikos (6)(1) First it makes the sun seem to slow down or stop moving , so that the day appears to be fifty hours long.

Employees’ daily work days appear very slow.

(25) Against the thought of acedia that paints for us images of a long time and a year of bitter living -.+ Ps 102:15 As for man, his days are as grass; as a flower of the field, shall he flourish

(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.

Employees distracts himself surfing the internet (cbc, cnn, facebook), goes out for longer lunches than usual, watches the clock to see how long is left until the work day is over and continuously needs to keep watch over his shoulder in case any coworkers are walking by his office (because he is surfing the internet)

(25) Against the thought of acedia that paints for us images of a long time and a year of bitter living -. + Ps 102:15 As for man, his days are as grass; as a flower of the field, shall he flourish

Case Study: Unsatisfied with daily work life

(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.

Begins to hate his work environment and the tasks he was assigned.

(1)For the demonic [tempting-] thought of acedia that hates the manual labor lying before it, resolving to learn a more profitable and easier trade.+ Gen 3:19 In the sweat of your face ou shall eat your bread until you return to the earth out of which you have been taken; for you are earth, and to earth you shall return

(4) If anyone has upset the monk recently, the demon throws this in too to increase his hatred

Temporary manager modified the workers priorities; coworker got upset and this increased his hatred for his job. Temporary supervisor unhappy with the way co-worker responded to a small operational crisis and this increased co-workers hatred for his job.

(30) For the thought of acedia that accuses the brethren of having no love, and of not wanting to console the sick and exhausted.+ Prv 18:1. The person who wishes to separate from friends seeks excuses; but at all times he will be liable to reproach

Case Study: Unsatisfied with daily work life

(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.

Begin thinking of changing jobs, or changing career paths because he thinks this will bring about a positive change.

(15) For the unhappy soul that suffers from acedia and seeks out other places to live+ Ps 36:34 Wait on the Lord and keep to His way, and he shall exalt you to inherit the land; when the wicked are destroyed you shall see it.

(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.

Employee could start thinking about a previous job that was more enjoyable, school was more enjoyable, etc…

(25) Against the thought of acedia that paints for us images of a long time and a year of bitter living -.+ Ps 102:15 As for man, his days are as grass; as a flower of the field, shall he flourish(6) For the soul that takes in thoughts of acedia if the body is afflicted with a mild illness:+ Deu 7:15 15 The Lord shall remove from you all sickness; and none of the evil diseases of Egypt which you have seen, and all that you have known, will he lay upon you but he will lay them upon all who hate you.

Case Study: Unsatisfied with daily work life

Once the employee began to seek help, he began to LOVE his job and was able to reverse all the negative behaviour outlined above. This implies that the job was NOT the problem (since the job did not change) but rather the employees PERCEPTION of the job was the problem.

Remedies

Elder Pimen said: ``Once, someone asked elder Païsios: What should I do for my soul which is insensitive and does not fear God?``. Elder Païsios answered: ``Befriend a man that fears God, and by being close to him, you will also learn to fear God``.

RemediesElder Sylvan had a disciple at Skete called Marc, who showed great obedience. He was a calligrapher and the Elder loved him very much for his obedience. Elder Sylvan also had eleven other disciples, who were saddened by the fact their Elder loved Marc more than them.Upon learning this, other elders of Skete where also saddened and came to Elder Sylvan to reproach him. Thus, Elder Sylvan took the elders to the cell of his eleven disciples and knocked on each door saying ``Brother, come out I need your help ``. None of his disciple came out immediately. Elder Sylvan arrived and Marc’s cell, knocked on his door and shouted his name. When he heard his elder’s voice, Marc immediately got up and came to his Elder, who then asked him to do a certain task. Upon seeing this, Elder Sylvan asked the other Elders: ``Where are the other disciples?``. They then entered in Marc’s cell and picked up his notebook. They notice that Marc started to write down the letter omega, but upon hearing the voice of his elder he didn’t have time to complete it. Thus, the elders exclaimed: ``truly, the one that you love, we also love, for God loves him``.

Remedies

One day, Elder Bané asked Elder Abraham: ``Does a man, who is like Adam in Paradise, still need to seek advice from others?``. He answered him: ``Yes, because if Adam had asked the angels if he should eat from the tree, they would have said no!``.

RemediesThere was talk about a man in a village that was such a great faster that they gave him the name ``The Faster``. Elder Zénon heard of this man and decided to meet him. The Faster came to him joyfully. They prayed and then sat down. Elder Zénon started to work in silence. Not being able to converse with him, the Faster was tempted with the thought of acedia. He told the Elder: ``Elder, pray for me for I want to leave``. The Elder asked him why? He replied:``Because my heart is on fire and I do not know why. In fact, when I was in the village, I would fast until the evening and nothing like this would happen``. The elder told him: ``in the village you fed yourself with your ears. Now go, and eat only at the ninth hour, and whatever you do, do so in secret``. He did as the elder told him and painfully awaited the ninth hour. All who knew the Faster would say: ``the Faster is possessed by a demon``. He then came back to the elder who told him: ``This is God’s will``.

Remedies

If evil thoughts persist in your mind, do not hide them, but tell them immediately to your spiritual father. The more we hide our thoughts, the more they become fierce and multiply. It is like a snake: coming out of his whole, it flees right away. Thus, the evil thought leaves our mind when we reveal it.But if we hide it, it is like a worm in a tree; it destroys the heart. Whoever reveals his thoughts is healed at once, but the one who hides them is ill of pride. (unknown elder)

Remedies

Elder Pimen said: ``the will of man is a bronze wall between him and God``(Jeremiah 1:18). It is a rock that creates an obstacle. If you turn your back to this egoistic will, you also say: ``With God I will jump the great wall`` (Psalm 17, 30). But if the search for justice goes along with your will, it is that man is ill.

Remedies

One day, four brothers from Skete, clothed with animals’ skin, came to find the great Pambo. Each one of them mentions to him the good actions of his brother (his brother not being present). The first fasts a lot. The second is poor. The third is very charitable and the fourth has been obedient to an elder for twenty two years.Elder Pambo answers them: ``I tell you that the fourth brother has the greatest virtue. In fact, each brother possessed the virtue he wanted to possess. But the fourth one rejected his own egoistic will, and did according to the will of his elder. Men like him are martyrs if they persevere until the end``.

Remedies

• A monk once said to elder Pimen: ``I have committed a great sin and I want a penance that will last three years. The Elder told him:``that is too long``. The monk answers back: ``at least for a year``. The Elder answered him again: ``that is too long``. The people who were present exclaimed: ``forty days``. But the elders answered again:``that is too long``. He then added:``I tell you that if a man repents with all his heart and does not repeat his sin, three days is enough for God to welcome him``.

Remedies

Praktikos, Chap. 6There are eight generic [tempting] thoughts (logismoi) that contain within themselves every [tempting] thought: first is that of gluttony; and with it, sexual immorality; third, love of money; fourth, sadness; fifth, anger; sixth acedia; seventh, vainglory; eighth, pride. Whether these thoughts are able to disturb the soul or not is not up to us; but whether they linger or not and whether they arouse passions or not; that is up to us.