Do you commit the sin of wasting time?

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Tantum_ergo said:
Maybe what I said hurt somebody and if I’d said it better, they wouldn’t have been hurt. Maybe what I said confused somebody and if I’d been more careful and less ‘amusing’, they wouldn’t be confused. Maybe what I said annoyed somebody and kept them ‘further away’ from the truth just because they were annoyed with ME, and if I’d been more thoughtful, they might have come closer to the truth instead.
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yes, our fingers can be like loaded guns firing at the unwary. I have written so many dodgy things on forums over the years that I have a bit of a guilt complex over it. 😊 I supposed we will be judged on what we write as much as on what we say face to face. That is a sobering thought 😦
 
Nick9 said:
I can echo this idea, distracted. I am almost to the point where I am thinking: God doesn’t want me to anything for Him particularly, so just chill out! I am guessing that His will will be revealed in His time and not by my nagging Him. :rolleyes:
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Where we are right at the present moment, is where we need to ask…how can I help others Lord, where I am? How can I do your will Lord, where you have me right now? It’s easy to think that we are meant for something else…but the saints were really doing extraordinary things, in their very ordinary lives.😉
 
whatevergirl said:
Where we are right at the present moment, is where we need to ask…how can I help others Lord, where I am? How can I do your will Lord, where you have me right now? It’s easy to think that we are meant for something else…but the saints were really doing extraordinary things, in their very ordinary lives.😉
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I like this idea. How do you want me to serve you right here, right now? Thanks 🙂 It reminds me of Mother Theresa who said to the businessman who had come to help her: go back and grow where you are planted 👍
 
Nick9 said:
I like this idea. How do you want me to serve you right here, right now? Thanks 🙂 It reminds me of Mother Theresa who said to the businessman who had come to help her: go back and grow where you are planted 👍
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Yep!👍

It helped me to see that in my ordinary life, God requires of me great and saintly things. In the mundane and perhaps very repetitive lives that we lead day in and day out–are graces poured down upon us to touch others lives with the love of Christ.
 
whatevergirl said:
Yep!👍

It helped me to see that in my ordinary life, God requires of me great and saintly things. In the mundane and perhaps very repetitive lives that we lead day in and day out–are graces poured down upon us to touch others lives with the love of Christ.
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that reminds me of St Therese of Liseaux and her Little Way. Also, I was thinking today about our enemies and how they provide for us all the penances we need if we use them as we should (I have a thread started on it, but it is obviously not a popular topic!)

God bless you 🙂
 
Nick9 said:
that reminds me of St Therese of Liseaux and her Little Way. Also, I was thinking today about our enemies and how they provide for us all the penances we need if we use them as we should (I have a thread started on it, but it is obviously not a popular topic!)

God bless you 🙂
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Mothere Teresa also had a way with these types of topics…she would say…‘do what’s in front of you with great love.’ where is your thread, i haven’t seen it?
 
Shouldn’t we begin by defining “wasting time”?

If one should be doing something for one’s family, for the poor, the sick or studying, working and instead is sitting on CAF, watching TV or hanging out, that would be wasting time that is needed somewhere.

I’m not talking about creating work either. All of us can come up with a long list of things that can be done around the house or work. But do they need to be done? That would be a waste of time as well.

It would seem that wasting time has to be defined the inappropriate use of time.

Common sense tells us that the inappropriate use of anything is wrong. However, let us be careful not to become so scrupulous as to see sin everywhere. Some things are wrong but they are not sinful. To be sinful it must be materially sinful as defined by moral theology. It may be wrong not to clean your room; but it hardly constitutes something that is materially sinful.

Balance in responding to question such as this is very important. Reason is what provides the proper balance.

JR 🙂
 
What really slays me here, is that you are asking people on an internet forum. 😃
 
JReducation said:
Shouldn’t we begin by defining “wasting time”?

If one should be doing something for one’s family, for the poor, the sick or studying, working and instead is sitting on CAF, watching TV or hanging out, that would be wasting time that is needed somewhere.

I’m not talking about creating work either. All of us can come up with a long list of things that can be done around the house or work. But do they need to be done? That would be a waste of time as well.

It would seem that wasting time has to be defined the inappropriate use of time.

Common sense tells us that the inappropriate use of anything is wrong. However, let us be careful not to become so scrupulous as to see sin everywhere. Some things are wrong but they are not sinful. To be sinful it must be materially sinful as defined by moral theology. It may be wrong not to clean your room; but it hardly constitutes something that is materially sinful.

Balance in responding to question such as this is very important. Reason is what provides the proper balance.

JR 🙂
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I love this! Housecleaning and cooking (to me) = inappropriate use of time.:rotfl:

I wonder if my dh will buy this. He likes to cook, thankfully, but we could have a meeting of the minds when it comes to classifying housecleaning like this.

You are my hero.:bowdown2:

All kidding aside…that’s a great post.🙂
 
God’s will for everyone is expressed in the 2 Great Commandments (and there is no qualifier there on “trying your best”). How that is fulfilled by each person of course varies based on their circumstances and abilities. Any time those commands are not being followed (in thought/word/deed/motive), it is disobedient and sinful. So wasting time/laziness/apathy I would say affects most people far more often than not - as JR said “If one should be doing something for one’s family, for the poor, the sick or studying, working and instead is sitting on CAF, watching TV or hanging out, that would be wasting time that is needed somewhere.” How many people sleep in on the weekends, or watch tv for a few hours every night, use profits from work (time) on frivolous items or vacations, etc. etc. and put their desires first when they could actually be serving their neighbor or God. People are far more sinful than they realize I think.
 
BeluvdLily said:
I don’t think God meant for us to be going at full speed all the time. Most likely He is shaking his head and wondering why we can’t be still for five minutes.

Amie
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Agreed! How can we ever hear God speaking to us if we’re always rushing around like busy bees all the time?

If we stay so busy that we burn out prematurely, that doesn’t do us or our neighbors any good – even God Himself took a day of rest!

We have to ask ourselves if the constant rushing around, always doing, doing, doing, is really God’s will for our lives, or just a form of pride (nyah, nyah, you waste time and I don’t; you watched TV and I visited 20 nursing homes; I’m better than you. :rolleyes: )

What was that bit in the Bible about Mary having chosen the better part? 😛
 
CarolAnnSFO said:
Agreed! How can we ever hear God speaking to us if we’re always rushing around like busy bees all the time?

If we stay so busy that we burn out prematurely, that doesn’t do us or our neighbors any good – even God Himself took a day of rest!

We have to ask ourselves if the constant rushing around, always doing, doing, doing, is really God’s will for our lives, or just a form of pride (nyah, nyah, you waste time and I don’t; you watched TV and I visited 20 nursing homes; I’m better than you. :rolleyes: )

What was that bit in the Bible about Mary having chosen the better part? 😛
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that is good, but there is also the parable of the talents and the ‘lazy’ servant. How to strike the balance, if only I knew! Just how do we know when we have done enough? :confused:

I suppose if we fulfil our duties first (God (Mass/prayer), spouse, kids, parents, work, ourselves (rest, etc)) and make sure we obey the commandments (negative precepts (though shalt nots…)), is our time then pretty much our own? We are still left with works of mercy to strangers and neighbours. Maybe we can just do these when God inspires us and gives us the opportunity?

One of my directors once said that good deeds beyond the call of duty should be spontaneous and not forced. It is a case of recognizing God’s action and inspiration and following it cheerfully. I haven’t mastered this at all yet 🤷
 
Nick9 said:
One of my directors once said that good deeds beyond the call of duty should be spontaneous and not forced. It is a case of recognizing God’s action and inspiration and following it cheerfully. I haven’t mastered this at all yet 🤷
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but what is meant by behond the call of duty?

I believe we should always be “on call” to do the Lord’s work. When we are resting we should be also praying… not watching shows like “2 1/2 Losers” on TV… (etc)
 
“but what is meant by behond the call of duty?”

Exactly, though I appreciate nick9’s struggle and honesty, it seems to me that no one ever does anything beyond the call of duty, unless one really thinks they are obeying the 2GC perfectly and are obeying the command to “be perfect as your father in heaven is perfect”:

“So you also, when you shall have done all these things that are commanded you, say: We are unprofitable servants; we have done that which we ought to do.”

One should be so lucky to even call themselves an unprofitable servant, let alone someone who has gone “above and beyond” God’s commands. Every sin of omission is also a sin of commission to some extent (that being self-idolatry).
 
Nick9 said:
I can echo this idea, distracted. I am almost to the point where I am thinking: God doesn’t want me to anything for Him particularly, so just chill out! I am guessing that His will will be revealed in His time and not by my nagging Him. :rolleyes:
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nice to know someone understands… 🙂

but you know… nagging God brings a lot of grace… (I just found out 🙂 )… so it isn’t a total waste of time… 🙂
 
The_Dude said:
“but what is meant by behond the call of duty?”

Exactly, though I appreciate nick9’s struggle and honesty, it seems to me that no one ever does anything beyond the call of duty, unless one really thinks they are obeying the 2GC perfectly and are obeying the command to “be perfect as your father in heaven is perfect”:

“So you also, when you shall have done all these things that are commanded you, say: We are unprofitable servants; we have done that which we ought to do.”

One should be so lucky to even call themselves an unprofitable servant, let alone someone who has gone “above and beyond” God’s commands. Every sin of omission is also a sin of commission to some extent (that being self-idolatry).
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SO true!!!

Sounds like you and i have something in common…

Scrupulosity!! 😃

Just kidding…

I think… :eek:

(oh oh… gotta stop kidding… it’s a sin … a waste of time 😃 )
 
One of the seven deadly sins is Sloth, which is basically wasting time, being apathetic.

More than other sins, the definition of sloth has changed considerably since its original inclusion among the seven deadly sins. In fact it was first called the sin of sadness or despair. It had been in the early years of Christianity characterized by what modern writers would now describe as melancholy: apathy, depression, and joylessness — the last being viewed as being a refusal to enjoy the goodness of God and the world he created.

Originally, its place was fulfilled by two other aspects, acedia and sadness. The former described a spiritual apathy that affected the faithful by discouraging them from their religious work. Sadness (tristitia in Latin) described a feeling of dissatisfaction or discontent, which caused unhappiness with one’s current situation. When Thomas Aquinas selected acedia for his list, he described it as an “uneasiness of the mind”, being a progenitor for lesser sins such as restlessness and instability.

Dante refined this definition further, describing sloth as being the “failure to love God with all one’s heart, all one’s mind and all one’s soul.” He also described it as the middle sin, and as such was the only sin characterised by an absence or insufficiency of love. In his “Purgatorio”, the slothful penitents were made to run continuously at top speed.

The modern view of the vice, as highlighted by its contrary virtue of zeal or diligence, is that it represents the failure to utilize one’s talents and gifts. For example, a student who does not work beyond what is required (and thus fails to achieve his or her full potential) could be labeled slothful.

Current interpretations are therefore much less stringent and comprehensive than they were in medieval times, and portray sloth as being more simply a sin of laziness or indifference, of an unwillingness to act, an unwillingness to care (rather than a failure to love God and his works). For this reason sloth is now often seen as being considerably less serious than the other sins, more a sin of omission than one of commission.

I’m guilty of it, definitely. But in this modern, hustle-bustle world, sometimes it seems like the best thing to do is chill out.
 
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