One definition of complacency I saw online was this: “Self-satisfaction with an existing situation, condition, etc.” A case in point might be the degree of readiness we have to welcome visitors to our home in a moment’s notice. We can be complacent about putting things away, or “where they belong” until someone stops by unannounced. Then we are quick to apologize for our complacency by saying, “pardon the mess.” As waves of embarrassment wash over us, we then straighten things up for a time, and then the cycle repeats itself. Sometimes marriages suffer the difficult tension that arises when spouses are at opposite extremes. One may tend to be a “neat freak” while the other may tend to be a “slob.” A pattern of complacency may run throughout our lives: how timely we pay our bills, not taking care of our health, our neglect to return things we borrow, following through on things we said we would do.
The real danger of complacency, however, is with respect to our spiritual lives, especially when it comes to “confessing our sins” and “the firm purpose of amendment” from sinful patterns, as we noted in Sunday’s gospel story of Lazarus and the rich man. St. Luke takes great care to describe somewhat graphically the wretched condition of Lazarus who laid at the door of a rich man, who lived a wealthy lifestyle, unconcerned and unaffected by the condition of this poor man who then died at his door. There are several things to notice in this gospel story, but the bottom line is that there are eternal consequences for our complacency!
Consider the complacency of someone who is an extreme hoarder. Truly such a person has a serious psychological condition and is not simply a messy person. Over time, a hoarder grows complacent with living in such deplorable conditions. They have become complacent about cleaning up the house, resigned to it all. Or imagine if someone would wear the same white t-shirt for an entire week, then a second week, then for an entire month, or maybe even from Easter until Christmas. Imagine the sight of that t-shirt, the smell of the person wearing it, and the social consequences of such obvious complacency.
Now if we would not dare to do that with a white t-shirt on our body, even for a week, what does the white garment of our baptism look like? If it is the Advent season and we have not gone to confession since Lent, or perhaps even for several years, what has complacency done to our immortal soul? It is a most wretched thing to become complacent about our sins, our vices, our bad habits. To pretend there are no consequences to our spiritual complacency is to risk the loss of heaven and the pains of hell. After all, the Gospel on Sunday presents the poor man Lazarus resting comfortably for eternity at the bosom of Abraham and the rich man in the netherworld, suffering torment in flames. And what’s more, the rich man can behold the eternal reward that Lazarus enjoys but there is a great chasm between them.
Complacency in the spiritual life is less obvious to others than a messy home or a filthy t-shirt. Yet, over time, spiritual complacency has certain observable manifestations, as well. Left unchecked, the seven deadly sins can also become noticeable. The sin of pride may be discovered in one who is a braggard or a narcissist. Anger undealt with may be exhibited in explosive outbursts that are disproportionate to the situation. Envy may be exhibited in negative and critical speech about others whose qualities we desire. Lust may be observed in flirtatious speech or physical boundary violations. Gluttony may be most obvious in those who eat and drink too much. Greed may be what is behind shopping patterns or accumulating material things. And sloth may be what underlies all the above.
At about the time the “round to it” fad was popular, a friend of mine asked me, “Have you noticed how we neglect the important for the urgent?” The important, he explained, never gets done because people make everything seem as urgent. After a busy day of “putting out fires” or stabilizing something that comes up in family life, we tend to let the messy room go unattended for another day, or water the plants but not find another pot for them. Again, if that’s the case with the material things in our lives, how much more neglected our vices and sins can be to which we have grown accustomed to.
The great remedy for spiritual complacency is the daily examination of our consciousness, the regular confession of our sins through the sacrament of reconciliation and having honest conversations with a spiritual director or an accountability partner. We act against the tendency to procrastinate by our intentional pursuit of virtue. Earlier in my priesthood, one of my spiritual directors would often say to me, “Plan your work and work your plan” for my spiritual life. Let us leave behind our spiritual complacency and pursue eternal life with a passion!
