Question V: Concerning Acedia

I. Acedia is sadness concerning spiritual good, especially divine good.

For sour things are cold, whence acedia imports tedium or tepidity in working, which so depresses the mind of man that nothing pleases him to do.

Hence spiritual acedia denotes torpor, languor, tepidity, tedium concerning spiritual things, which are therefore burdensome because they require bodily labor. Whence it is sadness concerning spiritual things because they impede bodily rest and delight; for acedia prefers to do nothing rather than to impede the rest of the body, and from this is born flight, horror, and detestation of spiritual things.

This sadness is always a sin, both 1. by reason of the object: for sadness concerning evil is good, but to be sad concerning that which is apparently evil but truly good is a sin, because good does not deserve that we be sad concerning it; and 2. by reason of the effect, for it draws man back from due works.

II. The species and gravity of acedia. - Acedia is twofold:

1. That by which we are sad concerning the good of any virtue whatsoever. This is not a special sin, even if it is done on account of the bodily labor joined to it, but is a circumstance of every sin, because every vice flees the opposed spiritual good, even insofar as it impedes bodily rest.

2. That by which we are sad concerning the spiritual good to which all other things are ordered, namely concerning divine good, not indeed in itself, but insofar as it is internal to us and pertains to us and seems evil to us: namely, if someone is sad concerning beatitude or concerning the friendship of God, because they must be preserved by laborious exercises of the virtues, and thus does not care for that friendship; or if on account of labor he is sad concerning the means to it, for example concerning the sacraments, the grace of God, good works, divine precepts, etc., insofar as they are necessary or useful for the friendship of God. This is a special sin because it has a special object and is directly contrary to a special act of a special virtue; for it is opposed to joy concerning divine good, in which charity delights.¹

¹ St. Thomas, II-II, q. 35, a. 1 and 2; Quaestiones disputatae de Malo, 11, a. 1 and 2.

Now: a) Acedia as it is a general sin is mortal or venial according as the sin of which it is a circumstance is grave or light.

b) Special acedia is a mortal sin from its genus, because according to its proper account it is opposed to charity. For the proper effect of charity is joy concerning God; whence acedia, by which we are sad concerning divine good, is directly opposed to charity. Therefore, just as envy is a mortal sin because it is sad concerning the good of the neighbor, concerning which charity rejoices, so a fortiori is acedia, which is sad concerning internal divine good.²

² St. Thomas, II-II, q. 35, a. 3; Quaestiones disputatae de Malo, 11, a. 3.

Nevertheless it can be venial if it is not perfectly deliberate, or also, as it seems, when it is concerned with goods not necessary for salvation.

III. Acedia is a capital sin. - A capital sin is that from which other vices are naturally apt to arise, chiefly according to the account of final cause. But as men do many things on account of delight, both that they may obtain it and because from its impulse they are moved to act, so also on account of sadness they are wont to do many things, either that they may avoid it, or that they may satisfy it, or because from it they are moved to do certain things. Whence, since acedia is a certain great sadness, it is deservedly numbered among the capital sins, in the same way as envy.

This is to be understood of acedia which is a special sin. A general sin or circumstance of every sin cannot be the cause of special vices.

IV. Acedia has six daughters. - From special acedia, as from a final cause, according to St. Gregory, Morals, book 31, c. 45 (or 17), six sins arise.

For from sadness it happens that man flees those things concerning which he is sad, indeed that he attacks them, and that he passes over to other things concerning which he is delighted.

From acedia man flees divine goods: 1. the last end, eternal salvation or the hoped-for divine good, which is done through despair; he also flees 2. the spiritual good to be done, or the common and ordinary means to the end, which they call torpor concerning the precepts; 3. he flees arduous means, for example those which fall under the counsels, through pusillanimity. He attacks 4. saddening spiritual goods by detesting them, which is called malice; or also 5. he attacks priests and God-fearing men who lead others to spiritual goods, and is indignant against them, and this is rancor. Finally, 6. on account of sadness he passes over to exterior delightful things, in which the carnal mind is delighted, and this is wandering of the mind concerning illicit things.³

³ St. Thomas, II-II, q. 35, a. 4; Quaestiones disputatae de Malo, 11, a. 4.

V. Remedies concerning acedia. - A manifold remedy can be indicated against acedia and spiritual tepidity, whether on the part of the mind or on the part of work.

A. On the part of the mind: Frequent thought concerning the necessity of doing good and of laboring strenuously for salvation (Matt. 7:19; 25:26; Rom. 8:18; 2 Cor. 4:17; printed citation: I Cor. IV, 17), concerning the sterility of life without fervor (Matt. 3:10; 7:19), concerning the dangers of tepidity from its harmful effects and the progressive infirmity naturally born from it (Apoc. 3:15-17; Sir. 33:29).

B. On the part of work: Frequent and sincere confession, daily examination of conscience, pious readings and meditations, the establishment of a useful and laborious life according to a predefined order, a fervent purpose often renewed, diligent fulfillment of the duties of one's state, and spiritual exercises to be performed in total retreat.

Especially: "1. Consider how many things Christ your Savior and King, not needing you, did for the glory of the Father and the salvation of your soul; and do you think little of these things? 2. Whatever God works outside Himself, He works for the salvation of our souls: all His desires, all the care of providence, all the effects of mercy tend to this, that we love and worship Him, and thus be saved. Does not this paternal care and affection deserve love and service? 3. How slight, how brief a labor is required for an immense and eternal reward! Are you not worthy of every confusion if you are unwilling to expend even that for your happiness? 4. The smallest action done for God is worth a thousand times more than all the deeds of heroes undertaken for vanity; you weary yourself for vain things; what is it not fitting to do for eternal goods? 5. What would you think of your servant, who served negligently for a great reward? And you serve God, who prepares such things, more negligently than worldly men serve the devil offering lies? 6. The tepid man does injury to God, defames His service, as if it did not deserve service or had not prepared a just reward; he is a disgrace to Christ, whom he serves less fervently than the world..."⁴ For how many labors are assumed by many for worldly glory and riches! Therefore let us not do less for the kingdom of Christ and the riches of eternal glory.

⁴ Reuter, Neo-confessarius, n. 98.