“All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.” 1 Corinthians 6:12
Learning our Different Sins
Romans 12:11: “In diligence not slothful; fervent in spirit, serving the Lord.” Matthew 25:14-30
What is Sloth?
Ages: 9-11
Objective:
At the end of the session, students will be able to:
- Identify slothful behaviors in one’s life.
- Overcome slothful behavior, and honor God in all areas of our lives.
Lesson:
The word sloth means laziness or not wanting to work. It is not just physical laziness, but a spiritual apathy characterized by a lack of care for one’s relationship with God and duties to others.
The Parable of the Talents, from the Gospel of Matthew 25:14-30, describes how the three servants used the talents their master gave them.
One servant was given five talents, and he traded them to increase in value to make five more. Another servant is given two talents, and he makes two more. The third servant was given one talent, and he chose to bury it in the ground.
The master returns after a long time and rewards the two servants who diligently worked to increase their talents. The master was angry with the third servant, calling him “wicked and lazy,” removing the one talent from the servant and giving it to the other.
This parable represents our responsibility for stewardship and preparing ourselves with God’s talents. The servant’s failure to use his master’s resources is not just laziness but a neglect of responsibility. Jesus Christ will return one day and ask us how we increased in value with what He gave us.
In our Christian life, sloth is seen as apathetic or indifferent to physical or spiritual work. Slothfulness is a lack of concern for oneself or others and a lack of motivation to grow closer to God.
It is not to be confused with taking a well-deserved rest from our daily work or school; instead, being slothful is neglecting to do work. Being slothful and apathetic to one’s spiritual growth can lead to other sins, temptations, discouragement, immoral behaviors, and wasting our God-given talents. Any activity in excess that distracts us from seeking God directs us to the sin of sloth.
Real-life examples of slothful behavior:
- Procrastination:This might involve consistently putting off important tasks or responsibilities, whether in studies, or in our personal lives. For instance, a student who repeatedly delays studying for exams until the last minute, is exhibiting slothful behavior.
- Excessive or mindless consumption of entertainment media:While rest and recreation are important, but when we spend inordinate amounts of time watching television, browsing social media, or playing video games to the neglect of our responsibilities, we may be falling into sloth.
- Neglecting one’s prayer life: This could involve constantly skipping church, spiritual activities, rarely or never engaging in personal prayer, or failing to make time for spiritual reading or reflection.
- Not helping others in need even when you can.
How to overcome sloth?
During this Lenten season, attentively pursue God’s presence by giving up what distracts you, keeps you busy, or wastes time. For many of us, spending time on the phone or social media, playing video games, binge-watching shows, or sleeping too much are the distractors. Start small by removing the distractors and practising some of the following acts:
- The first act should include following God’s commandments.
- Attend church on Sunday by preparing yourself to receive the Holy Qurbana.
- Read the Bible daily. During this lent, start reading a book from the Bible, like Psalms, Acts of the Apostles, or the Gospels. Memorize, understand, and write down Bible verse daily.
- Surround yourself with individuals who inspire and encourage you to grow and stay active in your life.
Colossians 3: 23 emphasizes the Bible verse from Romans 12:11, whatever you choose, do it cheerfully to God and not to please man.
Activity:
Decide to decrease the use of a digital device (phone, TV, Games, social media etc.). Create a SMART (Specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound) goal to replace the digital time with any of the following activities from the list below during the lent.
1. Bible reading journal
a. Keep a journal log of reading a book from the bible.
b. Daily read few verses or a chapter
c. Write a couple of sentences about what you understand.
2. Bible verse Jar/box
a. Get an empty jar or box.
b. Write down a bible verse on a piece of paper each evening before sleeping.
c. Put the bible verse paper in the jar/box
d. Reread the bible verses at the end of the week.
3. Daily Family prayer
a. Offer a prayer of thanks out loud during your daily family prayer to thank the Lord.
4. Prepare on Saturday evening for the Holy Qurbana on Sunday
a. Read the Lenten bible verses for Saturday and Sunday
b. Meditate on Sunday’s message
c. Talk to your siblings, friends, or parents about the message
Extras : Group activity for Lenten retreat day
Group activity : Bible story and verse collage
Materials : Bible, colorful 3×5 cards, markers, pencils, poster
Directions:
1. Each student selects a bible verse related to the lesson of sloth or overcoming slothfulness.
2. Write the bible verse on a 3×5 card.
3. Describe what talent you are best at on a 3×5 card.
4. Create a collage with 3×5 bible verse cards and talent cards on the poster board.
5. Use the markers to draw a picture of the lesson of talents
6. Write down a SMART goal to grow closer to God for the duration of the lent.
7. Choose an activity to make the SMART goal a reality.
References:
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sloth
https://mavink.com/explore/Parable-of-the-5-Talents
https://christianpure.com/learn/what-is-sloth
SMART Goals – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGxnc88P9nE