Summa Theologiae Moralis, vol. I: De Principiis

To the joy of charity itself over the divine good is opposed acedia; to joy over the neighbor's good, envy.

S. Th. II-II, q. 35; de Malo, q. 11.

949. Acedia is sadness about spiritual good, especially divine. For acids are cold, whence acedia imports weariness or tepidity in working, which so depresses the mind of man that nothing pleases him to do. Hence spiritual acedia denotes torpor, languor, tepidity, weariness about spiritual things, which are therefore troublesome because they require bodily labor. Whence it is sadness about spiritual things because they impede quiet and bodily pleasure: for acedia prefers to do nothing rather than to disturb the body's rest, and from this arises flight from spiritual things, horror and detestation. This sadness is always sin: a) by reason of the object: for to be sad about evil is good, but to be sad about that which appears to be evil but truly is good, is sin, because good does not deserve that we be sad about it; b) by reason of the effect: for it withdraws man from due works.

Acedia is twofold: 1st that by which we are sad about the good of any virtue; this is not a special sin, even if it is done for the sake of the bodily labor attached, but it is a circumstance of every sin, because every vice flees the spiritual good opposed to it even inasmuch as it impedes bodily rest; 2nd that by which we are sad about the spiritual good to which all other things are ordered, namely the divine good, not in itself, but inasmuch as it is internal to us or pertains to us and seems evil to us: if one is sad namely about beatitude or about the friendship of God, for the reason that by laborious exercises of virtue they must be preserved and so does not care for that friendship, or if for the labor one is sad about the means to it e.g. about the sacraments, the grace of God, good works, divine precepts, etc., inasmuch as they are necessary or useful for the friendship of God. This is a special sin because it has a special object, and is directly contrary to the special act of a special virtue: for it is opposed to the joy in the divine good in which charity delights.

950. Gravity of acedia. — 1. Acedia as it is a general sin, is mortal or venial according as the sin of which it is a circumstance is grave or light.

2. Special acedia is a mortal sin of its genus, because according to its proper notion it is opposed to charity. For the proper effect of charity is joy in God, whence acedia by which we are sad about the divine good is directly opposed to charity. It can however be venial if it is not perfectly deliberate, or also, as it seems, when it concerns goods not necessary for salvation.

This acedia is also a capital sin, as was declared above, in tr. on Sins, n. 513.

S. Th. II-II, q. 36; Q. D. de Malo, q. 10.

951. Envy is inordinate sadness about another's good, esteemed as one's own evil, inasmuch as that good seems to be a diminutive of one's own excellence. It is called

1° sadness: this is about evil considered as united to us, and thus envy differs from hatred which is about the good of neighbor, in the neighbor considered as absolutely evil;

2° about another's good esteemed as one's own evil: "The object of sadness is one's own evil; but it happens that what is another's good is apprehended as one's own evil, and thus about another's good there can be sadness";

3° inasmuch as it is a diminutive of one's own excellence: sadness about another's good which is considered as evil, can happen in four ways: a) when someone grieves over another's good, because from it he fears harm to come to himself or to other goods, and such sadness is an effect of fear; b) when someone is sad about another's good, not because he has it, but because that good which he has is wanting to us, and this is zeal or emulation which, if it is about honest goods, is praiseworthy; c) when someone is sad about another's good, because he to whom the good happens is unworthy of it, and this sadness is called nemesis or indignation, which is good if it is done for a right end and with due subjection to the ordination of divine Providence; d) when someone grieves over another's good, inasmuch as another exceeds him in goods and this is esteemed as one's own evil, because it is a diminutive of one's own glory or excellence, and this properly is envy;

4° inordinate: envy is always evil because it grieves about that of which one should rejoice, namely about the good of neighbor.

952. Gravity of envy. — Envy is a mortal sin of its genus. For the genus of sin is taken from the part of the object. But envy according to its object is opposed to charity, because as charity rejoices in the good of neighbor, so envy is sad about it. It can however be venial not only from imperfection of the act, but also from lightness of matter if one envies a slight good of neighbor, e.g. that he wins in a game, as by running with him, or doing something of this kind.

953. Remark. — The sin of envy is usually found especially among those who are in some way equal, e.g. of the same family, or at least approaching in something, e.g. in condition, knowledge, virtue, etc.: for such wish to be equal to one another or preferred. It is chiefly about those goods in which there is glory, and in which men love to be honored and to be in repute, especially of wisdom and happiness. Whence it arises from vainglory, although it is itself a capital sin, as was said in tr. on Sins, n. 508.