Sloth -> Apathy -> Despair -> Malice

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Lucretius

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How does one fight sloth, apathy, despair, and malice? I thought that prayer might do the trick, but what if, due to these vices, one cannot even pray?

How does one break or go about breaking this circle of Destruction?

Christi pax,

Lucretius
 
Face a corner, or a tree, or something. Say “God, help.”

Appreciate something you have or have achieved, whether your food, the space where you live, your favourite hobby, some things that happened to you in your life.

Keep it small and keep it concrete.

Ask Him for a thirst for the truth in Scriptures and people that will share in it with you.

These are things I do. I know this spiral.
 
“First call to mind the extraordinary labors which Our Lord endured for you; the many sleepless nights He spent in prayer for you; His weary journeys from city to city, healing the sick, comforting the sorrowful, and raising the dead. How ardently, how unceasingly He devoted Himself to the work of our redemption! Consider particularly how, at the time of His Passion, He bore upon His bruised and bleeding shoulders the heavy weight of His cross for love of you. If the God of majesty labored thus to deliver you, will you refuse to cooperate in your own salvation? When this tender Lamb endured such rude labors to free you from your sins, will you endure nothing to expiate them? Remember, too, the weary labors of the Apostles, who preached the Gospel to the whole world. Think of the sufferings endured by the martyrs, confessors, virgins, anchorites, and by all who are now reigning with Christ. It was by their teaching and their toil that the Faith of Christ spread through the known world and that the Church has been perpetuated to the present day.”
  • Ven. Louis of Granada
 
Lucretius said:
How does one fight sloth, apathy, despair, and malice? I thought that prayer might do the trick, but what if, due to these vices, one cannot even pray?

How does one break or go about breaking this circle of Destruction?

Christi pax,

Lucretius
Click to expand...
You can always pray. Even your post here is a prayer. What you might be really saying is you can’t focus enough to do traditional prayers. Is that possibly the case?
The Holy Spirit is always praying within you, even when you feel you cannot. The movement of prayer in your life is the Holy Spirit, not your own effort.

I deal with this cycle myself. Due to the nature of the afflictions, quick answers are sought after. But quick answers are not forthcoming.
These “anti-virtues” or vices become ingrained in us, and the way out is patient practice. Virtues require practice. For me it is a lifetime effort. I suspect anyone who goes down the Christian path discovers that the road is narrow and hard. Change requires a change in attitude and thinking, what we call “repentance”.

It’s a journey, not a quick fix.
Do not be anxious about it, the first step is to reach out your hand and let Christ take it. Jesus Christ heals us. He can heal you. He wants to heal you. Trust him.
 
Read. Find a book on the life of a Saint. Praying for the Holy Spirit to help you lift the tendencies that hold you back and fill your mind, heart, and soul with life-giving virtues.
 
Vice is fought with virtue, and having a real, dynamic relationship with Jesus.

Commit to doing Matthew Kelly’s Rediscover Jesus. The sessions are short and great for helping one face who Jesus is. Don’t even have the Umph to read? Take 2 minutes daily and go to DynamicCatholic.com/BestLentEver.

Prayers for you.
 
I just want to reiterate with the other posters:
Christ can heal you.
Be patient.
Do not worry that your prayer is ineffective. Just turn your face towards him and he will work in you. He knows your prayer before you express it. His Holy Spirit is in you, praying already in words you don’t have.
Trust Jesus.
 
Lucretius said:
How does one fight sloth, apathy, despair, and malice? I thought that prayer might do the trick, but what if, due to these vices, one cannot even pray?

How does one break or go about breaking this circle of Destruction?

Christi pax,

Lucretius
Click to expand...
Keep praying in faith even though you have no feelings, consolations. Jesus, I trust in You!

Go to Mother Mary and every day ask for her intercession.
 
Sloth is a capital sin - not necessarily a sin in and of itself but it may lead us to specific sins such as, as you mentioned, a neglect of prayer in our daily lives. When I can identify these specific sins related to sloth I bring them to Confession. Slowly, this has been helping me to overcome Sloth itself and it does not have as much a hold over me as it used to.

Lucretius,
I’m currently reading a book titled The Noonday Devil: Acedia, the Unnamed Evil of Our Times. I’m only into the second of four chapters as it is heavily theological - heavier than I’m used to reading (Ch1-Desert Fathers, Ch2-Thomas Aquinas) but so far the remedy seems to be to just work through it. Pray your prayers and do your work despite your feelings about it.

Focus on charity: love for God in your prayer, love for God’s family in other people in doing your good works. Meditate on death as all else but love is passing (including your current situation).

My own struggle with sloth has been mixed with my struggle with depression so as my depression has lessened my ability to self-motivate has improved. Nevertheless, I go back to my first suggestion, Confession, to which I attribute so much of my own growth. There are graces available through this sacrament which can help you overcome all sins. It’s not just the act of confessing your sins but the whole process: examining your conscience frequently is a wonderful way to confront yourself and your motivations, the act of confessing makes you accountable to Christ in the form of a flesh-and-blood man, absolution wipes away sin, makes you clean, and fills you with God’s grace, and penance will get you started back on the right track (especially for those who struggle with spiritual sloth).

Be at peace.
 
Mary_Ellen said:
Sloth is a capital sin - not necessarily a sin in and of itself but it may lead us to specific sins such as, as you mentioned, a neglect of prayer in our daily lives. When I can identify these specific sins related to sloth I bring them to Confession. Slowly, this has been helping me to overcome Sloth itself and it does not have as much a hold over me as it used to.

Lucretius,
I’m currently reading a book titled The Noonday Devil: Acedia, the Unnamed Evil of Our Times. I’m only into the second of four chapters as it is heavily theological - heavier than I’m used to reading (Ch1-Desert Fathers, Ch2-Thomas Aquinas) but so far the remedy seems to be to just work through it. Pray your prayers and do your work despite your feelings about it.

Focus on charity: love for God in your prayer, love for God’s family in other people in doing your good works. Meditate on death as all else but love is passing (including your current situation).

My own struggle with sloth has been mixed with my struggle with depression so as my depression has lessened my ability to self-motivate has improved. Nevertheless, I go back to my first suggestion, Confession, to which I attribute so much of my own growth. There are graces available through this sacrament which can help you overcome all sins. It’s not just the act of confessing your sins but the whole process: examining your conscience frequently is a wonderful way to confront yourself and your motivations, the act of confessing makes you accountable to Christ in the form of a flesh-and-blood man, absolution wipes away sin, makes you clean, and fills you with God’s grace, and penance will get you started back on the right track (especially for those who struggle with spiritual sloth).

Be at peace.
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Yes be at peace.
No matter what happens, trust Jesus. For me the way out of sloth was to be penalized for it in so many ways. God got my attention in a good way, and as I began to follow him it became apparent how sinful I was, and it just about crushed me.

As you patiently grow you will grow out of yourself more and more, and gather energy. but it is not easy.
 
You know, the encouragement of going to Confession is a great start. The Sacrament reconciles us to God and we can start anew.
 
There are so many blessings available to us in the Sacrament of Reconciliation if we are open to them.
 
The modern world needs to rediscover the great code of conduct contained in chivalry.

Chivalry was the way of life for medieval knights and this code made these men unique in the time they lived. They became men of honor, while most men lived a life of sloth, apathy, despair and malice. These knights and men of honor were looked up to by those around them, because they wouldn’t succumb to the 7 Deadly Sins. This code of chivalry lives on in certain segments of society to this day and IMHO, we need this ethos more today than ever. The military functions so well because it is steeped in chivalry.

This code is a way where one can live a good and virtuous life, a life of control over ones self. It is a code that can help you with the problems you are living with. The following is a list of the general characteristics of chivalry.

Faith
:black_medium_small_square:Charity
:black_medium_small_square:Justice
:black_medium_small_square:Sagacity
:black_medium_small_square:Prudence
:black_medium_small_square:Temperance
:black_medium_small_square:Resolution
:black_medium_small_square:Truth
:black_medium_small_square:Liberality
:black_medium_small_square:Diligence
:black_medium_small_square:Hope
:black_medium_small_square:Valour

You can see, if you are able to put these characteristics to work in your life, you can improve your life dramatically.

Please look up chivalry on the web. There are many web sites and even organizations that live by this code. Get excited by chivalry! Learn it and live by it!👍
 
Thank you everyone for your advice.

St. Basil says that the best way to uproot a vice is to focus on growing its specific counter-virtue. So, in this case, being laborious and focusing on cutivating the virtue of Hope seems to be the solution.

However, and this is important, I’ve never acted against my passions as a whole. I’ve resisted this or that specific passion before, but this was due to another passion being stronger than it.

Does that make sense?

Christi pax,

Lucretius
 
Lucretius said:
Thank you everyone for your advice.

St. Basil says that the best way to uproot a vice is to focus on growing its specific counter-virtue. So, in this case, being laborious and focusing on cutivating the virtue of Hope seems to be the solution.

However, and this is important, I’ve never acted against my passions as a whole. I’ve resisted this or that specific passion before, but this was due to another passion being stronger than it.

Does that make sense?

Christi pax,

Lucretius
Click to expand...
The passions are difficult to regulate, but you will gain in self mastery.
It’s a struggle. That’s ok. One of the problems with sloth and spiritual lethargy is the avoidance of struggle itself.
Once I accepted the struggles of life I began to move. To struggle is not the same thing as to be oppressed. There is no reason to despair over struggle.

For me, it took some negative consequences to get me moving. I had a choice:
be crushed by it all, or change. And so it goes. The hardest part for me is that I am mid 50’s and my past is hard to put in perspective. I see how others have “moved by me” in so many ways. But in Christ I have new life.

I hope you are moved to action by good things.
 
The four vices you list in the title of this thread could have nothing to do with your own will power, but biological factors.

Be sure you are eating healthy, getting exercise and enough sleep.

Ge a physical examination to be sure you’re blood chemistry is OK.

Holiness isn’t about who has the strongest will power, but those who love God and neighbor as they are capable of.

Jim
 
JimR-OCDS said:
The four vices you list in the title of this thread could have nothing to do with your own will power, but biological factors.

Be sure you are eating healthy, getting exercise and enough sleep.

Ge a physical examination to be sure you’re blood chemistry is OK.

Holiness isn’t about who has the strongest will power, but those who love God and neighbor as they are capable of.

Jim
Click to expand...
Very true. The physical side is not often thought about here.
A checkup is a good idea. When I went through my major depression, just going to see the doctor made me feel better.You realize you are not the only one, and it’s doable.
It’s taking action to nurture what God has given you.

An exercise program is a great way to restore energy and commitment.
Of course sleep.
Moderation in alcohol and eating etc…
 
Lucretius said:
Thank you everyone for your advice.

St. Basil says that the best way to uproot a vice is to focus on growing its specific counter-virtue. So, in this case, being laborious and focusing on cutivating the virtue of Hope seems to be the solution.

However, and this is important, I’ve never acted against my passions as a whole. I’ve resisted this or that specific passion before, but this was due to another passion being stronger than it.

Does that make sense?

Christi pax,

Lucretius
Click to expand...
Yes! Bishop Robert Barron made a wonderful study (great for lent) called the Seven Deadly Sins, Seven Lively Virtues.

Also, if you have trouble praying you can ask others to pray for you and pray anyways. St Francis of Assisi has a great prayer that is very motivating works of mercy:

**Make me an Instrument of Your Peace
**
Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy.

O, Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love; For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; it is in dying that we are born again to eternal life.

Amen
 
clem456 said:
The passions are difficult to regulate, but you will gain in self mastery.
It’s a struggle. That’s ok. One of the problems with sloth and spiritual lethargy is the avoidance of struggle itself.
Once I accepted the struggles of life I began to move. To struggle is not the same thing as to be oppressed. There is no reason to despair over struggle.

For me, it took some negative consequences to get me moving. I had a choice:
be crushed by it all, or change. And so it goes. The hardest part for me is that I am mid 50’s and my past is hard to put in perspective. I see how others have “moved by me” in so many ways. But in Christ I have new life.

I hope you are moved to action by good things.
Click to expand...
If these problem were venial, then I would be patient. But I regrettably have a habit of mortal sin, and my sloth, etc. discourages me from confession. And I think I should find this intolerable, and would, if I could.

Christi pax,

Lucretius
 
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