Nil Sorsky: The Complete Writings (The Classics of Western Spirituality) by Nil Sorsky

Author:Nil Sorsky [Sorsky, Nil]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Paulist Press
Published: 2011-10-10T22:35:00+00:00

f. ACEDIA

If acedia conquers us, a great battle must be fought with all one's strength. This cruel and oppressive spirit of acedia is accompanied with the spirit of sadness or follows after it. It is especially oppressive and a heavy burden for monks, who live the solitary, silent life.

When the cruel waves of acedia rise up, the monk loses hope of ever seeing an end to them, but the enemy suggests concerning this spirit of acedia the defeating thought to the monk that as great as is his suffering at the present time, what will follow in the coming days will increase even more intensely in suffering. He will be tempted, thinking that he has been deserted by God, that God has no longer any care over him, that this has happened to him outside of any divine providence and that only to him alone has such suffering befallen and that others never suffered or are suffering as he does. But no, this is not so! God, as a Father, loving his children, inflicts this not only upon us sinners, but also on his saints, who down through the ages have been pleasing to him. He beats them with this spiritual rod out of his love for his very own children in order that they may make progress in virtues.

But such a heavy state of the spirit quickly and unfailingly changes. And such a state is followed by a visitation of divine mercy and consolation. Just in one evil-embattled hour the monk does not think that he can further continue persevering in living the upright ascetical life. The enemy tempts him to turn away from all the good he has already done. But now almost in a second all turns for him, bathing him in light. All is done now easily. All sadness disappears as though it never existed. The monk again finds himself zealously applying himself to the life of virtue and he is amazed at the change for the better that he now finds in himself. Now his resolution to live a holy and God-pleasing life becomes more determined. He understands that God in his mercy arranges all things for his benefit and a temptation happens solely out of God's love for him for his perfection.

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