As a contemplative (Third Order Carmelite), I’m a Mary to what feels like every other woman out there’s Martha. Why do I consider this a struggle? Didn’t Jesus Himself say that Mary had chosen the better part and for Martha to just get over it? Ah yes. But there’s more to it that wasn’t addressed in this one story. I don’t know if Mary herself struggled with this or not… but I do. A lot. I gladly and willingly spend time with Jesus, hanging on His every word. But also like Peter at the mountain top, I’m inclined to not want to leave either. But Jesus bids us to not only sit by His feet and listen to Him but to follow Him, and that includes to the cross. To descend the mountain after our contemplative time with Him, and to pick up our individual crosses out of great love for Him. This is why we are told that out of faith, hope and charity, Charity is the greatest.
So yesterday, as I contemplated what to ‘ give up for Lent’, I started by writing down in a notebook my ‘pain points’. Sometimes our sufferings are easier to detect than our sins. Things like health issues, financial struggles etc. then I listed under each one of them my own sins that I felt had contributed in any possible way to them. Like gluttony under ‘health issues’ etc. each category ended up with a list of personal sins underneath it… but there was one sin that appeared as a common denominator. Sloth! I knew I was onto something here. I prayed… and got word out to people I trusted to get their feed back. I asked Our Blessed Mother to guide me through my day, and to help me get closer to her Son and to follow His Divine Will… not only in the easy moments but in carrying my crosses. She responded… and my thoughts here are a result of that.
What it is Sloth exactly?
It essentially stems from an unwillingness to lay down our lives for Christ for fear of the cross. It is a sin against charity. “I love you so much Jesus…but not THAT and definitely now NOW’…which is not love at all.
We see the good that we are called to and it seems so unattainable that we despair. A sorrow sets in.
Often when I confess the sin of slothfulness, priests are fast to point out to me that slothfulness is not laziness in the commonly used sense. And since I’m not lazy about my prayer time then I couldn’t possibly be slothful…or could I? See, ‘the things of God’ don’t just entail prayer and religious endeavors… but all the things that I’m called to within my state of life… as a wife and mother, and all of my relationships and secular endeavors. As one consecrated to Our Blessed Mother… it’s all hers now… and as she leads me forward, ever closer to her Divine Son, I’m to step with her. Failure to do that is disobedience… which essentially is what slothfulness is.
This morning’s reflections from Fr. Gobbi’s Blue Book as if right on cue, Message #376 f, Our Blessed Mother says. ” Love always without ever becoming weary. Everything must be done by you only out of love: The journey you must undertake for me—out of love; The cross which you must carry—out of love; The heavy work which is your lot to accomplish—out of love; The cenacles which you lead—out of love; The countries you journey through—out of love; the distant continents you reach—out of love; the intense prayer that I ask of you—out of love; the sufferings I ask of you each day—out of love; the weariness which takes hold of you—out of love; The exhaustion which prostrates you—out of love; Your limitations which mortify you—out of love; Your defects which accompany you—out of love; All your life which you give me—out of love.
Remedies
As I asked for suggestions, the common reply was ‘fasting’. I totally agree… but not only in the most thought of sense, of abstaining from food in some sort. But also ‘fasting’ from distractions. If slothfulness is leading me away from embracing God’s will for me at this moment, what are the mediums being used to accomplish this? I need to run from those. And start diligently doing what I ought to be doing instead. It sounds simple, and it really is. But because something is simple doesn’t mean it is easy. This is why we need all the heavenly help we can get. With the Sacrament of Confession being number one. Then prepare to love Him so intensely that we would hold nothing back from Him and would do any thing He asks of us just as Our Blessed Mother instructs us.
The way that I implement this is by having a routine going. I again fall back on my ‘Mother’s Rule of Life’ as I go about setting up my daily schedule with all my responsibilities clearly written down, including prayer time and some time for family and fun too. Then when we hit a bump on the road, it is necessary in great humility to accept God’s undeserved love and mercy…confess and start again.
I’m grateful for Fr. André who always responds with the exact thing that I’m needing to hear. Let’s not forget to pray for our priests this Lenten season.
Regarding your request ,”Please give me your best advice on how to attack sloth”
I will reference this answer from the book The Spiritual Life by Tanquery.
883 Sloth is connected with sensuality.
It proceeds from love of pleasure .
In that it inclines us to avoid effort and hardship.
There is in all of our fallen natures a tendency to follow the line of least resistance, which paralyzes or lessens our activity.
884 Sloth is an inclination to idleness or at least to aimlessness , to apathy in action.
*** A morbid disposition due to ill health.
But more frequently it is a disease of the “ will “.
Which fears Effort and recoils from it.
The slothful want to escape all exertion ,
Whatever might interfere with their comfort or involve fatigue ,
Like parasites they live on others to whatever extent they can,
Submissive as long as long as no one interferes with them.
They become bad tempered , easily irritated when one rouse them from their inactivity.
885 Because of Sin generated in man , because of the Fall of our first parents .
It is necessary to cultivate the physical and spiritual powers which were once perfect as human nature allowed but are now subject to perfection.
Work is a law of nature and a punishment .
In a sense work is a means of repairing sin.
890 It is necessary to make a sustained and intelligent effort , for the training of the Will *
There is no creature more wretched than the idle man , he is a burden to himself , all thing bore him ,and he becomes weary of life himself.
Exert ourselves to be useful, and secure some contentment by striving to make those around us Happy.
Christian Marriage with it’s attended obligations frequently proves an excellent remedy to sloth.
Parents are to work for their offspring, and
Not to entrust to strangers the cares of their interests.
Matt 20 : 6,7. Why stand you here all day idle ?
Go you also into my vine yard .
Commit your self to the Immaculate, beg Her for the graces to will the divine Will , every hour of the day And you will know how gently she is as she constantly granting us graces for us to leave our backsides .Undertake daily mortification.
Hope that helps .
All for the Immaculate
Below are a couple of awesome youtube videos on the subject.
This really spoke to me. Sloth is something I’m always confessing and struggling with. In this world of ready distraction it’s easy to fall into that trap. Praise Jesus for his remedies and the graces he has given our Blessed Mother to dispense!