If we discern that we are suffering from acedia, we need to discern its cause.
If we can name a source of the temptation, perhaps we will be able to make changes in our lives to help resist it.
Did the difficulty begin when we were struggling with exhaustion?
Sickness?
A tragic event in our lives?
Are we still struggling with those things?
This may be what caused the struggle.
This is important to discern because part of our response must be to address these underlying issues.
Sometimes acedia may have been brought on by an extreme effort.
Perhaps a man tried to continue intense asceticism after an Exodus spiritual exercise, but without the support of his anchor; maybe he committed to an exceptionally ambitious rule of prayer which exhausted him.
Eventually, he came to be despondent as he worked too hard without enough discernment, and soon feelings of desolation sprang up.
In other situations, the desolation may have arisen from problems connected to community life.
A falling out with a brother in faith, a scandal involving members of the community, gossiping about members of the community, and resenting a fellow Church member can all be openings for someone to begin feeling desolation.
The desolation also may be brought on by what the Church Fathers call “forgetfulness.”
A man may have had a profound spiritual encounter sometime in the past, but in the regular routine of life, he has since failed to cultivate that relationship.
He has not been reading, studying, or praying with sufficient attention, and now he has forgotten what it was like to be in a profound spiritual relationship with God.
At other times, however, there does not seem to be an external trigger for the struggle with desolation.
There doesn’t need to be.
The spiritual life is a training of the whole person, and just as a man’s body may respond sluggishly when he exercises it, so too a man may struggle wearily when he spiritually “exercises”.
Training emotions, disciplining oneself to focus on vocational duties, and making time for prayer and study are difficult tasks.
While it is inherently pleasant and good to be a friend with God, relationships require hard work to maintain.
It can be exhausting, and as we “spiritually exercise,” we may feel the strain.
If, as we reflect on our spiritual life, we can point to concrete causes for the spiritual desolation, and we are able to address those causes, then by all means, we should.
If we cannot, it could be that we are being tempted, and we must resist the temptation.
Even if we have already fallen to the temptation, there is hope for healing.
Reflect on the times in your life that you have struggled with acedia, either in the past or right now.
Were there particular events that led up to this struggle?
Exhaustion?
Tragedy?
Spiritual over-exertion?
Problems in community life?
Ask God into any of those moments of hurt and temptation.
If you are currently struggling, ask for the gift of hope in God’s healing.
If you have come through the struggle in the past, praise God for his loving, providential care for you.
