Combating Spiritual Laziness

We are Christians because we want to know and love Jesus, and Lent is a fitting time to reflect on our lives as disciples of Christ. Yet there are certain things that hold us back in our love for him. One of these is laziness. In everyday life, we know or have known people who are very lazy: perhaps pupils who, although intelligent and having everything they needed for their studies, were lazy, and their academic performance suffered as a result. I knew a young man from a good family. His parents had given him everything he needed for his studies. But because he was very lazy, he has now become a vagrant.

There are even adults, strong and vigorous, who simply do not want to work. So the man becomes a perpetual beggar, and the woman a prostitute. Often we do not want to see them loitering amongst our families because they are lazy people who do not want to make any effort in life. The lazy person’s worldly life is one of wandering and thrives mainly through theft. ‘The sluggard is like a ball of dung. Whoever picks it up shakes his hand’ (Sirach 22:2). Lent is an ideal time to combat sloth.

Laziness in everyday life is even more prevalent in the spiritual life. God has given us many natural gifts: the Church and her sacraments, Holy Scripture, and a community to help us in our friendship with him. Yet how many people are lazy in their spiritual lives! They make very little effort in their relationship with Jesus. ‘How long, you sluggard, will you lie there? When will you stop dozing? A little more idleness, with your arms folded, and poverty will come upon you’ (Pr 6:9–10). If we experience so much spiritual poverty and misery, it is mainly because people are asleep, dozing, sitting with their arms folded. Am I making enough effort to go to Mass and receive the other sacraments regularly? Am I making enough effort to pray faithfully, read the Word of God and please Jesus? Am I making enough effort to nourish my spiritual life by taking part in retreats and being faithful to the group?

One of the major problems today, even amongst active members, is spiritual laziness, a lack of effort. This can only harm our relationship with Jesus. ‘The sluggard’s desire will be his death, for his hands refuse to work’ (Prov 21:25); ‘the sluggard dips his hand into the dish, but does not bring it back to his mouth’ (Prov 19:24). So the spiritually lazy person knows what they ought to do but does not do it. Yet Jesus tells us that whoever knows what they ought to do and does not do it will receive a harsher judgement than the one who did not know what was required and therefore failed to act rightly.

Who among us can claim to have no further efforts to make in our spiritual life? Perhaps we are already trying to follow Christ, but we cannot deny that we still commit many sins. The Catechism of the Catholic Church refers to spiritual sloth as ‘acedia’ and states that it is a sin against the love of God. Men and women of God, men and women of faith, have shown us the necessity of spiritual struggle, the need to make an effort to seek God, and the need for faithfulness. We cannot grow properly in our love for Jesus if we are spiritually lazy.

Yet we often come up with many excuses to justify our laziness. Spiritually speaking, we often say: ‘I’m tired; it can wait; it’s not going anywhere; who’ll notice my absence?; the others are there; they’ll understand; God understands me; I’m not the only one in this situation; there’s still time’. The lazy person always has reasons to justify their laziness. Laziness and neglect go hand in hand.

This is the season of Lent, a fitting time to redouble our efforts in our life with Jesus (2 Peter 1:10). Let us make resolutions that help us to fight against laziness and to be faithful in our prayer. Let us ask the Holy Spirit to help us overcome laziness.

Henri Bayemi