Slothfulness is one of the seven deadly sins. The others are pride, greed, anger, envy, gluttony and

lust.

L. J. Canale Jr., a friend of mine, attends our Friday morning Bible study and is a member of The Center of Jesus the Lord Catholic Church in New Orleans. He wrote the following article for his church bulletin and moderated a Friday meeting on slothfulness. It’s a sin most of us overlook in our lives because it doesn’t sound as serious as the others.

SLOTH? REALLY?…

At first glance of this article, one might think that there are so many other important things to be concerned about other than sloth. For example, there is murder, war and division. Sloth is sluggishness of the soul or boredom because of the exertion necessary to do God’s will. Sadly enough, in today’s society, it’s easy to fall into the trap of sloth. Whether it’s through television or worldly things, today’s

people are becoming lax in their faith.

Sloth is dangerous because it can cause us to refuse to co-operate with God’s will, then we might continue in our state of lukewarmness and procrastination. What starts off as a mild distaste for spiritual effort can quickly become a turnoff for spiritual maturity.

Sloth can creep in slowly; we can recognize the signs when our prayer time starts to decrease and the quality of prayer is reduced. This does not mean we can’t enjoy life, but we should examine our priorities because sloth can interfere with God’s plan in our life. “He that is faithful in what is least is faithful also in that which is greater.” Luke 16:10

A good way to counteract sloth is by spending time in adoration or by meditating on the gifts and fruit of the Holy Spirit that God has given you in your life. We must keep moving forward in our walk with God, regardless of the trials and tribulations we encounter. So if you

are suffering from this spiritual paralysis, remember, it’s the quality of prayer, not necessarily the quantity.

If you have any questions, or comments, please write to Get High on Life, P.O. Drawer U, Reserve, LA 70084, call (985) 652-8477, or e-mail: hkeller@comcast.net.