A Show of Faith
Millennial, Priest, Minister, and Rabbi walk into a radio station...
A Show of Faith
June 9, 2024 Unveiling the Sin of Sloth: Modern Addictions and Spiritual Consequences
We are thrilled to have Father Mario, who is about to retire after 26 years of dedicated service, join us in this episode. He brings a wealth of knowledge about the distinctions between mortal and venial sins in Catholic theology, providing a deeper context for understanding sloth. Together, we explore how modern addictions like video games and social media can serve as avoidance mechanisms, making us neglect our significant life responsibilities. We highlight the importance of awareness and responsibility in combating slothful behavior and the spiritual consequences of failing to act.
What happens when video games become more than just a pastime? Join us as personal stories are shared from college days, reflecting on how his addiction to Nintendo 64 led to the neglect of his studies, personal hygiene, and creative pursuits. This anecdote sets the stage for a thought-provoking discussion on the sin of sloth, examining its roots in the willful neglect of responsibilities and gifts and contrasting it with depression.
As we dive into the parable of the talents, we critique fear-driven inaction and emphasize the balance between mercy and responsibility. Using biblical references and personal reflections, we underscore the severity of neglecting one's duties and the spiritual consequences of facing God's judgment. We wrap up with a reflection on the worth hierarchy and how to align our lives with divine guidance, hinting at next week's exploration of pride. Please tune in for a compelling conversation on these timeless spiritual themes and their relevance to our daily lives.
If I could touch your body. I know, not everybody has got a body like you, but I gotta think twice before I give my heart away. And I know all the games you play, because I play them too. Oh, but I need some time off from that emotion, time to get my part up off the floor. Oh, when that love comes down with a devotion, well, it takes a storming baby, but I'm sure I'm still the door, cause I gotta have faith. I gotta have faith, cause I gotta have faith. I gotta have faith. Baby, I got to have a friend. Because I got to have a friend, I got to have a friend. Baby, I tried to get you to kind of come in on that. You know, did you see that? No, no, you didn't see that. Okay, I thought that was your moment. No, it was not.
Speaker 3:Oh, you want me to come in, I want you to come in.
Speaker 1:Oh okay, You're the man I was waiting for you.
Speaker 4:No, no, Hello.
Speaker 3:Houston. Welcome to the show of faith where minister, priest, rabbi and millennial Usually, usually yeah. So we are two of us tonight.
Speaker 1:Just two.
Speaker 3:But the two most brilliant.
Speaker 1:I know I think so, I think so. Two most brilliant. I'd vote for that.
Speaker 3:I would too. I would too. It's 100%. That, uh-huh, 100%. This is the Show of Faith, and we're here for the next hour. We talk about all kinds of stuff from the faith perspective. With me is Dr David Capes.
Speaker 1:Dr David Capes is the head of the theology program yeah, the director of academic programming at Lanier Theological, if you've never seen.
Speaker 3:Lanier Theological, the Lanier Theological. If you've never seen Lanier Theological Seminary, oh my God, I'm in love with that place.
Speaker 1:It's a beautiful place. It is of course, Once you retire you've got to come out there and just kind of we'll have a regular spot, that's the Father Mario spot out there.
Speaker 3:I will, I will, I will enflesh it, and there's a coffee machine, I will enflesh it Okay.
Speaker 1:It will be yours. It will be yours, yes.
Speaker 3:My name is Mario. My first name is not Father, but my first name is Mario. But you may call me Father or your awesomeness.
Speaker 1:Can I say Father, father, father, yeah, okay.
Speaker 3:You know, in my parish I'm pastor right now of St Cyril of Alexandria Catholic Church and a lot of my teenagers call me Fa Mario.
Speaker 1:Fa Mario.
Speaker 5:Fa Mario Okay, instead of Father.
Speaker 3:Mario.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah. So they just kind of elide it together, make it sound together Nice Okay.
Speaker 3:And I am three weeks from retiring Three weeks, three weeks, man.
Speaker 1:And that after how many years?
Speaker 3:Twenty? Well, no, what are you talking about? At St Cyril's?
Speaker 1:At St Cyril's.
Speaker 3:At St Cyril's.
Speaker 1:I've been there for 26 years, 26 years and in the priesthood Forty 40 cents. Now you're not retiring from the priesthood.
Speaker 3:No, you don't do that, you don't do that, but from that particular purpose I always tell people that I am retiring from my current ministry. I'm not retiring from my mission.
Speaker 1:It's got to keep going.
Speaker 3:Yeah, the mission is to proclaim the gospel.
Speaker 1:Yeah, like the ever ready bunny rabbit, that's right Now. Normally a steward is in the main chair. We actually met earlier, like the ever-ready bunny rabbit. That's right, yep, now. Normally Stuart is in the main chair. We actually met earlier today to start the overthrow of Stuart from sitting in the main chair.
Speaker 3:It's going to be akin to the French Revolution.
Speaker 1:It really is. Yeah, Bring out the guillotine.
Speaker 3:The guillotine, the theological guillotine.
Speaker 1:Yeah, he's in Los Angeles right now.
Speaker 3:Yes.
Speaker 1:And Rudy is in transit from Sao Paulo, sao, sao Paulo, sao Paulo. Okay, so you're the expert there and going to Guatemala City, all right, so anyway, he's there. So we're not going to hear from him tonight, but you're going to hear from us though. Yes, whether you want to or not.
Speaker 3:And you know what?
Speaker 1:What.
Speaker 3:I don't feel like doing this. I feel like sloth tonight.
Speaker 1:You feel like sloth. Yeah, sloth, you mean that three-toed animal from South America that moves very slowly. I feel slothy Slothy. Maybe I feel slothy Slothy.
Speaker 3:Maybe we should discuss sloth.
Speaker 1:Sloth. Yes, since you're being afflicted with sloth, let's talk about that.
Speaker 6:Sloth is one of the seven deadly sins.
Speaker 1:right Last week, we talked about anger, wrath, malice, those kind of things, which is also one of the deadly sins. So let's start with this, father Martin, since I am the show director. What do we mean by the deadly sins? Why are they deadly?
Speaker 3:Okay.
Speaker 1:And there's a long history of this, by the way.
Speaker 3:I don't know that Okay.
Speaker 1:It goes back to all the way to Tertullian and Pope Gregory a long time ago.
Speaker 3:Let me start by first clarifying the word sin, okay, okay, well, because sin is used in some Catholic theology in two different senses. In the sense that I use it, not many people commit sin. Now, here's what I mean by that. Especially well, in Catholic theology, you have what's called mortal and venial sin. Now, a mortal sin is a sin that is extremely horrible, okay, but in order to have a mortal sin, you have to have three conditions, okay. Number one you have to be super serious. Now, sloth, by being called a deadly sin, we know it is super serious, okay. Second, you have to know it's super serious. Second, you have to know it's super serious. And third, being super serious and knowing it's super serious, you have to freely will to do it, okay, so in technical language, it's called serious matter. Sufficient reflection and full consent of the will. Oh, okay.
Speaker 1:Okay, so it's not something you're tricked into doing or something okay.
Speaker 3:So you have to, first of all, in some Catholic theologians say, let's say, take sloth. Well, you committed the sin of sloth Because they name the term sloth. The serious matter is sin Okay, law the. The serious matter is sin, okay. Now the second is are you guilty of it because?
Speaker 3:you may not be guilty of it even though you committed it, because you are serious, because you didn't do sufficient reflection, nor did you have full consent of the will. Okay, okay. Now I prefer to reserve the term sin to a temptation. I would say it is a serious temptation to commit a moral evil, okay, with sufficient reflection, and then full consent of the will would make it deadly, which is what the word mortal means. Okay, okay. So, for me, for a person.
Speaker 1:Mortal meaning deadly, deadly.
Speaker 3:Okay, that's right. So for me, for a person to commit the sin of sloth, they have to do the evil of sloth or not do it, whatever it is. Right, but it's in a way omit Omit, omit, omit right what they ought to do, okay, and know that they're doing it and fully consent to it, then they have committed the deadly sin.
Speaker 1:So when you said earlier that you don't think people necessarily commit all their sins, you don't mean they don't do them, that they don't willfully do them.
Speaker 3:That they are not. I'm using the word especially for the word mortal sins.
Speaker 1:Okay, Deadly sins.
Speaker 3:Yeah, of which I think there are more than seven.
Speaker 1:Well, the seven, traditionally, which goes back to Pope Gregory sixth century, something like that a long time ago. The seven deadly sins are pride, lust, envy, wrath, greed, gluttony and sloth. Yes, Sloth.
Speaker 3:So when we talk tonight, I want to know what theological framework we're going to use. Are we going to talk about the sin of sloth, which is basically the sin in and of itself, without you being guilty or not guilty of it?
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean the fact that you do something or you fail to do something. Part of the regular confession of sins is forgive us for what we do and what we fail to do.
Speaker 5:That's correct.
Speaker 1:So there are times that what we fail to do are as egregious as fins of omission, as fins of commission. What we fail to do are as serious as those things.
Speaker 3:But the question would still apply.
Speaker 1:Still be.
Speaker 3:Did you know it was super serious? Yeah, did you know you had a responsibility to?
Speaker 1:do it? Yeah, that's a good question, and did you willingly not do it. Yeah, I think there comes a point when you understand the gravity in order to commit it. You understand the gravity.
Speaker 3:That's when it becomes to me deadly.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:Now the potential to be deadly is always there. So you know we can call it the sin of sloth, but understanding that in and of itself you're not guilty of it until you understand what it is and you are fully cooperating to do it or not do it.
Speaker 1:So how would you define the sin of sloth? Let's say it's a sin, or whether you've committed it or not, you're almost committing it, you're fully willing, you're not fully willing, yet you haven't really totally reflected on it. What would that sin be?
Speaker 3:If I had to see the sin of sloth, I would have to know that there was something I ought to do that I didn't feel like doing, but at the same time I know I should do it. And then, since I don't feel like doing it, and even though I should do it with serious obligation, I decide freely no, I'm not going to do it, I don't care. I think the part is I don't care.
Speaker 1:I think that's part of it, right. I think that's really. Some define it as sort of have defined it as really not truly caringathy. Not just laziness I'm just lazy but apathetic. I don't care about other people, I don't care about myself, I don't care about the world around me and those kind of things, and it's not a feeling that that's the important thing to to recommend. It's not just a feeling that I don't care, like when you're depressed, let's say. It's a point of view that you decide to take. Well, what happens to that person doesn't really matter. What happens to me doesn't really matter. I'm just going to continue down this road because it's what floats my boat right now and I think that's part of the real challenge, isn't it?
Speaker 3:Oh, it is. I think that it's in the act of not caring. See, care. It's an interesting word because, unlike the word love, which can be misinterpreted, I think care well, maybe it can be misinterpreted. Care, the way I always see it, is a decision. See, I'm very. I've used my definition of love before here which is Always good to hear, though.
Speaker 3:Yeah, love at its core is a decision to unite yourself with God in caring for the good of another, no matter how you feel. Okay, so to me, every time I see something I ought to care about, I have a decision to make, and a person should know if they have a serious responsibility to care about that. And if you freely choose to not care about what you ought to care about, then that is a deadly sin.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and part of it is because it not only and part of being a deadly sin is. Not only does it, it sort of leads to other things as well. In other words, anger can lead to murder, envy can lead to stealing, lust can lead to adultery and other things like that. So it's not just what that thing is, it's that which it also can lead to, which is why pride is considered sort of the most basic, fundamental of all the deadly sins, as it were yeah, yeah, now the word, but I don't want to get into discussing the word pride, because there's a certain way of in which you should be proud of, like you say sure, yeah and we'll.
Speaker 1:Let's just talk about that another week, because I think that's pretty important. But there are right sorts of pride and wrong sorts of pride as well. Let me give just a brief word here about what this particular writer says. Sloth is indifference to other people, it's not taking responsibility, it's an unwillingness to use God's gifts to you.
Speaker 3:Oh, I like that.
Speaker 1:Think about that.
Speaker 3:An unwillingness.
Speaker 1:Unwillingness to use. I have this gift but I'm not willing to use it. I'm not going to go to whatever effort it takes, you know to, and that indifference, going back to the indifference to others, that could be to yourself as well I'm just completely indifferent about you know, in a way and again, it's not depression, depression is a different sort of things. This is going back to what you said. It is knowing the gravity of it. It is knowing, in a sense, how serious that is and then choosing then there to commit. I know we have to go to break, we have to choose, choose.
Speaker 7:Let's do that.
Speaker 3:I'm not indifferent. I'm not indifferent to that Don't be slothful. Okay, this is KNTH. We are unslothful, dutiful people, yes, and we are going to break right now.
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Speaker 7:The Answer. You know, louie. The last time you worked here on this very same stage, about a year ago, we did an old song called Lazy Bones. We kicked it around.
Speaker 4:I bet you we could get through it again. Oh yeah, I'll be really mad at you. Let's play it on.
Speaker 7:Oh, that's so pretty. Play it again, jack, Give it a good dance.
Speaker 4:Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha ha ha ha, ha, ha, ha ha, in the sun.
Speaker 7:Say it, papa, how you expect to get your day's work done Now.
Speaker 4:I never expect to get my day's work done.
Speaker 7:You're not contemplating any work, huh.
Speaker 4:I'm swinging and singing in the noonday sun, oh lazy bones, mm-hmm.
Speaker 6:Sleeping in the shade.
Speaker 4:Yeah yeah. How do you ever expect to get your cornmeal made Now? I never expect to get no cornmeal made. You're not interested then? No, I can't make it.
Speaker 7:What's your touch? Tell me what are you up to.
Speaker 4:I just want to beat up my chops in that good old shed, ah, when the tater needs praying.
Speaker 1:Welcome back.
Speaker 7:Oh, that's so cool.
Speaker 1:Well done, well done, miranda, thanks. Thanks for that. Hey, we're talking about the seven deadly sins. Laziness or slothfulness is one of those deadly sins.
Speaker 3:Is laziness.
Speaker 1:I think so. When you understand it, Let me give you part of what one fellow says. His name is Steve.
Speaker 3:Okay.
Speaker 1:So when I was in college, I was addicted to Nintendo 64 games. My housemates and I would sit for hours with our eyes glued to the screen and hands glued to the controllers. I played so often. I would see the game whenever I closed my eyes, whether that was to sleep or to pray. My roommates and I rarely talked. We rarely ate, we rarely cleaned. We just killed one another in the game, one after the other. It was awesome to a point.
Speaker 1:One of my roommates, tim, realized something was wrong when I hadn't been to my bedroom for a week. I would just fall asleep on the couch every night with a controller in my hand. Some of us were skipping class, and though we decided to become roommates so that we could do creative things together, like write together and play music and dream big dreams. We hadn't touched our guitars in over a month, and the only dreams we were dreaming about involved James Bond shooting Oddjob with a bazooka. That was the game he was playing.
Speaker 1:One day, when I had actually gotten myself to class that was a big accomplishment I came home to discover that Tim had taped a piece of paper with a Bible verse on it on the TV screen. The verse was Ecclesiastes 10, 18. And I don't know, but it looks like it changed everything for me, or at least came close. Here's the passage. Here's the passage Because of laziness, the roof sags. Because of idle hands, the house leaks. My Roof and my life were sagging. My house and my life were leaking. It was because I had been ensnared by an extremely sneaky and deadly sin, the sin of sloth. What do you think about that?
Speaker 3:Very powerful. It's a powerful story yeah. I could you know I can identify with that. Not as bad as that.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:But like I have to watch myself watching short videos. Yeah, you know, cat videos, dog videos, funny videos, Mm-hmm.
Speaker 1:Comedians you know on, yeah, watching them. For me it's music stuff. Right, you have a tendency to watch that stuff, and and then what do you really? Because you're doing that, you don't do the important stuff, like in his case, go to class yeah write music with his friends um go to bed, sleep, really sleep yeah not do this fitful stuff that you do sleeping on the sofa. But how many people are like that? You?
Speaker 3:think.
Speaker 1:Well, I think a lot, who are addicted to video games, addicted to YouTube, addicted to Facebook or whatever, and TikTok, and because they're so given to that, they are sort of neglecting the weightier matters of life.
Speaker 3:Now here's then the question Okay, how guilty are they?
Speaker 1:Well, when they become aware of it.
Speaker 3:I think so, but I think but are they? Aware that's the problem, and how many times is it something that you're doing to not have to face something that you don't want to face and so you're not?
Speaker 1:it's kind of like you're so procrastination in other words, you're driven to it, right, I don't want to study for that test, I'd rather play video games. Or I'd rather I don't want to prepare for that sermon, I I would rather watch cat videos, right? You know what I mean.
Speaker 3:But I think the ultimate thing has to be in God's hands, because we cannot judge the guilt.
Speaker 1:No, no, no. I don't think we can. But let me ask this Go back to your thought. I know we've got to go to a break here in a minute. Does it make any difference whether I'm aware of it?
Speaker 3:I think it does.
Speaker 1:I mean, in his case, his house was sagging right. His roof was sagging, his house was leaking, regardless of whether he was aware of it or not, because he was out there playing all these video games and the whole world was sort of crumbling around him yeah, but see, I think it's the moment he became aware of it. He becomes responsible so, but again that, whether he's aware of it or not, the house still sags.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I agree, leaks, I agree with you, and and classes are still failed that's why in secular law there's a difference between first degree murder, second degree murder, manslaughter.
Speaker 1:Oh, I'm not arguing that part, I'm just saying that that's analogous. By the time. You're caught up, though, in these addictions to phones and shopping, or whatever the addiction might be.
Speaker 3:The damage has been done. But you have to distinguish between the guilt and the consequences, because, like, for example, if you burn you've got to go to a break in ten seconds. But let me give you this If you tell a kid, don't touch the pot because you're cooking, and he touches it and he burns his hand, okay, he is guilty of disobedience, okay. But and if he says to you please, please, forgive me, and you forgive him, that is forgiven for that.
Speaker 1:but the consequences you still got a burnt hand.
Speaker 3:You still have a burnt hand sure so you have a leaky house right sagging roof leaky house you may not be fully guilty because you're not aware, but you got to deal with the consequences well, I just wonder these days, can we not be aware of that?
Speaker 1:let's talk about that. This is 1070 knth.
Speaker 3:This is right. Wait a minute. This is KM1070. Km1070, we'll be right back.
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Speaker 3:A time to be born, a time to die a time to have a time to breathe, a time to kill, a time to heal, a time to have a time to breathe. Welcome back to the show of faith. We're talking today about the deadly sin of sloth, sloth.
Speaker 1:Now the seven deadly sins. If youoths, now the seven deadly sins. If you say what? All the seven deadly sins? They are gosh, I thought I had them here. Never mind, they start with pride, wrath, envy. Let's see, I'm trying to think Gosh, what are they? Lust, lust, yes, sorry, all those, I know them. I'm trying to think Gosh, what are they Lust, lust, yes, sorry, all those, I know them. I'm just sitting here getting embarrassed, not kind of getting across it. What are you going to do with me? Okay, let me get the list, because it helps me to have the list here in front of my face, right, that kind of thing, because that way I would not forget things. All right, so the seven deadly sins here they are Pride, lust, envy, wrath, greed, gluttony and sloth. Now we decided to talk about sloth tonight. I don't know why.
Speaker 3:Well, let's talk about it in scriptural terms. Okay, using the parable that Jesus gave, because yeah, the parable of the three men given.
Speaker 1:Yeah, the parable of the, the three men given by the, the leader who is going off, kind of a ruler, going off for a while and he hands over to some a number of talents, which is a sum of money, to another number, some money and to another sum of money, and it's kind of a descending ratio, that's's right.
Speaker 3:They're not equal. They're not equal. Now, when he comes back and he calls each of them, and then the first one says you gave me, say, let's say, a million dollars and I made you another million. Good and well done, good and faithful servant, take your reward right. Okay. Then goes the second one you gave me five hundred thousand and I did more than that. I made you another five hundred thousand. Now here comes the last one, and I think what he says is extremely telling. He says, master, I knew you were a hard man, notice, he knows. So. Um, reaping where you did not sow, but I was afraid, and so I buried your what you entrusted to me, which a thousand dollars here's000. Here's your $1,000 back. Now, the end of that parable is what David?
Speaker 1:Well, he does it very, very well. The master is unpleased with him and he sends him away and he says take what this man has sort of squandered and give it to the one who had the most at the very end of the day Seems unjust, doesn't it Seems? Like it.
Speaker 3:No, wait a minute. Some would say Wait a minute, David hold on.
Speaker 1:This is not unjust.
Speaker 3:No, wait a minute. Equity, diversity and inclusion.
Speaker 1:Why did I know you were going there? For some reason.
Speaker 3:Equity diversity and inclusion.
Speaker 1:It should have all been.
Speaker 3:from that point, let me ask you was the one who had the least amount of money. Was he a minority?
Speaker 2:No, Well we don't know, we don't know. Okay, that's not the point.
Speaker 3:But, I want you to notice he was already dissed.
Speaker 1:Okay, because he got the least. He got the least To start off with.
Speaker 3:And so shouldn't you feel sorry for him, shouldn't the master? You know? I thought God was merciful. I thought God would say oh, look at him, the poor guy. He was afraid of me. Listen to that. He was afraid of me, and so let's try and understand. Put ourselves in his place.
Speaker 1:It doesn't seem like Jesus is very it doesn't seem like he's very open to that, does he? No, he doesn't. He doesn't.
Speaker 3:See, I think that we're in a theological mood in society where we are emphasizing the constant mercy of God, which is correct, but we forget the responsibility. You know the fact that you have a responsibility, so I don't know. To me, those kinds of parables tell us that, see, he made a decision that was based on fear and his fear led him to inaction, which is another word of saying sloth, because he knew that his master reaps where he did not sow he knew that and he knew it was serious.
Speaker 1:He had sufficient reflection so, going back to what you were saying, he committed I think well, I can't accuse him of that, right, but I can see.
Speaker 3:Well, it's a story. First of all.
Speaker 1:it's a story as given, as and it seems to be.
Speaker 3:It seems to be that he's guilty of it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, it seems that All right. So it shows that. It shows that this mercy of God, it seems like to me, is a gift. And yet there is going back to what you said for every gift there is a duty, a responsibility. Gifts aren't given sort of freely. Gifts are given with the sense that if you receive this gift, you have something now to do to use that gift honorably and with dignity, not only dignifying yourself but dignifying the master too.
Speaker 3:It's interesting because and you can give me the scriptural reference to this but when Jesus says, the servant who knew his master's will and did not do it will receive a severe beating. But he who didn't know his master's will will receive a severe beating. But he who didn't know his master's will, will receive a lesser beating.
Speaker 1:I don't know what you're talking about.
Speaker 3:It's in the New.
Speaker 1:Testament. Okay, well, find it, tell me, I'll find it. You'll find it, find it tomorrow.
Speaker 3:But anyway, when Jesus says that he's talking about diminished responsibility, because you didn't know it. But, you're still somewhat responsible.
Speaker 1:There's still responsibility for it.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:In the German the word for gift is gaba and the word for duty is aufgabe. No, sorry, other way around Gaba is gift, aufgabe is responsibility. So there's a connection between the gift and the responsibility. Uh, there, right, the same root, word, root idea there. So to receive the gift. And that's what billy graham used to say. He said god gave you two hands, with one to receive, the other to give right like that.
Speaker 1:So I mean you, yeah, we're in balance that way, right, we're. We're supposed to be in balance that way. One of the things that that we we talked about earlier was how, in the in, in the sort of situation that we're in right now, the word sloth is is not a word we hear very much. I mean the word sloth again I we sort of joked at the first because he's not a word we hear very much. I mean the word sloth again we sort of joked at the first, because he's not talking about the animal, the three-toed animal that crawls along the forest there of South America, but we're talking about a characteristic, we're talking about a behavior. To some degree it can be willful, to some degree it can be maybe unwillful or something you just neglect. But this particular writer talks about the fact that, though we don't use that word anymore, we're sort of embarrassed to use a word like sloth or even laziness. We might use words like this comfort, addiction. We're addicted to comfort, discomfort, avoidance, right, laziness, of course, apathy, procrastination, procrastination.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Inaction that leads ultimately to, you know, usually having to hurry something up on the other end and doing a very bad job of it. Distraction that's a very common word. People are distracted these days. Right, I'm allowing myself to be distracted. Idleness, or simply saying I just don't feel like it. So, though we don't use the word necessarily these days sloth a lot, we very often might use a word like you know, I'm just distracted, I'm just procrastinating. Or, you know, I just really like my comforts. You know, I like staying with my comforts and all of us do, right, I mean, all of us like our comforts, whatever that is. But at some point you got to get out of that quote comfort zone and you got to get out and you've got to get the job done, whatever that you have got a responsibility.
Speaker 3:That's one of the things I always remind people. Life is not an amusement park. You know, I think some of us you know, you've got to get the most out of life by making sure that you're constantly doing what you want to do. I'm surprised by the number of people that do not see life as a responsibility, and I think that the desire for constant amusement and entertainment, I think that Well, the chief end of life is happiness, right. No, that's the problem.
Speaker 1:Well, that's sort of what part of the common discussion is these days, is you know? My goal is to be happy in life, right?
Speaker 3:So I don't know, but see, that's where I disagree with the Declaration of Independence. Because, Because that we are giving.
Speaker 1:Oh, the pursuit of happiness.
Speaker 3:You're not supposed to pursue happiness. If you pursue happiness, you're going to be a very miserable human being.
Speaker 1:Yeah, because you never catch it.
Speaker 3:No, because happiness is a byproduct of doing what you ought to do. Right right, you know, happiness is the antithesis no sloth is the antithesis of no. Sloth produces unhappiness Because sloth is shirking your duty and you know inside of yourself that you are not doing what?
Speaker 1:you ought to be doing Right, and eventually the roof collapses over you, the house, it floods, right. Whatever it is and we were quoting earlier from a passage because of laziness, the roof sags. Because of laziness, the roof sags. Because of idle hands, the house leaks. And eventually, even if you're aware of it, let's say you're not aware of it, I'm just not aware. My roof is completely. I've neglected it, neglected it, neglected it. Well, it still caves in, it still falls in on you, right? Whether you're aware that it's going to fall in or not, because you've not taken care of that thing.
Speaker 3:Okay, we're going to go to break Just 10TH, 1070, and we'll be right back.
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Speaker 10:The best things in life are free, but you can give them to the present be. That's what I want, that's what I want. That's what I want. That's what I want. That's what I want.
Speaker 3:That's what I want. That's what I want. That's what I want. Okay, we're back.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so you were quoting the Bible to me, which is not normally what you do.
Speaker 3:Not only that, I caught you in one.
Speaker 1:You caught me in one that I wasn't thinking about. Well, if you had put it that way, I would have.
Speaker 3:Oh yeah, I wasn't thinking about it. Well, if you had put it that way I would have. Oh yeah, well, it says in Luke 12, 47, that servant which knew his Lord's will and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes severely, but that one servant that knew not his master's will and did not and and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with fewer stripes. That's not a good translation.
Speaker 1:luke 12, 47 but the idea is interpret. Well, the idea is interpret.
Speaker 3:Well, the idea is, not knowing what you ought to have known still deserves punishment, Not maybe as severe. But in other words, if you knew you had to do it and you didn't do it, that's what's called a mortal sin. But if you didn't know, if you knew you had to do it and you didn't do it, that's what's called a mortal sin. But if you didn't know, but you still did the wrong thing, you will be beaten. Quote lesser stripes. Right right so yeah, gotcha.
Speaker 1:So, I think the sloth.
Speaker 3:Applying that to sloth.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 3:So if you knew you were a lazy bum, but you didn't know the extent of your laziness, you still have an idea that you shouldn't be lazy.
Speaker 1:Or if you're addicted to video games, addicted to YouTube, and you're out there using it all the time and you're neglecting your family, neglecting your health, neglecting your health, neglecting your this, that or the other, there's a certain you're still going to be paying the consequences. But it's worse when you come to realize yes, I am failing as a father, yes, I'm failing as a human being, I'm failing as a homeowner because my roof is sagging and my house is leaking. Going back to that, okay, I'm going to quote another Bible verse. All right, here you go. This is one of my favorites. It goes back to the book of Proverbs.
Speaker 1:Probably the book of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes are the ones that speak the most thoroughly and convincingly to me about the idea of sloth, about laziness and such. And here in the book of Proverbs, chapter 6, verse and following such it's. The word sluggard is in this translation. So it's the lazy person. Consider the ant, o sluggard. Consider her ways and be wise, without having any chief officer or ruler. She prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest. How long will you just lie there, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep? And here's this refrain that happens over and over again in Proverbs A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber and want like an armed man. I love that.
Speaker 3:That is fantastic.
Speaker 1:Isn't it neat? I mean, take a look at the ants, take a look at the birds, just take a look at creation. I mean those critters are out there. They're constantly at work, feeding themselves, finding nests for themselves, finding homes for themselves. You know, and take a look at them and let that be an example to you, because if you sit there and just lie down, and you just lie down, and you just lie down and you kind of fold your hands and rest, before you know it you're going to find yourself in deep poverty Before you know it. You're going to find yourself in deep need and boy, it'll come upon you, like he says here, an armed robber, when you weren't even expecting it.
Speaker 3:But I think the other part is the judgment of God. In other words, the judgment of God is not just are you going to be poor in this life?
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 3:When I I really think that when you stand in front of God at the final judgment, you're going to be asked what did you do? It's not what did you not do. What did you do? It's not what did you not do. I often think that when people say, well, I'm a good person, I don't do anything wrong, hmm but part of it is are you making an attempt to do stuff right, what you said at the beginning? Yeah, I have done and what I have failed they do.
Speaker 3:Are you taking up just room? So I think that one of the virtues that we are not some of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit that we're not emphasizing as much is fear of the Lord. I really, you know people say, well, we shouldn't fear God.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we probably should, you should.
Speaker 3:I ask people this Imagine that you know a lion tamer and you visit him and he says I've got this beautiful lion, he's a good lion, he's a very good lion. And he puts I've got this beautiful lion, he's a good lion, he's a very good lion. And he puts you in the ring with the lion and he says go ahead and pet him, he's a good lion. Do you tease the lion? Do you play? I mean, do you take risks?
Speaker 1:First of all, I wouldn't get in the ring with him.
Speaker 3:Well, that's the question is, God is like that lion, you don't play with him.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 3:You should be a healthy respecter.
Speaker 1:A healthy respecter.
Speaker 3:I guarantee you, when I see a police officer in the car behind me, I'm a very good driver.
Speaker 1:I bet you are. I am a very good driver. I bet you are.
Speaker 3:I am a very good driver, and that's called fear of the cops.
Speaker 1:Well, that's probably wise, though right Going back to it. Well, part of this wisdom that we're talking about is, yeah, thinking about eternal consequences and about standing before a God who is both a giver and one who shows mercy, but also who does justice, right.
Speaker 3:And who expects something out of you.
Speaker 1:Right. So you've got that on the one hand. The other part is these lives that we're living now, because I'm wondering how many young people out there who are living in their parents' basements and they're 30 years old and they're still watching video games all the time and they're not spending, not finding that job, not getting out going to college, not getting out making a contribution, not getting out learning a new learning, whatever, whatever it is using that gift that God has given you, whether it's the gift of music or a gift of writing, or a gift of whatever, Now don't go to the opposite of the dream.
Speaker 3:Speaking of the opposite is to disregard the Sabbath as a day of rest. Yes, yeah, no absolutely Absolutely. Because we have in the United States we have a culture of productivity. Yep. And there's some people who are just working themselves to death and do not observe the rest of the Sabbath.
Speaker 1:And that's one of my last points. You've actually anticipated that. Oh, I'm glad that sometimes, in the midst of busyness, we can be slothful.
Speaker 5:Go ahead busyness.
Speaker 3:We can be slothful, go ahead. We get so busy as if busy is a virtue that we fail to do what's important things.
Speaker 1:That's important. How many ceos running companies out there have families that have failed or are failing because they are so busy working? And when you ask them, well, how's it going? Oh, I'm just so busy. As if busy is a virtue. It's not.
Speaker 3:It's not.
Speaker 1:It's not a virtue at all. In fact, it might be sloth in disguise. So, in addition to procrastination, it could well be that when we're busy, busy, busy, busy busy, we're doing stuff, but it's not really the best stuff that we could be doing in life no, and it's it, you know.
Speaker 3:That brings up my favorite word, which is worship.
Speaker 1:Okay, the etymology of worship is super simple.
Speaker 3:The etymology of worship is super simple. It's worth-ship. Do you realize that the word worship is what you're talking about? Is the fact that you are the word worship etymologically is worth. It's W-O-R. And then ship, ship. Is the the art or practice of anything?
Speaker 3:okay, penmanship, penmanship, craftsmanship, whatever ship you want, but the w-o-r in worship is a short version of the word worth, and so when you are worshipping, you're actually practicing the art, or practicing of putting in correct order things that are worthwhile, and that's what you just said. You're giving your life to stuff that you're busy with, but stuff that is, should not be worth-shipped because you're neglecting it's a sloth, because you're neglecting it's a sloth because you're neglecting that which is more important, really really important stuff.
Speaker 1:I think it's sometimes easier to attend to unimportant things. Oh yeah, Right.
Speaker 3:Constantly.
Speaker 1:I mean, it's easier to pay attention to those things and put out those fires, but rather than taking the fires that really matter, yep Right.
Speaker 3:And that is when you go to worship. Whatever worship, you go to go there and ask God to put things in your life in the proper worth hierarchy and ask him how are you giving to that which is worthwhile its proper place? And how is sloth kind of keeping you from recognizing your responsibilities? Indeed indeed well thanks for that. Thanks for that I know we got to go.
Speaker 1:We have 20 seconds today okay 10 seconds so next week uh father, it's my turn your turn and I think we should take pride next week. I'm not proud of that. You're not proud of that, okay, okay.
Speaker 3:The deadliest of the deadly sins. This is 1070 KNTH and we will talk to you next week.
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