“Sloth” is the ordinary translation of that acedia, which ranks among the seven deadly sins of our Western tradition. It is an inadequate translation, for acedia is more than sloth; it is also depression and self-pity; it is also that dull world-weariness which causes us, in Dante’s words, to be “sad in the sweet air that rejoiceth in the sun.” To grieve, to repine, to feel sorry for oneself, to despair—these are the manifestations of self-willing and of rebellion against the will of God. And that special and characteristic discouragement we experience on account of the slowness of our
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