What Causes Spiritual Apathy

Here are four steps you can take to combat spiritual apathy.

What is the sin of apathy?

Though the idea of the sin in antiquity was that this lethargy or lack of activity was simply a symptom of the vice of apathy or indifference, specifically an apathy or boredom with God, sloth has also been defined as a failure to accomplish things that one should do.

What is spiritual indifference?

What does it mean to be unconcerned? To be indifferent about an issue means that it makes no difference which way you look at it; one method isn't more valuable or important than the other. There is a lack of excitement, concern, or interest in something or someone.

From time to time, we're all ambivalent about certain issues. For lunch, do we want chicken or hamburgers? So, if we like both, we'll say it doesn't make a difference. Would we rather go shopping today or tomorrow? It doesn't seem to make a difference.

These are only a few examples of indifferent attitudes that have minimal impact. Today's lesson emphasizes the significance of paying attention to the things that really important.

So, once again, we refer to J. Kalas Ellsworth's ideas and thoughts in his work “We use the Roman soldiers as examples of the mistake of being indifferent at a time when full attention was required in “Seven Words To The Cross: A Lenten Study For Adults,” as we use them as examples of the mistake of being indifferent at a time when full attention was required.

In the words and acts of the soldiers assigned to Jesus' execution in John 19: 23-27, we find an attitude of indifference. For whatever reason, they were unconcerned with an occurrence that was undoubtedly routine for them.

The things of Jesus, namely the pieces of clothes, were their primary concern for the afternoon. They were particularly interested in acquiring his garment, which would have been expensive due to the lack of seams and sewn-together areas.

But, while they were preoccupied with the tunic, Jesus was dying on the cross directly above them. However, we observe complete disregard for anything or anyone other than their own interests.

I invite each of us to dig deep within ourselves throughout Lent and beyond to discover if we have any apathy toward others or, more significantly, toward God.

These Roman soldiers were not only harsh and callous, but also thoughtless. Can we think about the apathy we have as a culture toward other people's feelings while we consider these troops' insensitivity to pain and suffering?

We may not become willfully nasty and brutal, but we may just become oblivious to the sorrow that surrounds us.

Our spiritual journey might sometimes be marred by indifference. It can happen when we hear the Holy Spirit's voice but are too preoccupied to respond. It might happen when we are too preoccupied with our own concerns to hear our brothers and sisters' cries.

It might happen when we are guilty of wrongdoings in our life but do not change our ways. The Holy Spirit's voice, the screams of the poor, and personal convictions are becoming less and less frequent.

We tend to lose touch with the personal call that God has put on our hearts, and our vision isn't as clear as it once was.

Could it be that we've removed our hands off Jesus's and replaced our passion for following him with apathy? If that's the case, it's easy to see ourselves rolling the dice at the foot of the cross.

It's possible that we've heard God's call on our lives; we understand how important it is to treat others as Jesus did, but we're simply too preoccupied. Preoccupation can quickly develop into indifference if we are not careful.

God is the one who keeps trying to break into our life, banging on the door of our busyness, and we keep shutting him out.

We are not violent or unkind; we simply have other things on our minds. We're attempting to figure out how to deal with the situation “We can wear “tunics” without shredding them in our life.

This scenario in front of the cross has a certain irony to it. You may recall that a woman was healed after touching the hem of Jesus' robe a few months ago (Luke 8:43-48). The soldiers were now wearing the same outfit.

We know the piece of fabric didn't contain any magic. However, I'm curious if any of those guys required physical healing that day, either for themselves or for someone back home.

How close they were to the source of all healing, to the One who had come to mend the brokenness, to cast out the darkness, to provide peace, and to build an eternal relationship!

How is sloth a sin?

When we think of a “The term “couch potato” refers to someone who is sedentary. The vice of sloth, on the other hand, does not refer to bodily exhaustion, fatigue, or aversion to work, but rather to apathy toward work “spiritual laziness” refers to a carelessness or lack of excitement for my soul's life, God's love, and the task he has given me. Despair is caused by a sense of weariness or dullness in the soul.

Faith in God's love, according to the Catholic Church, includes both the call and the need to respond to divine charity with real love. Sloth is a sin against God's love because it rejects the joy that comes from God and is repulsed by heavenly goodness. It's a loss of faith in our ability to achieve what God desires for us: eternal bliss. The slothful lack the strength and desire to pursue the great things God has planned for those who love him.

Our spiritual life will be locked on the sofa until our souls dare to believe and have the bravery and spiritual energy to realize that God is limitless love who extends his hand to us in order to share his kindness and happiness.

Proverbs describe undesirable trait

Calvary Temple Assembly of God, 606 W. 29th St., Rev. Marshall Lackrone, pastor

The phrases “sloth” and “slothfulness” are rarely used in everyday language. A few Scriptures can provide a very good solution to the question. Especially when we consider Jesus' parable of “The Talents” in Matthew 25:26 (King James Version): “Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not strawed.”

“Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: Enter thou into the joy of thy master,” Jesus said three verses before speaking the words to his followers in Matthew 25:23 (King James translation).

The Bible makes numerous references to sloth and slothfulness, and in Proverbs 6:6-9 (King James version), the Bible uses the word “sluggard” in the same vein: Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:Which, having no guide, overseer, or ruler,Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.

How long do you intend to sleep, sluggard? “When do you intend to awaken from your slumber?”

A sloth is a tree-dwelling mammal that is notable for its slowness of locomotion. The sloth was one of the everyday objects used by Jesus to illustrate his messages. In Ecclesiastes 10:18 (King James version), if slothfulness isn't evil, it's certainly not desirable: “By great slothfulness the structure decayeth; and with laziness of the hands the house droppeth through.”

How do I stop being a sloth?

“How can I get rid of my sluggishness?” The answer might not be as simple as you think. While some people are more prone to being lethargic than others, even the most productive persons might struggle to complete tasks at times.

Here are some suggestions to help you overcome laziness and increase your productivity.

Make your goals manageable

Burnout can be caused by setting unreasonable objectives and taking on too much. Burnout symptoms are recognized by medical specialists, despite the fact that it is not a clinical diagnosis. Burnout at work can lead to exhaustion, a lack of interest and ambition, and a desire to leave.

Set realistic, manageable goals that will get you where you want to go without overwhelming you along the way to avoid overloading.

Don't expect yourself to be perfect

Perfectionism increased with time, according to a 2017 study of college students between 1989 and 2016. “Young people now face more competitive situations, more unreasonable expectations, and more worried and controlling parents than previous generations,” according to the researchers.

People are becoming more critical of themselves and others as a result of the rise in perfectionism. Depression and anxiety have also increased as a result.

Expecting perfection was linked to avoidant coping, which is when you avoid dealing with challenges, according to a smaller research of college students.

Use positive instead of negative self-talk

Negative self-talk can sabotage your efforts to accomplish goals in many areas of your life. Negative self-talk includes telling yourself that you're a slacker.

Positive self-talk can help you silence your negative inner voice. “I'll give it my all to make it happen,” instead of “There's no way I can get this done.”

Create a plan of action

Making a plan for how you'll do something will help you get there faster. Create an action plan and be realistic about how much time, effort, and other elements will be required to achieve your goal. Even if you encounter a stumbling block along the way, having a plan will provide direction and confidence.

Use your strengths

When making objectives or preparing to tackle a task, take a time to consider your strengths. To help you get things done, try applying them to different elements of a task. Focusing on strengths has been demonstrated to boost productivity, pleasant feelings, and work engagement in studies.

Recognize your accomplishments along the way

Giving yourself a pat on the back for a job well done might help you stay motivated. Consider keeping track of all of your achievements in all you do, whether at work or at home. It's a fantastic method to enhance your self-esteem and positivism, as well as give you the motivation to keep going.

What causes sloth?

Laziness can be caused by a lack of self-esteem, a lack of positive recognition from others, a lack of discipline caused by poor self-confidence, or a lack of interest in or belief in the efficacy of the activity. Procrastination and vacillation are two signs of laziness. According to motivation studies, laziness is caused by a lack of motivation, which can be exacerbated by over-stimulation, excessive urges, or distractions. These trigger the release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter linked to pleasure and reward. The greater one's intolerance for appreciating and embracing productive and gratifying action, the more dopamine is released. This desensitization causes neuronal patterns to dull and has a negative impact on the brain's anterior insula, which is important for risk perception.

Multiple activities, according to ADHD experts, can lead to behavioral issues such as attention/focus failure, perfectionism, and, as a result, pessimism. In certain instances, laziness can show as a negative coping mechanism (aversion), the desire to avoid particular situations in order to avoid certain experiences and anticipated unfavorable outcomes. Laziness, according to Lacanian theory, is the “playing out” of archetypes derived from societal conditioning and poor child rearing techniques. Boredom is sometimes confused with laziness; according to one study, the average Briton is bored for 6 hours every week. Aversive moods like laziness, according to Thomas Goetz of the University of Konstanz in Germany and John Eastwood of York University in Canada, can be both adaptive for change and toxic if allowed to persist. “Being conscious and not searching for ways out of it, while still being open to inventive and active options if they should arise,” they found to be effective in their studies. They point out that engaging in tasks without taking a break might lead to failure oscillations, which can lead to mental health difficulties.

Laziness has also been demonstrated to make people apathetic to reacting mental health disorders like rage, anxiety, indifference, substance misuse, and depression.

How do you get spiritual discernment?

Because every decision must be made in line with God's will, Christian spiritual discernment can be distinguished from other types of discernment. Christian discernment is defined as a decision-making process in which an individual discovers something that can lead to future action. God leads the individual through the process of Christian spiritual discernment to help them make the greatest decision possible. In Christian spiritual discernment, the greatest approach to arrive at the best option is to look for internal and outward indicators of God's action and then apply them to the situation at hand. Christian discernment also places a strong emphasis on Jesus and making decisions that are consistent with Jesus' teachings in the New Testament. Christian discernment differs from secular discernment in that it focuses on God and Jesus while making decisions. Ignatius of Loyola is widely regarded as a master of spirit discernment. Ignatian discernment is named after Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556), who developed his own distinct method of Catholic discernment. Ignatian discernment focuses on perceiving God in all aspects of life and uses a series of Spiritual Exercises to help people make better life decisions. The Spiritual Exercises are intended to assist those who are confronted with a significant life decision. Identifying the issue, spending time to pray about the choice, making a wholehearted decision, discussing the choice with a mentor, and lastly trusting the decision made are the seven steps of discernment to be followed.

What does Tantum quantum mean?

Minimalism has recently piqued my interest. There's no doubt that I'm not alone, judging by the massive popularity of Marie Kondo's Netflix special and the beautiful Instagram postings of clean homes, straight lines, and intentional design. “Less is more” is a cultural concept that is spreading like wildfire.

This is taken from the first principle and basis of St. Ignatius of Loyola's Spiritual Exercises, which states:

“…that one must employ other created things to the extent that (quantum quantum) they aid in achieving one's goal, and remove oneself from them to the extent that (quantum quantum) they obstruct one's goal.” To do so, we must render ourselves indifferent to all created things, as long as the matter is subject to our free will and no other prohibition exists.”

This sentence pushed me to seriously consider what I was clinging to in my life – what had served its purpose and was no longer helping me? Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh pushed me even harder:

“Letting go brings joy and contentment, according to Buddhism. Please take a moment to sit down and make a list of your accomplishments. There are some things you've been clinging to that aren't really useful and are robbing you of your liberty. You must get the strength to let them go.”

There's no denying that I've amassed quite a collection of tools, gadgets, and gizmos in just a few short years. They've been of great assistance to me. During college, I was able to supplement my income by repairing faulty phones and equipment, which increased my problem-solving skills. My inquisitive mind was well-trained, and my tool collection progressively grew.

A collection that has been collecting dust in the basement for quite some time.

As a result, I undertook a little purge of clothes, junk, and devices to coincide with a house relocation. They'd be better off in someone else's hands, despite the fact that they're still perfectly functional. Fixing and fixing things is still a love of mine, and I'll keep doing it as long as there are things to fix – but I'd prefer to focus on sharing and spreading these passions with others. The secondhand shop down the street will be ecstatic.

“It's difficult for people to let go of their pain. They prefer familiar misery because they are afraid of the unfamiliar.”

So here I am, attempting to let go of the stories I've told myself. It's much easier said than done. It's one thing to donate clothes and organize your sock drawer, but it's quite another to undertake some mental “deep cleaning.”

The KonMari technique touches on this inner effort; it emphasizes retaining only what brings you joy while offering thanks for other items and their functions in your life. However, certain stories are so deeply ingrained in our psyches that no amount of external organizing can properly address them.

Yes, tidy your room and organize your home, but don't forget to shake the cobwebs out of your mind's attic every now and then.

What have you been clinging to, whether it's on the inside or outside? What has been preventing you from properly achieving the goal you've set for yourself?

What is Jesuit discernment?

The term discernment is frequently used in Jesuit/Ignatian circles. Some people define discernment as making decisions in God's presence, while others refer to a more structured approach based on norms laid down in Ignatius' Spiritual Exercises. Discernment is a method of making choices (4:21).

Is laziness a sin?

Although laziness is a sin, you can find peace in Jesus at any time, even when you're working and in the most hectic and stressful situations.

When we repent and beg for help with our laziness, God extends grace to you and me. It's a difficult thing to do, but it's well worth it when you consider how much better it is to rest with Jesus and work with and for him than to succumb to laziness.

The Holy Spirit is constantly with you, and as Christians, He lives within of us. You can overcome the sin of idleness with the help of the Holy Spirit.