Sloth is a creature known for its sleepiness. If your
metabolism, like my greyhound or your sloth, makes you nap 20 hours per day,
are you still slow for the 4 hours you spend awoke? The sloth is slow no matter
what time of day. The greyhound is exceeding fast.
The slow sloth got its name, meaning ‘laziness’ in
1749, named for one of the seven deadly sins, called in Latin acedia. Lacking
energy (or care) to read your Scriptures, pray your prayers, or care your
cares, is what Pope Francis calls a ‘dangerous temptation’ to find ‘disgust’ in
everything you do. How does this differ from clinical depression? Possibly in
the four hours you can choose to use. The signs of the times are showing how each
conscious being must seek the way to mend the world. The simplest may be the
most effective. Gospel means news: it was hard enough to know who’s telling the
truth in Pilate’s day. Is it not slothful not to check? Look around. Is silence
false witness? Silence is no witness. Is no witness false witness? Is fantasy, entertainment,
conspiracy theories, propaganda? Be fast chasing what God loves: justice, mercy,
humility and truth.
