The Noonday Devil: Acedia, the Unnamed Evil of Our Times (French Edition)

The Noonday Devil Is The Demon Of Acedia, The Vice Also Known As Sloth. The Word Sloth, However, Can Be Misleading, For Acedia Is Not Laziness; In Fact It Can Manifest As Busyness Or Activism. Rather, Acedia Is A Gloomy Combination Of Weariness, Sadness, And A Lack Of Purposefulness. It Robs A Person Of His Capacity For Joy And Leaves Him Feeling Empty, Or Void Of Meaning. Abbot Nault Says That Acedia Is The Most Oppressive Of Demons. Although Its Name Harkens Back To Antiquity And The Middle Ages, And Seems To Have Been Largely Forgotten, Acedia Is Experienced By Countless Modern People Who Describe Their Condition As Depression, Melancholy, Burn-out, Or Even Mid-life Crisis. He Begins His Study Of Acedia By Tracing The Wisdom Of The Church On The Subject From The Desert Fathers To Saint Thomas Aquinas. He Shows How Acedia Afflicts Persons In All States Of Life -- Priests, Religious, And Married Or Single Laymen. He Details Not Only The Symptoms And Effects Of Acedia, But Also Remedies For It. Jean-charles Nault ; Foreword By Marc Cardinal Ouellet ; Translated By Michael J. Miller. Includes Bibliographical References (page 205). The noonday devil is the demon of acedia, the vice also known as sloth. The word “sloth”, however, can be misleading, for acedia is not laziness; in fact it can manifest as busyness or activism. Rather, acedia is a gloomy combination of weariness, sadness, and a lack of purposefulness. It robs a person of his capacity for joy and leaves him feeling empty, or void of meaning Abbot Nault says that acedia is the most oppressive of demons. Although its name harkens back to antiquity and the Middle Ages, and seems to have been largely forgotten, acedia is experienced by countless modern people who describe their condition as depression, melancholy, burn-out, or even mid-life crisis. He begins his study of acedia by tracing the wisdom of the Church on the subject from the Desert Fathers to Saint Thomas Aquinas. He shows how acedia afflicts persons in all states of life— priests, religious, and married or single laymen. He details not only the symptoms and effects of acedia, but also remedies for it.-Amazon Acknowledgments Foreword Abbreviations Introduction 1. Evagrius and the Desert Fathers The Eight Wicked Thoughts An Initial Definition The Five Principal Manifestations of Acedia The Five Remedies for Acedia Acedia in the Sayings The Next Few Centuries 2. Saint Thomas Aquinas Preliminary Remarks The First Definition of Acedia: Sadness about Spiritual Good The Second Definition of Acedia: Disgust with Activity The Daughters of Acedia The Definitive Remedy for Acedia Summary of the Thought of Saint Thomas Aquinas on Acedia The “Revolution” of William of Ockham and the Disappearance of Acedia 3. The Relevance of Acedia in Christian Life The Disintegration of the Human Person Instability: The Spatial Dimension Duration: The Temporal Dimension Joyful Perseverance 4. Acedia in the Different States of Life Acedia in Religious Life Today Acedia in Priestly Life Acedia: Sin against the Spiritual Fruitfulness of a Married Couple Conclusion: The New Evangelization against Acedia Select Bibliography Notes