Saint Anne Orthodox Church

Today’s spiritual lesson will focus on negligence in the spiritual life, and we will continue to learn from the teachings of Elder Joseph the Hesychast. Negligence is a terrible conspirator against our lives, one of the greatest enemies if not the greatest and implacable one. Called in the language of the Fathers acedia, listlessness, as well as sloth, negligence is leading to spiritual death. When asked about the chief cause of man’s failure in his spiritual purpose, Elder Joseph would reply that it was negligence. Negligence is like a drought in which nothing grows. It impedes those who want to make a start, it stops those who have advanced, it does not allow the ignorant to learn, it prevents those who have gone astray from returning, it does not permit the fallen to get up – in general, negligence spells destruction for all those it holds captive.  Using the pretext of physical needs and weariness from the struggle, this deceiver makes itself credible; and like a conductive material, negligence transmits us and hand us over to self-love, the more general enemy. Only a courageous soul grounded in faith and hope in God can overthrow this conspiracy. Otherwise, it is difficult for someone inexperienced to escape from these nets. This is very difficult for those who avoid a regulated life, but it is unable to harm those who are under obedience and have spiritual tasks to perform. Negligence it starts off with the application of economy towards some supposed infirmity or weakness, and it ends in total disbelief and shamelessness and ingratitude. It also begins with idle talk and backbiting. Elder Joseph would say: “In my opinion the other passions into which the spiritual warriors are led astray are complication of negligence, because this erodes our attention and so opens the way to connected passions, and these take man captive. As a cure for negligence are prayer, tears and faith leading to an unshakable intention to follow an ordered spiritual way of life, with prayer, fasting and attendance of all of the Church Services, otherwise we will fall in the hands of the thieves. As David says, ‘Let not thy foot be moved, and He who keeps thee will not slumber’ (Ps 121:3) and again,: ‘If Thy law had not been my meditation, I should have perished in my humiliation’(Ps. 119:2)