Sloth

[mellowgold]

Just how horrible is this of the seven deadly sins? It seems to me that though it appears to be the least harmful, it actually is. It murders time and dreams, rapes potential, throws all that God has planned back up into His face. I’m going on and on because I have recently come to believe that this is my biggest problem, the sin that rules my life. I’m interested on other people’s thoughts on the sin of sloth.

 

[PrayHarder]

Are any of the seven deadly sins any more or less bad than the others? If you commit a mortal sin, don’t confess, die, and go to Hell, will it matter which of the sins you committed? Will Satan give you an easier time because your sins weren’t as serious?

I believe that sloth isn’t necessarily, intrinsically a mortal sin. A little rest and a little downtime is fine. But it does become deadly (aka mortal) when it does become the focus of you life.

 

[Lost_Wanderer]

Amen brotha! Honestly, even some people on these very forums tend to look down on the virtue of industriousness, diligence, and good old-fashioned hard work. Much of the great things man has achieved was done so with a never-say-die attitude.

God is not a genie. If you want something in life, you have to earn it. We are not children to b spoon-fed. We are created in His image and likeness and with that in mind, we have what it takes to do great things. Refusing to use the gifts of talents, knowledge, and resources that God has given you for a mentality that expects Him to only give you more gifts is not only lazy but downright selfish.

 

[jegow]

Are any of the seven deadly sins any more or less bad than the others? If you commit a mortal sin, don’t confess, die, and go to Hell, will it matter which of the sins you committed? Will Satan give you an easier time because your sins weren’t as serious?

I believe that sloth isn’t necessarily, intrinsically a mortal sin. A little rest and a little downtime is fine. But it does become deadly (aka mortal) when it does become the focus of you life.

Pride is the mother of all other sin just as charity is the mother of all virtue. To be distinct, sloth is never alright to do, only leisure. Leisure is the non-work we take part in at the end of the day whereas sloth stems from a distaste of spiritual things and anything that could lead to them; it is laziness in itself. So , yes, pride is more deadly than the others.

 

[Cleanthes]

I struggle a lot with Sloth. My guess is that if you really need a way to “gauge” how bad this sin is, examine the sins of omission that stem from it. The more grave the responsibility that you have shirked, the more “grave” the sin of sloth is. This would be my gut instinct.

 

[cynic]

you could argue any leisure is time stolen from greater causes. Think of all the things you could have been doing instead of watching a movie with your wife/friends on a Saturday night for eg. Define sloth.

 

[Joe_Kelley]

Some years back, when I was running an RCIA program, I prepared some lessons on the Capital Sins. For references I used the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the Baltimore Catechism No. 3, Victory over Vice by Archbishop Fulton Sheen, and Creed or Chaos (Chapter 7) by Dorothy L. Sayers.

My one on Sloth aka agnosticism, moderation, . . .]

Dorothy Sayers notes that the world often calls this sin Tolerance, when it is manifest as indifference, but in Hell it is called Despair. This indifference is condemned in the Church of Laodicea [Rev 3:16] So, because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. .It is the accomplice of and the punishment for all other sin. We frequently engage in the other sins to cover the emptiness of Sloth.

We were placed in this world to work. It is through work that we grow and prepare for the eternal life of Heaven. In the beginning, God gave the care of creation into man’s hands [Gen 1:28]. It was to be his purpose and joy. It was only after the Fall that it became a burden [Gen 3:17-19] and man was beset by physical and spiritual sloth - repelled by work and avoiding God.

Archbishop Sheen notes that Jesus specifically condemns sloth in three parables:

1. The Foolish Virgins [Mt 25:1-13] who were lazy and did not prepare for their vigil.

1. The Barren Fig Tree [Mark 11:12-14] which produced no harvest.

1. The Buried Talent [Mt 25:26-30] which was left unused.

We lose our souls not only by the evil we do, but by the good we leave undone. Note that the Final Judgment in Matthew [Mt 25:31-46] focuses on good deeds, done or not done, as the basis for reward or condemnation. Jesus promised help only to those who worked at their salvation [Mt 11:28-30] “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Jesus gives us the example. He came to work; from the start in the Temple [Lk 2:49] “wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?” to the completion on the Cross [Jn 19:30] “When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.”

By the way, Dorothy Sayers [Lord Peter Whimsey mysteries] book Creed or Chaos is one of my favorites. There is some good discussion of various heresies. She has written some very good books on Christianity in addition to her fiction works.

 

[wworld]

So basically, it’s sloth when were neglecting duties that need to be done?

Like, asking someone to get a remote for the TV is laziness, but neglecting to take care of important matters is sinful, right?

Now, some questions pertaining to me, a student, but probably helpful to everyone:
What about procrastinating on homework? Or is that just one of those matters that just has to be done in time, but doesn’t matter when?

What if you don’t finish your homework but do some of it, or instead finish it at school (not during other classes, but on breaks) or in the morning? Then what about studying for tests? Sometimes I don’t study as hard as I should, but is that sinful?

Or what if you’re playing a game (competitive, for fun, organized, or whatever) and you’re not trying your absolute hardest?

Lastly, what if you relax or do other things when you can’t finish, say, a trigonometry problem. Would I be committing a sin by going on with life instead of focusing my free time on this problem that I have no idea how to do -but did it as much to the best of my ability within a reasonable amount of time?

I hope I didn’t hijack the thread, but I think these can be useful, if answered, to everybody in a ‘am I trying my best’ scenario?

 

[Joe_Kelley]

Re procrastination- If it wasn’t for the last moment most things wouldn’t get done.

 

[kbwall]

It can be a sin if you’re disobeying your parents by procrastinating on your homework.