Stations of the Cross for the Slothful

The Stations, with meditations designed for those who neglect the spiritual life for what the Angelic Doctor called “sadness regarding spiritual goods.”

From Aletetia

By Tom Hoopes

It's called the characteristic sin of the 21st century, because of our addiction to entertainment and distraction. Aquinas calls acedia “sadness regarding spiritual goods.”

Acedia, or sloth, has been called the characteristic sin of the 21st century, because of our addiction to entertainment and distraction. Acedia can mean we are lazy — or it can mean we keep very busy, but avoid doing what we are supposed to do.

Profoundly, St. Thomas Aquinas calls acedia “sadness regarding spiritual goods.” Acedia means the very thought of doing what we should — our duties and responsibilities — feels repugnant to us, so we turn to distractions and procrastination. 

Jesus Christ walked his Way of the Cross for sinners, including those of us who suffer from the sin of acedia. These stations suggest ways we can follow in his footsteps.

The First Station: Jesus is condemned by Pilate.

Scripture: “Pilate said to them, ‘Then what shall I do with Jesus called Christ?’ They all said, ‘Let him be crucified!’” Matthew 27:22

Meditation: Jesus, this is a vision of how my passions condemn you. My apathy blandly offers to give you up, and my anger sends you away. I want false freedom — freedom from you.

Prayer: Come, Holy Spirit, help me conquer acedia through your gift of wisdom, to relish what is right, and your gift of fortitude, to do what’s right.

The Second Station: Jesus accepts his cross.

“Jesus said, ‘Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.’” Matthew 16:24

Lord Jesus, I reject nearly every cross offered me, from minor inconveniences to opportunities to do good. But then I never get the graces — and growth — you intended to give me with my crosses. 

Come, Holy Spirit, against the indifference of acedia give me the gifts of fear of the Lord to revere your will and piety to find consolation in your will.

The Third Station: Jesus falls for the first time.

“Watch and pray that you may not undergo the test. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Matthew 26:41

Lord Jesus, you fall and rise again, but in these first stations, I see how I fall and remain inert in my relations with myself. My inability to control my passions and follow you, drops me at the outset of my journey with you.

Come, Holy Spirit; you promised your seven gifts in baptism and confirmation. I ask you today not just for these gifts, but for a further grace: give me the gift to even want to get up when I fall.

The Fourth Station: Jesus meets his mother.

“He said to the disciple, ‘Behold, your mother.’ And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.” John 19:27

Lord Jesus, you made your mother my mother, and you turned to her on your way of the cross, so that I would know to turn to her on my way of the cross. Her “let it be done unto me according to your word” is the exact opposite of acedia.

Come, Holy Spirit; in Mary you found a soul willing to cooperate with you, and with her you brought Christ into the world. Help me to be open to your grace knowing that my small actions with you will have great consequences. 

The Fifth Station: Simon helps carry the cross.

“As they were going out, they met a Cyrenian named Simon; this man they pressed into service to carry his cross.” Matthew 27:32

Lord Jesus, Simon of Cyrene had to be forced to help you. I usually need to be forced to do your will, too. I always feel better when I do, though. Help me learn that only service brings happiness. 

Come, Holy Spirit: Give me your fruits of charity and generosity so that I will choose serving others in the corporal works of mercy over acedia.

The Sixth Station: Veronica wipes the face of Jesus.

God “comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

Lord Jesus, Veronica saw you suffering and consoled you to show me that everyone I meet is carrying a burden, and that a sharing a smile, kind word, or concerned question is the gift of your image.

Come, Holy Spirit: Give me your fruits of kindness and gentleness in the spiritual works of mercy, knowing my gladness for the sake of others is a remedy for the “sadness” of acedia.

The Seventh Station: Jesus falls a second time.

“What you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.” Matthew 25:45

Lord Jesus, in these three stations, I saw how I am defeated in my relations with others. Everyone I encounter was created in your image and was on your mind when you fell, and got up, on your way of the cross.

Come, Holy Spirit; give me the grace of confirmation that makes me your witness, and turn my heart from self-seeking to serving those who suffer around me.

The Eighth Station: Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem.

“A large crowd of people followed Jesus, including many women who mourned and lamented him.” Luke 23:27

Lord Jesus, like the women of Jerusalem, I tend to sentimentalize your great sacrifice. In a culture that overindulges in entertainment and voyeurism, my acedia fails to grasp the importance of your sacrifice.

Come, Holy Spirit: Give me true faith that not only sees that God is real, but that he is active and relevant in my life, right now.

The Ninth Station: Jesus falls for the third time.

“He came to his own home, and his own people received him not.” John 1:11

Lord Jesus, I fall a third time because of the failures in my relations with God. But you got up when you fell to show me that you are able to help me rise up, too.

Come, Holy Spirit, acedia holds me back from knowing, trusting and surrendering to God — but in baptism, you gave me the theological virtues to remedy that failure.

The Tenth Station: Jesus is stripped.

“When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them into four shares, a share for each soldier.” John 19:23

Lord Jesus, acedia makes me unwilling to face myself as I really am. But to reclaim myself I need to be as you are here; stripped naked of the excuses and the ornaments I put on my weakness. 

Come, Holy Spirit, give me hope, the trust I need to stand before you, vulnerable and honest enough to gain the graces you want to give me.

The Eleventh Station: Jesus is nailed to the cross.

“They crucified him with two others, one on either side.” John 19:18

Lord Jesus, acedia was called the “Noonday Devil” because it convinced monks in the heat of the day to turn aside from their duties. But here you are, at noon, allowing yourself to be to be pinned to the will of the Father, painfully nailed down to your duty.

Come Holy Spirit, give me love that embraces the Father’s will, knowing that freedom only comes to those who are willing to constrain their self-will and obey, no matter what.

The Twelfth Station: Jesus dies on the cross

“Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last.” Matthew 27:50

Lord Jesus, you give everything — but I hold back because I am afraid. I’m afraid of death, afraid that my true life and vitality is here and now, and if I lose this life, I lose everything. But you gave everything on the cross to show us that we need not be afraid.

Come Holy Spirit, give us the grace to “be not afraid,” knowing that “whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the gospel will save it.”

The Thirteenth Station: Jesus is taken down from the cross.

“Joseph [of Arimathea] … went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.” Luke 23:50-52 

Lord Jesus, you gave everything, even past the point of death, and found rest at last in the arms of the Blessed Mother at the foot of the cross.

Come, Holy Spirit; when acedia whispers “give up” give me the grace to give more, knowing that with you, “affliction produces endurance, and endurance, proven character, and proven character, hope, and hope does not disappoint.”

The Fourteenth Station: Jesus is buried.

“Taking the body, Joseph wrapped it in clean linen and laid it in his new tomb that he had hewn in the rock.” Matthew 27:59-60

Lord Jesus, you got up after each of your falls. Each time your body went limp from weariness, you stood and walked again. Your burial is almost a fourth fall, the ultimate failure of your body. And you will get up even from this, rising from the dead.

Come, Holy Spirit, when acedia grips me and it looks like life isn’t worth my effort, give me the grace to put one foot in front of the other, knowing that the Way of the Cross is a road to glory.