For The Spiritually Paralyzed!

This article is by the late Father Kilian McGowan.  He had such a GIFT! 
For The Spiritually Paralyzed! There's one capital sin that's found in government officials as well as juvenile delinquents,in Catholics as well as in atheists. This sin is a spiritual paralysis that is spreading its disease into every phase of American life. Its name is "Sloth." It's prevalent among our young, and found in many not so young.
Sloth in general is a repugnance for work or effort. This evil disposition of the soul makes one shun effort and seek a life that is always sweetly comfortable. Of course, it is not the tendency to a comfortable life that is sinful, but rather an excessive self-indulgence in this tendency.

 In the spiritual life, sloth is lack of interest in and attention to the things of God. It prefers indifference and lack of effort in spiritual exercises to diligence in studying and keeping the commandments of God. It places personal comfort and pleasure on a pedestal and ignores the self-denial of the followers of Christ. Yet it's a sin of many who are otherwise very active and industrious.

 Like any paralysis this disease has small beginnings. It usually starts with insufficient concern for one's spiritual duties. Freely-indulged in, this tendency leads to greater negligence in more important religious duties, or even to the total abandonment of them. When sloth causes a man to neglect those religious duties that are necessary for salvation, it becomes gravely sinful.

 This spiritual sickness spawns many allied diseases of the spirit. Inevitably, the slothful man seeks escape from his sadness in the pursuit of forbidden pleasures. Heavy of heart, fed-up and frustrated, he usually turns to greed or gluttony, joys of the soul, he plunges more deeply into the pleasures of the senses. Isn't this the life-history of many an addict?
 
While sloth starts off as sluggishness in our observance of the commandments of God, freely indulged in, this tendency becomes more and more malicious. Sloth deadens our sense of responsibility. Seeing his failures, the slothful man becomes more discouraged and faint-hearted. Finding it difficult to face his own conscience, he pushes his failures underground where they can not be seen.

Nor does the disease stop there. The slothful soul defends his way of life by hating the goodness of his neighbor, or by calling it hypocrisy. He tries to cut everyone down to his own miserable level. He hates those who try to uphold religious values and moral standards in society.

Sloth really is another name for indifference to God. It's a kind of distaste for God because of the effort involved. This inertia, or creeping paralysis, can afflict any soul. It enervates our spiritual energy and saps our vitality. The temptation to sloth is never far from us - and it must be met head on - with diligence and generosity!

------ Can I get an AMEN!?  By the way...we offer an entirely Free Catholic Spiritual Guidance Series by Fr. McGowan! You can sign up for free here...our gift!

Love and Blessings, Wendy C.

"Healing Mind, Body & Soul"

 

 

 

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