Acedia, as defined by the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, is a form of Spiritual laziness due to RELAXED VIGILANCE and a LACK OF CUSTODY OF THE HEART. When I read about this, I was enlightened why we sometimes come to the point of dryness both in prayer and work.
My reflection on relaxed vigilance is that we know we have a very urgent mission to accomplish but we are complacent and mediocre in our actions. Amidst all the evil that is happening in the world today, we can afford to relax and watch evil go about its business. This attitude towards our mission or service can weaken us and affect our conviction, thus affecting our actions as well, making us lazy. "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8)."
On the lack of custody of the heart, my take on this is that we let our hearts wander away from our true love, Jesus Christ. We turn to other 'loves' like money, a romantic interest, our career, our family, and our friends, putting Jesus second to these. We must be careful to 'guard our hearts,' and always remember to offer to him what we feel everyday. We must be good custodians of the heart that God has given us. This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence (1 John 3:19)."
When we come to the point of laziness, let us remember to be vigilant in doing God's mission and that our hearts are set on our Lord.
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