The material presented below is the original work of priest Maxim Kaskun (Moscow region), published on the Internet in the format of video lectures. The author of this project, “ierei063,” in order to present information more concisely, optimized his lectures in such a way as to significantly reduce the volume of material without losing the main idea, allowing the reader to quickly and accurately grasp the main idea.
Father did serious, respectable work, from various sources, including the works of the Holy Fathers, collected information on the topic, clearly systematized and revealed it. He worked on the development of this material for a very long time, and I do not claim authorship, but in order to save my own time, seeing this worthy work, I dare to post a “shortened version” on my website. Those wishing to access the original material, please go to the Internet project of Priest Maxim Kaskun, who also needs support for his works.
So, the word “laziness” is the passivity of a person’s will, unwillingness to desire, relaxation of the soul and decrepitude of the mind, as St. John the Climacus says.
So, Abba Isaiah says this: “Laziness and negligence are the rest of this age.”
That is, when a person indulges in laziness and negligence, he wants to calm down, find peace in the energies, in things, in thoughts that are and belong to this world. Those. peace of the flesh, peace of carnal wisdom, when a person tries to find such a point in his being so as not to strain himself in anything. Just be calm, do nothing, and receive all sorts of benefits for it. And today the very philosophy of modern life is, in principle, this: minimum labor, maximum profit. Accordingly, this leads, of course, to great spiritual distortions.
Laziness as a worldview
For many, laziness is a way of life, a worldview. We instill in ourselves the mindset that no one would ever do anything if it were possible. We romanticize laziness. Our lives reflect the song of the eighties - “...everyone works for the weekend.” We tend to believe that if it weren't for the “hustle” (ordinary “meaningless” work), we would be wonderful, active Christians. We would then devote all our time to reading the Bible and be able to be strong, courageous believers. This kind of thinking reflects laziness as a worldview. We were convinced that we only work so that we can rest. Work is thus a necessary evil. This is how we too often approach work. However, this approach turns God's design for the work-rest cycle on its head. From a biblical perspective, we do not “work that we may rest,” but we “rest that we may work.” If we do not start from this fundamental reality, we come to false conclusions about work and leisure.
The causes of these sins, where they come from:
- The first reason is the passion of gluttony, the main passion about which we have talked a lot.
St. John Cassian the Roman: “You need to get up from the table with a feeling of hunger,” the golden rule, as the monks say, after this there will be no laziness. Laziness only appears when you are fed up. Saint Theophan the Recluse: “What satiety is for a layman is satiety for a monk.” That is, a monk should not even eat enough. Because after satiety, a person can work physically, and even quite well, but a person will no longer be able to work spiritually.
The Monk Isaac the Syrian says that laziness comes from burdening the belly, when the belly is burdened, and from many things. He added an interesting phrase, which has been abolished today. Today, on the contrary, we are all trying to do so much here and there, to be in time everywhere. In fact, it is after this that laziness is born. Because a person tries to be on time here and there, everywhere, gets wasted, achieves nothing, gets disappointed, and because of all this, despondency is born in him, after which laziness occurs.
- The second reason is the passion of despondency - one of the most sinful passions, which gives rise to laziness.
St. Ephraim the Syrian says this: “I call laziness without a reason despondency and carelessness, i.e. negligence." That is, when a person is really tired, he is lazy because he is tired, he is paralyzed because he is really tired, overworked; or a person is in grief, lost his spouse, for example, or some loved one, some kind of grief, etc.
There is a paralysis of human life, such that a person from internal states does not want to do anything, he simply remains in some kind of laziness, although this is also bad, but nevertheless it is justified and there is a reason for this. And when there is no reason, then it specifically comes from despondency and carelessness.
- And the third passion, which gives rise to the sin of despondency, is vanity. How does this happen? Vanity gives rise to such sins as excessive talking and idle talk. Why does a person talk a lot? Because vanity tries to force a person to always do something so that people pay attention to him.
Therefore, talking too much spoils a person completely; when you talk too much, judge yourself, talk idlely, then there is such emptiness in your soul, and after this sin comes the sin of laziness according to the law of spiritual life. Laziness sets in, and the person is in a relaxed state and not concentrated. Because idle talk plunders the treasure of a person’s soul, i.e. those spiritual fruits that he collects within himself.
“Laziness comes from love of the flesh, negligence, idleness, lack of fear of God,” says St. Ephraim the Syrian.
What is the sin of laziness
The sin of laziness in Orthodoxy is neglect of those talents with which the Lord has endowed each of His Creations for His joy. The most interesting thing is that even some clergy, such as Damascene and Cassian, did not consider laziness to be a mortal sin of Orthodoxy.
Traditionally, laziness is regarded as a vice, since a lazy person is a freeloader
Spiritual joy in itself is good, but sadness caused by laziness oppresses a person, distracting him from business, and this is already a sin. A sluggish, inactive person only at first glance seems harmless to society. King Solomon in his parables called for following the example of the ant, who works all summer to have food in the winter (Proverbs 6:6-9).
About other sins:
- What diseases are given for what sins
- Sin of anger in Orthodoxy
- Why is it a sin to play cards?
A lazy person pays little attention to earnings; everything would be fine if others didn’t have to work for him. A drone in the life of another person violates the basic commandment of God, which speaks of love for one's neighbor.
The Bible considers laziness to be a sign of foolishness (Proverbs 24:30-32).
In the Gospel of Matthew we read about a servant who, having received one talent, did not multiply it (Matthew 25:26). From the point of view of a lazy person, it is completely incomprehensible why a servant was punished for not wasting money, not drinking, but simply not increasing the master’s wealth. It's all about love and the desire to be not just slaves, but friends of the owner, who entrusted his fortune to his workers, hoping for their respect and love.
The lazy slave buried his talent and did nothing, waiting for his master to arrive. The other two workers worked, putting their talents into the business, showing loyalty and love with their zeal and hard work.
Holy Scripture says 365 times: “Rejoice!” Every day Christians should find reasons to rejoice and thank God for it. A lazy Christian becomes despondent and constantly criticizes the Creator, expressing dissatisfaction.
Important! Laziness in Orthodoxy is a mortal sin due to the destruction of a person’s spiritual strength, as a creation of God.
Laziness causes depression, apathy, and suppresses the desire to live and fight problems and illnesses.
Ignorance of Divine providence for life covers the sloth, destroying all motivation for a successful life; he has a feeling of the meaninglessness of existence. People say that you can gain hard work in 3 years, but laziness takes over a person in 3 days.
Idleness is the main root of the sin of laziness
Even churchgoers experience bouts of laziness when:
- there is no desire to read the prayer rule in the morning;
- there are a thousand reasons to miss the service;
- The devil makes excuses for not fasting.
At this time, an Orthodox believer is ready to redo all household chores, just not to be in the presence of the Holy Spirit, therefore, the manifestation of spiritual laziness is much worse than a physical reluctance to work.
Advice! Only a conversation with a spiritual mentor will help distinguish physical fatigue, spiritual burnout from simple laziness caused by idleness.
Signs of these sins:
- In Proverbs, the wise Solomon says: “Laziness makes one drowsy” (Proverbs 19:15), so the signs are drowsiness, sleeping a lot, waking up, lying in bed for a long time, putting off the alarm clock for five minutes. These are concrete signs that you and I are not in a cheerful state, but are in a state of laziness.
- Aimless walking around the house, along the street, from corner to corner, a person is simply trying to go somewhere, but he himself does not know anything, I would even say: walking around something and not wanting to touch it in any way. I need to wash the floors, but no, I went and did this, I went and did that, and then it was evening, I had to go to bed, I quickly put everything away with a vacuum cleaner - tomorrow, all tomorrow.
- Zeal for unimportant matters, neglect of the main thing. When a person has a specific task - he needs to do something at work today, his boss sets a plan for him, and he must do it, because this is his main task for today. And besides kalyms, he also wants to do this, that, you know, such a good mood happens in the soul, and the person, it turns out, does a lot in these secondary matters, but the main thing never happens. Very often, in this regard, a female character trait is guessed. It’s not about laziness, but precisely a female character trait. The woman does a lot, but sometimes she just rests all day. I did everything except what was necessary.
- Striving for simplification. There is, of course, simplicity - a sign of talent, a person does something simple. And there is simplicity when a person is told: “Do this,” but he is reluctant, and he begins: “Let’s make lazy cabbage rolls...” or lazy dumplings. Those. the desire to simplify not in order to invent some simple, durable mechanism, but in order to expend less effort. And so on in different things.
- Lack of feat, constancy in doing, patience. Lazy people and those who are prone to laziness, that is, in principle, all of us - it is very difficult for us to be constancy, constancy suffocates us, it does not give us life, it fetters our lives, it paralyzes us, it is so hateful, it constancy, and in general: “Who invented it?!” - laziness exclaims. And the Lord came up with it in order to humble us all, in order to show that constancy is given to a person precisely by the destruction of passions. Passions all the time try to plunge a person into a lot of worry, into a lot of talking, into worrying about many things so that the person becomes fussy. And constancy gives a person a static state, which cleanses him of passions and prepares him to receive spiritual fruits. And patience is, of course, the nerve of constancy and the nerve of spiritual life.
We must fight laziness with work and prayer.
No one comes into our world with a soul that is incredibly lazy. But the fight against laziness is a necessary measure, which cannot be avoided. The temptations that lead to laziness are very great. Therefore, it is useful to know what helps to cope.
Hegumen Nektary (Morozov) advises:
“You need constant work, work on yourself, aimed at acquiring an extremely valuable skill: concentrating on the main thing, pushing aside the unimportant. It is necessary to force ourselves: we must not wait until the desire to do what a Christian should awaken in us, but simply take ourselves “by the scruff of the neck” and drag us in the right direction. This is actually almost always possible, with very, very rare exceptions. And it almost always bears fruit sooner or later: we are very dependent on skills, and if we acquire the skill of overcoming ourselves, then in the future it turns into a kind of spiritual lifesaver. And the most important thing: the Lord, seeing that we are not sitting idly by, but struggling, trying to move forward, even if only in tiny steps, Himself helps us, gives us His grace, and it already fills us with the strength we need, the strength we need. After all, it is only He, as once and now, who raises the paralytic from their bed...”
Nektary Morozov
abbot
The Lord extends a helping hand to those who struggle with laziness
And, of course, the main weapon against laziness remains prayer:
“And we must never forget about such a universal means of getting out of a state of relaxation as prayer.
Not necessarily in a temple, not necessarily even in standing before an icon in a prayer corner (although this is very important), even if it’s the shortest, but constant, sincere, filled with heartache:
“Bring me, Lord, out of this state, help me become alive for You, teach me to do Your will, give me strength, integrity, strength of soul and body...”
And she, too, will not remain without fruit.”
The very passions of laziness and negligence are also signs:
1) The soul's aspirations for the worse. Those. if you are lazy, you must understand that your soul strives for the worse, it falls, it is in regression, it is decomposing, you are specifically decomposing your inner state.
2) And as Rev. says. Abba Isaiah, laziness is a sign when a person’s soul is the home of all sorts of shameful and disgraceful passions. Because no virtue can reside in a lazy person. The Lord would be glad to give a person prayer, fasting, patience, and some other virtue, but the next day the person will neglect it, because negligence and laziness have completely enslaved him.
“Laziness is the mother of all vices” (+VIDEO)
Perhaps everyone is familiar with this situation: you absolutely have to do something, but you don’t want to, and you start coming up with excuses: the work is not interesting, and I don’t have the ability to do it... Or maybe it’s more honest to admit to yourself: I’m just lazy? Much has been written about laziness over thousands of years, and there is no people or culture in which laziness is not condemned. What, exactly, is behind the state of laziness? And is workaholism, the opposite of laziness, always good? After all, psychologists advise restraining yourself at work... And should work be interesting? What to do if you are lazy in spiritual work? And how to overcome laziness? We addressed these questions to Archpriest Alexander Saltykov, rector of the Church of the Resurrection of Christ in Kadashi.
- Good afternoon! Today we are visiting Archpriest Alexander Saltykov, a priest who speaks the literary language the 19th century. Hello, Father Alexander!
- Hello! I thank you for such a flattering description, but I’m afraid that I don’t deserve it.
– Father Alexander, we would like to talk about laziness - every person faces this condition. Why is laziness a sin?
– Indeed, why is laziness a sin? Here were Adam and Eve, they sinned, but they were not lazy. They clearly did not have such a sin. When did laziness appear? Where did she come from?
Of course, laziness is a vice inherent in all humanity. Laziness is disgusting not only for a Christian, but in any cultural and historical environment. And laziness, of course, is disgusting, persecuted, ridiculed, condemned for a very simple reason: a lazy person is a person who does not create anything. He doesn't create, he only consumes. He becomes a burden to his parents, to society, he is a parasite, he is a drone. And for this he is ridiculed in every possible way.
Pieter Bruegel the Elder. Country of lazy people. 1567
There is a wonderful painting by the 16th century artist Pieter Bruegel, “The Land of the Lazy.” A luxurious tree with apples is depicted, several people are lying under it - and apples are falling into their mouths from this tree. Straight into your mouth! And you don't need to do anything. This is the lazy person’s idea of well-being.
A lazy person is an active consumer, but he does not want to create anything. Only receive, only take
A lazy person is an active consumer, but he does not want to create anything. Only receive, only take. And when there is nothing to take because you don’t have your own, what should a lazy person do? He takes someone else's. Another scenario is also possible: he very easily becomes an alcoholic, a libertine, a completely insignificant person.
Behind every sin there is a demon. There is the demon of alcoholism, there is the demon of pride, and there is, undoubtedly, the demon of laziness. And this demon of laziness paralyzes a person’s will. That is why a lazy person ceases to be a person. But the main thing is to be an individual. A lazy person, even if he is gifted, is not a person, because he does not create anything. This is a sleepy creature that is close to some kind of vegetable. And he easily becomes a deceiver. Because a lazy person is ready to do anything to live prosperously, but at the same time do nothing. So laziness is truly the mother of all vices.
– Father, can the famous words “I have God in my soul” be considered as a manifestation of laziness?
– The words “I have God in my soul” are not a manifestation of laziness, but an excuse for laziness. This expression itself is rather pitiful and illiterate. “I have God in my soul,” say people who do not even know what a soul is and who God is. They simply don't think about it. And they get off with such an easy phrase. They usually say this: “Why are you pestering me?!” I know that God exists because He is in my soul, but that’s why I don’t need to do anything.” Whether such a person has God in his soul is a big question, because God dwells only in a pure soul. If a person’s soul is not pure, then the grace of God departs from it.
People who say this know, of course, that God is in a different place, not in their soul, but they do not want to work on their soul, on developing their spiritual qualities, on knowledge. And man was created as a cognizing being. This is extremely important. He is homo sapiens - intelligent, but intelligence only makes sense when it is used. What does it mean to use intelligence? This is precisely what it is to know. The mind is a cognitive organ. This is the whole point. A person who does not strive for knowledge is like... well, like a teenager who does not want to learn, but wants to jump, run, lead a physiological life. He destroys his intelligence, his cognitive ability, and this is due to laziness.
– Father Alexander, here is the situation: a person is forced to do a job that he does not like at all; Let's say he works as a cook, but he could become a programmer or a good driver, but he hasn't been able to find himself yet. And so he somehow works, but so-so, and others perceive him as a lazy person...
- Why as lazy? It’s just that this person couldn’t get another job and therefore works as a cook so that he has something to live on. By the way, this is hard work.
– But he works without giving one hundred percent, he just got involved, as they say. And if this was the kind of work that he liked, in which he found himself, he could work with full dedication...
– To work with dedication or without return... You know, to work without return and at the same time still work is not laziness, no. This is different. This can be a rather difficult state of mind. A state of gloominess, passivity - undoubtedly, and even some kind of bitterness. This is a complex set of experiences. Such a person has no light at the end of the tunnel. And above all, he is far from God. He doesn’t see the light at the end of the tunnel, there is darkness all around, and he tried to find this light in work that would captivate him. He wanted to be, say, a writer, but it turned out that he was not successful as a writer, that no one needed him at all, but he had to earn his daily bread... And he cannot tear himself away from his dream, he feels that he has betrayed his ideals. He feels abandoned, unwanted, lonely, offended. And he becomes despondent.
– He says that everyone around is to blame?..
- Yes, he says that everyone around is to blame. And despondency breeds laziness. And he doesn't want to do anything. He works carelessly, as we say, at half strength. He is irritated, angry...
It is very important for the formation of personality to do not what you want, but what you don’t want
Self-realization of a person is very important. The main thing is that people can find themselves. And only Christianity helps here. Only the Church can explain to a person how to live. Firstly, she can guide him along the right path, she can help him here. Secondly, if circumstances such that a person is forced to work in a way that is not his profile, in a profession that he would not like, the Church can and should explain to him - and she explains this to him - that nothing happens without Providence God's And what is very important for the formation of a personality - and this is the most important thing on our path, especially in youth - is to form oneself as a person... so, it is very important for the formation of a personality to do not what I want, but what I don’t Want. This overcoming of “I want”—I want this, I want that—is the most important task for a Christian.
And, by the way, in connection with laziness, this is also extremely important. “I just want to have fun,” only a lazy person says that. He is a prisoner of this desire. And the Church, both ancient and of all times, all our righteous people have always taught and teach: “Do not what I want, but what I must.” And this was a virtue that was cultivated in all layers of Russian society: in the peasantry, in the merchant class, in the nobility, and in the clergy. All people, all young people were raised so that they do not what they want, but what they need. You need to strain, you need to do what they tell you. This is a Christian attitude.
– I remember monasteries. They say that on Mount Athos the newcomer is given such obedience as he never came close to in worldly life.
Photo: Bishop of Yegoryevsk Tikhon (Shevkunov)
– This is true not only on Athos, but also in other monasteries. In Optina Pustyn we encountered the same thing. There is a story about Elder Macarius. A certain man came to him and said: “I want to become a novice at the monastery.” “What can you do? How did you live? What is your spiritual life like? – the elder began to ask questions. It turned out that this man made a thousand bows every day. Then Elder Macarius tells him: “Okay, stay in the monastery, live, work... Do ten bows a day.” The man was offended: “How is it ten? I can put out a thousand!..” - “No, you put in ten.” It turns out that ten by obedience is more difficult than a thousand by self-will.
And here is the deepest secret of personality formation. It is very important to be able to subjugate yourself. This is what every teenager faces now. One fine day he learns that now he can act differently than his mother said, and live not according to his mother’s orders. And he is carried away by the stream of life. He runs somewhere, forgetting about mom and dad... This is an extremely dangerous moment. There are a lot of things intertwined here: unconscious independence - and this is not even independence, but some kind of spontaneity, I would say - independence; and, of course, recklessness, inability to use reason, and lack of religious consciousness... Children are taught from the cradle that they must obey their elders. But I don’t want to listen to my elders, because a person did not understand even in his youth how important this is. For what? To form a full-fledged personality in him.
You may ask me: why is submitting to another an important personal principle?
– Really, why is this so important?
– They reason like this: “What?! Submit?! Turn me into a slave?!” And I will say this: what, in your opinion, are the best people, the most personal, slaves? Although, yes, they are servants of God. But that’s not how we imagine it. If we say: servant of God, we mean that a person becomes a slave of Divine freedom. Because God is freedom. And to be a servant of God is the greatest happiness, because it is then that a person understands what that freedom is for which his soul is striving, but which is still realized in vice. A person thinks that being free means doing nothing, not going to work, drinking, smoking, using drugs... And this is the most terrible violence of freedom, because a person becomes a slave to vice. And in God, Who is the pure Spirit, you partake of this Spirit. And this, of course, is complete freedom.
– Father, the opposite of laziness is excessive love of work. Of course, I don’t want to talk about hard work as something negative, but workaholism is also a problem.
– It seems to me that there is no or very little danger for a person here, because work is the complete realization of oneself. And to realize oneself, a person cannot pass by work - physical or spiritual labor. Without labor, as they say, you can’t catch a fish out of a pond.
Of course, work is a feat. But the only question is, in the name of what is this feat?
Work is tension, effort on oneself, it is overcoming obstacles. And this is a waste of energy, one’s strength, even to the point of exhaustion, as we well know. But joy is not the result of work. People work so hard that they even die from work. And labor is one of the concepts of achievement. A feat of labor is, of course, an undoubted feat. But the only question is, in the name of what is this work, in the name of what is this feat. Because labor and labor are different. For example, trade. Of course, this is a very necessary activity: the world cannot exist without trade. But when a person devotes himself entirely to trade, does nothing else, strives to earn more money and is really very successful, gets rich... - the question arises: what has he done for himself as an individual? Only money, it turns out. But he usually also becomes unscrupulous in the means of achieving this goal. And where does the money go? He didn’t even think about it, he wants to gain even more money. He invests them in something that generates more income...
Matveev N. S. The stingy knight in the basement. Illustration for the tragedy “The Miserly Knight”, second half of the 19th century. From the collection of the Tver Art Gallery
In fact, money aces, no offense intended, are devoid of reason, they already live like crazy. Because money becomes an all-consuming passion and the only main purpose of existence. To the point of mental illness. “I’ve been waiting all day for minutes to go / To my secret basement, to my faithful chests...” I quote A.S. Pushkin. The seventh chest, then the eighth chest... And then death comes. And what? He will not take this money with him to his grave. And where his money will go is generally unclear, because, unfortunately, the children of rich people are usually lazy and depraved. So why did he collect earthly riches?
You need to be able to manage money here so that it brings good. Because the meaning of human existence is only in the implementation of good and good. So workaholism is good when it serves goodness, some kind of good principle, which in itself is eternal. Everything done for the sake of good, even outwardly material and seemingly completely non-spiritual, physical, but in order, for example, to help another, remains in eternity.
– Father Alexander, there is a healthy desire to relax... For example, when you come home after work, you want to take a book and read, and not do something so active. Is this a completely acceptable desire?
– You said it well: there is a good desire to relax. Listen to music, chat with someone, talk about something good. Such a state is even necessary. This is called rest. And, of course, a person needs to rest.
True, there is a category of workaholics who do not relax, often do not want to, and sometimes even cannot. These are people who are very passionate about some idea. For example, a man decided to dig up a garden, and he digs from morning to night. Others say: “Why are you always digging?” But he cannot stop: he must complete the task. Or a person came up with some creative idea. He is an engineer, and suddenly he came up with something like this. Eureka! He discovered something. This happens when a person is immersed in his work. This is noble workaholism. Or an artist or a musician, he was inspired by something... He doesn’t eat, doesn’t drink, doesn’t sleep, he just works. His neighbors say to him: “What are you doing?!” Have pity on yourself, don’t do this, you’ll ruin yourself.” And he looks at them in surprise, not understanding what they are talking about, why they think that he is ruining himself, because he is doing what is most important to him. This, I repeat, is noble workaholism.
– Father, but such noble dedication to work can lead to irreversible consequences. And quarrel with your neighbors. There is a known case when Beethoven, while composing, got so carried away that he not only missed the dinner that the cook had prepared, but worked all night, and even kicked her out the next morning: she was in the way. How can you stay within certain boundaries so that you can work for your own pleasure, and at the same time not come into conflict with your neighbors?
– Life is very diverse. Generally speaking, in church life, in the monastery, people are not particularly allowed to relax. Of course, good church leadership does not torture people in a monastery either. Because the monastery is not a prison, not hard labor. There is worship, there is obedience, but, of course, there is also rest. But still, rest is not relaxation, but a change in activity that is devoted to something else. Prayer, for example. Is prayer work?
– Prayer is work.
– Prayer is, of course, work. And sometimes hard work. Concentration in prayer is also work. And sometimes hard. Modern man knows very well this state: he wants to pray, but cannot, because his thoughts are running wild. You have to make an effort to concentrate, but the thought runs away again. This is work, although he physically did nothing. He can even lie on the sofa and pray at this time. Only the thought runs away, and you are always trying to catch it. This is prayerful work, although physically you seem to be at peace. Such Christian inertia.
But there are, of course, other situations that are completely opposite.
– Father, what to do if laziness or some other habits are already so ingrained in a person that it is impossible to cope with them, even for a long time. For many, for example, getting up early is very difficult. Another habit, even an addiction, is “hanging out” on the Internet... So what to do in such situations?
We need prayer. And “workaholic” prayer, with all the effort of will
– Many come to me, as to every practicing priest, with these and similar questions, because they want to overcome this vice, they want to live a spiritual life, but it interferes with them. Many suffer from the fact that it is difficult for them to get up early. This is very difficult to overcome. So what to do? The simplest answer, the most general, including all my other answers, is this: prayer. Prayer, I would say, is workaholic, if I can use such an adjective. We have the noun “workaholic”, so let there be an adjective “workaholic”. Our time is difficult, this is not the 19th century. And now we need to pray with all intensity, because otherwise we will not be able to keep the prayer within ourselves. We need to drive ourselves into it by force of will. And the effort of will is the moment of personality formation.
I keep talking about personality, mind you. Because to be human means to be a separate, unique, inimitable personality that is embedded in the soul. She is unique, but also the image and likeness of God. And although we have a lot in common with other people - with our parents, brothers, sisters... with the rest of the human race - each of us is unique.
To become a person, you need to develop each virtue separately and drive out each vice separately. You need to pray, but it is difficult. And it will always be difficult until a person reaches some kind of great holiness. Holiness is already a fruit, but also a super-effort. And super-effort is like personally overcoming some serious illness, for example.
We are called to pursue holiness. And if, unfortunately, not everyone can come to holiness, then the path to righteousness is open to everyone, and the path to righteousness is the path to holiness. How to go to righteousness? Modern man, who lives an extremely distracted life, needs, it seems to me, to fight each vice separately and cultivate each virtue separately. How? Very simple. Ask God. Ask God specifically. Here's the simplest example: irritation. We must say: “Lord, deliver me from anger and irritation.” And you know, it helps. Referring to the experience of my parishioners, I will say: it helps. But if we do not renew this prayer constantly, then anger and irritation will not be completely overcome for a very long time. The same applies to laziness. You need to say: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, deliver me from laziness; Most Holy Theotokos, help me overcome laziness.” It is said: “Seek, and you will find; press, and it will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7). So you repeat: “Lord, deliver me from this and from that.”
Ask God to deliver from a certain, specific vice - persistently, constantly
During my Christian life, I realized: God is pleased when we ask very specifically. God always hears us. But the Lord speaks to us like a father, and we must say very specifically what we want. When we ask: Lord save me, this is right, this is very good, and He, we hope, will save us. But in order to overcome individual vices and sins, without which it is even better to live, you need to specifically ask God for them, persistently: Lord Jesus Christ, deliver me from laziness.
– Father Alexander, thank you very much for this fascinating conversation. We have a lot to think about.
- I am glad. I thank you too.
The relationship of sins.
Why does negligence and laziness occur? Which passion comes from the other?
The Holy Fathers in various sources say that just as negligence comes from laziness, so laziness comes from negligence - a mutual guarantee of these sins. Those. they support each other and feed each other. A person is lazy - after laziness comes carelessness towards everything. A person is careless in some matter - after that laziness comes to him, he relaxes and becomes completely unfit for any good deed.
Fatigue in Orthodoxy is not laziness; they should not be equated
Laziness and fatigue cannot be confused. Roughly speaking, in most cases laziness is a mental feeling, and fatigue is more often a physical feeling. You can also call it fatigue.
However, a person can also be mentally exhausted.
The main distinguishing feature of laziness and fatigue is this:
- laziness arises out of nowhere;
- fatigue is the result of some activity (work, worries, etc.)
Fatigue requires rest and is cured by it. Pleasant emotions, good sleep, doing your favorite activities - all these are effective remedies for fatigue.
Laziness is simply a lack of desire to do anything.
It is clear that rest in the first case helps, but in the second it only indulges the vice.
Fatigue in Orthodoxy has never been and could not be considered a sin. In some of the works of the Holy Fathers of the Church one can find not the most pleasant statements about fatigue, but this is a mistake in using the word. Fatigue in such cases means despondency.
The harmful influence of these sinful passions:
- The influence of demons, demons. They are increasing their pressure on the lazy and careless, say the Holy Fathers. St. Ephraim the Syrian says the following: “Demons most disturb those who love laziness and carelessness about prayer.” More than anyone else, because whoever is there to disturb is lying there, approached, whatever you want, put it into the mind of this person, into the soul, and everything will fall on the fertilized, plowed soil. The person does not resist at all. Accordingly, they like to attack such people. At first, demons terrify the lazy and careless. A person wanted to do something good, and he had so many doubts, so many horrors: “How can I do this?”, “But I can’t.”
- Decomposition of soul and mind. St. Mark the Ascetic says: “He who is negligent falls.” A negligent person will definitely fall, be in spiritual decline, and spiritual decline is a sin. What can be in our nature from sin? Only decay and complete spiritual defilement.
- Defeat of will, powerlessness. A person becomes extinguished in spirit and cannot desire. For example, a person needs to do a good deed, but is reluctant. He understands in his conscience what is needed, but he cannot force himself and even he cannot desire it, he simply does not even want to desire it - his will is so paralyzed.
- And all this ultimately leads to physical illness. The lazy and careless people get sick most often. He who works, who is hardworking, who constantly forces himself, gets sick a little. A person who does not force himself, does not overcome himself, gets sick more often and a lot.
- According to the teachings of the Venerable Abba Isaiah, laziness and negligence give rise to self-will and pride in a person.
Abba Isaiah said a wonderful phrase: “No matter what a lazy, careless person does, he certainly considers himself a friend of God.” Let’s say, in spiritual life, he has not yet learned to fast or pray, but he is already a “friend of Christ.” And try to argue with him.
And in the end, all this influence ends with the lazy and careless being deprived of the Kingdom of Heaven.
Prayer to the martyr Alexander of Rome helps against laziness
Laziness conquers will. Therefore, it is reasonable to seek help from saints who have become famous for their outstanding strong-willed qualities.
One of these saints is Alexander of Rome.
You can pray to Alexander of Rome with a request to save you from laziness. Photo: 2.bp.blogspot.com
This is what a prayer to Alexander of Rome looks like out of laziness:
“O glorious servant and martyr of Christ, worthy warrior of the Heavenly King, blessed Alexander, imitator of the merciful God, who boldly confessed Christ on earth
and having endured manifold torments for His sake, you, unfading, received a crown in heaven: now, together with your matter, Pimenia, standing
at the Throne of God’s Glory, pray for us from God’s philanthropic compassion, that He may do with us according to His ineffable goodness, so that we do not perish in our sins.
To her, holy martyr, we know that you have had much boldness to the Lord to pray for all those who come to You with faith.
Offer a warm prayer to the Creator Church for the peace of the whole world, the prosperity of the Holy Churches of God and the unification of all the faithful children of the Church of Christ, who live in purity and honor, and to deliver the Orthodox flock from the heavy storms of everyday life and all the slander of the spirit of wickedness in high places.
With the breath of the All-Holy Spirit, may the hearts of the sons of disobedience, tearing apart the robe of unity of the Church of Christ, be softened by the power of Divine peace and love for the healing of His bleeding wound in the universe, and for the salvation of all living on earth.
For us, faithful friend of Christ, be our Intercessor and Patron all the days of our life, delivering us from enemies visible and invisible,
Moreover, after our departure, protect us from evil spirits, and at the Last Judgment of Christ, do not forget us poor through your warm intercession, so that, having improved some of those who are saved, we will glorify the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit forever.”
Amen.
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What effect does laziness have on a person?
If we consider laziness as a negative phenomenon, then, of course, it has an impact on a person and sometimes not the best. As you know, great potential is hidden in a person, and sometimes only one’s own laziness prevents him from revealing it.
Sometimes it is better for a person to lie on the bed and watch TV than to do something that does not generate income, but develops him, his skills and abilities; some people spend their whole lives on their favorite sofa.
Changing your outlook on work and leisure
When God created this world, He used the word “good.” But after creating man in His image, He said “very good” (Gen. 1:31). At the end of the first chapter, God states a unique purpose, a mission, for His image bearers: they are to have dominion over all creation (subject to God's authority). From the first days of creation, we are called to manage this world and see it as an object of creative, purposeful work. God's image bearers were to devote themselves to work that would bring prosperity to the human race and glorify God. When God completed the process of creation, He, it is written, “rested from all His work” (Gen. 2:1-3). Why did God decide to rest? Is He tired? No. It was a celebration of His work. He enjoyed the wonderful results of His creative work. God continues His work through the Church now. God commanded us to rest on the Lord's Day so that we could celebrate His work in this world and our work in His kingdom—work that brings Him glory. We celebrate and rest as God's work is accomplished in Christ. We practice “gospel rest” on the Lord's Day so that we may have strength to do “gospel work.” We need to learn the correct order: we rest in order to work.
Even before the Fall, God planted a garden for man to work in it - for the sake of feeding the bearers of God's image and the common good (Gen. 2:8-15). From a biblical perspective, work is not a necessary evil. She is the good gift of a sovereign God. To believe that work is a necessary evil is to rebel against God's design. Both work and rest are equally important. Anyone who devotes himself to work will discipline himself in terms of rest in order to be able to do his job effectively. Work is uniquely connected to a purposeful life and has an external focus - i.e. we do something for our family, society; making this world a better place. To work means to devote oneself to the cause of the common good (regardless of whether the work is paid or not). And laziness is a rebellion of the bearers of God’s image against the Creator.
Laziness is the engine of progress
Laziness was often the engine of progress. Many discoveries, judging by, were made to make human life easier. If you don’t want to walk far, here’s a car; if you don’t want to do laundry by hand, they invented a washing machine. For cooking - microwave and much more. In this case, laziness can be viewed on the positive side. If it weren’t for her, we would probably still be walking and not have much.
Often laziness is a state, as it seems to us, of the present. We often tell ourselves: “today I will rest, and tomorrow I will start doing it.” But tomorrow comes and everything repeats itself again. And if you don’t step over the barrier, the job will never be done. Try to choose interesting things for yourself, then laziness will not arise.
In conclusion, I would like to give some advice. To make it easier to step over your own laziness and get down to business, create as comfortable an environment as possible in your workplace, around yourself, turn on pleasant music that will put you in the right mood, create an additional incentive (for example: after completing the task, I will eat candy). Then it will be much easier for you to get started. If you have a lot of things to do, do them alternately, for 20 minutes each if possible. In this case, you will not get bored with the activity, and laziness will not allow you to take over.
Ekaterina Fateeva
