A Remedy for Laziness and Spiritual Apathy
“There is no greater evil worse than laziness, none greater than sloth”-
St. John Chrysostom
How can St. John Chrysostom be sure of such an outstanding statement? Who can we ask to know this for sure, who can attest to this? The answer is none other than those have not inherited the Kingdom of Heaven, those who are now punished in the place where there is wailing and gnashing of teeth. These souls who have lost their eternal communion with God would attest and warn us about this imminent danger of laziness. Therefore, it’s essential to address this grievous catastrophe and its consequences before applying the remedy through Scripture.
First, Laziness is the source of spiritual apathy, it hardens the hearts preventing it from sympathizing with others, feeling God’s presence, and most precarious of all is not fearing sin. I wonder how is it that St. Peter was able to convert three thousand men by one sermon but now one man may not be converted from hearing three thousand sermons. The answer is simple. Now we can have food at our doorsteps, fill our wardrobes, entertain ourselves only through a few buttons on our phones. Unfortunately, this has defeated any motivation for us to toil thus turning our hearts more solid than rock. Second, laziness breeds procrastination. We have all been guilty of this, we love delaying our responsibilities whether it is studying for an exam, reading scripture, repentance and confession, even going to partake of the Eucharist. However, there is one event one cannot delay which is the time of our death. This thought should make us in a constant state of repentance so that we may fight the good fight and finish the race to be worthy of the most precious treasure of the eternal life. Third, laziness is a very contagious disease, it is a spiritual pandemic that has left the world in ruins. Lastly, as wise prophet says, “the lazy man does not roast what he took in hunting” (Proverbs 12:27). Here, King Solomon shows that laziness is a parasite that slowly spreads in a person’s life from his spirituality and even to his earthly work. The lazy man cannot succeed in anything in his life, he is only a failure.
When we approach Scripture, we see that even the ancients have fallen into great despair because of laziness. Notice, even in the first chapters of Genesis we see this with Adam and Eve. Even in the Garden of Eden, the human had to work whether was it naming the animals or to till the ground. However, in the fall of man the devil spoke with Eve first because she wasn’t occupied in any work. If she had been toiling, she wouldn’t have had any time to give to the serpent and be tempted by the devil. Obliviously, because of this carelessness man was separated from God and we couldn’t fulfill the divine economy that God has intended for us. Therefore, when we do not work and become lazy, we cease to be human, as in the original creature that God created and formed to be in His image and Likeness (Genesis 1:27). Another righteous man who fell in the snare of laziness was David the Prophet. Before his fall, we hear that there is no battle that he is defeated in, no opponent that he cannot overcome, he even was victorious over vicious beasts. However, when he came under the spell of slothfulness and brought down his guard, he stopped toiling in his psalms and spiritual cannon and his fall was great. “How the mighty have fallen!” (2 Samuel 1:27).
Now, after discussing the symptoms and ugliness of laziness we come to our remedy. Again, we find this in scripture that the “fear of God is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:10). Unfortunately, this fear of God has vanished, we have been taking God’s mercy and compassion for granted and have not yearned to earn it. We don’t have reverence in the most awesome time in the Liturgy and wonder off in our thoughts when the readings of the Church are read even if it was the Gospel , we even don’t respect the holiest time of our life when the priest is distributing the Eucharist and instead spend it talking with our friends. When we stand up to pray before we sleep, we do not give God our undivided attention but just pray as a chore, that is if we even stand up and pray. Instead, we should stand in prayer and vigil entreating God that this bed that we sleep in might not also be our deathbed so that we may live another day to repent. Look at the difference between us and the righteous fathers. When Abraham addressed God in prayer he told him, “before I who am but dust and ashes have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord” (Genesis 18:27). Look at the faithfulness! Abraham stands before God in fear and trembling understanding that he is standing before the Lord of Hosts. If one has this true fear of God, then it is impossible for him to be lazy and this will translate in every aspect of his life and God will surely bless this righteous man. Wherefore my beloved, please stay watchful and toil because he who seeks comfort in this life will find no comfort in the life to come.