Sloth
One of the seven capital sins. In general it means disinclination
to labour or exertion. As a capital or deadly vice St. Thomas (II-
II:35) calls it sadness in the face of some spiritual good which
one has to achieve (Tristitia de bono spirituali). Father Rickaby
aptly translates its Latin equivalent acedia (Gr. akedia) by
saying that it means the don't-care feeling. A man apprehends the
practice of virtue to be beset with difficulties and chafes under
the restraints imposed by the service of God. The narrow way
stretches wearily before him and his soul grows sluggish and
torpid at the thought of the painful life journey. The idea of
right living inspires not joy but disgust, because of its
laboriousness. This is the notion commonly obtaining, and in this
sense sloth is not a specific vice according to the teaching of
St. Thomas, but rather a circumstance of all vices. Ordinarily it
will not have the malice of mortal sin unless, of course, we
conceive it to be so utter that because of it one is willing to
bid defiance to some serious obligation. St. Thomas completes his
definition of sloth by saying that it is torpor in the presence of
spiritual good which is Divine good. In other words, a man is then
formally distressed at the prospect of what he must do for God to
bring about or keep intact his friendship with God. In this sense
sloth is directly opposed to charity. It is then a mortal sin
unless the act be lacking in entire advertence or full consent of
the will. The trouble attached to maintenance of the inhabiting of
God by charity arouses tedium in such a person. He violates,
therefore, expressly the first and the greatest of the
commandments: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole
heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole mind, and with
thy whole strength." (Mark, xii, 30).
JOSEPH F. DELANY
Transcribed by Paul T. Crowley Dedicated to the Sacred Heart
From the Catholic Encyclopedia, copyright � 1913 by the
Encyclopedia Press, Inc. Electronic version copyright � 1996 by
New Advent, Inc., P.O. Box 281096, Denver, Colorado, USA, 80228.
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(www.knight.org/advent).
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effort aimed at placing the entire Catholic Encyclopedia 1913
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