Sloth
This sorrow is a lack of magnanimity; it lacks courage for the great things that are proper to the nature of the Christian. It is a kind of anxious vertigo that befalls the human individual when he becomes aware of the height to which God has raised him. One who is trapped in acedia has neither the courage nor the will to be as great as he really is. He would prefer to be less great in order thus to avoid the obligation of greatest. Acedia is a perverted humility; it will not accept supernatural goods because they are, by their very nature, linked to a claim on him who receives them. Something similar exists in the sphere of mental health and illness. The psychiatrist frequently observes that, while a neurotic individual may have a superficial will to be restored to health, in actually he fears more than anything else the demands that are made, as a matter of course, on one who is well.
Josef Pieper, On Hope, page 56.
Labels: Reflection
John Piper from desiring God?
Posted by
Peter Jr. |
June 15, 2008 7:08 PM
no, not john piper, my mistake, it should be josef pieper. check out:
http://www.amazon.com/Faith-Hope-Love-Josef-Pieper/dp/0898706238/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1213592943&sr=8-1
Posted by
Alan Yu |
June 15, 2008 10:12 PM