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ACEDIA - The term in classical Christian spirituality for life-robbing dreariness or sadness is “acedia.” Acedia is the harvest of despair, for it comes upon the person who no longer believes in the ever-present gift and call of Happiness Itself, it stems from extreme depression, which sometimes can dominate someone’s affections to the point where he begins to think that he can never again be given aspirations towards the good. Acedia, depression, steals life away. It immobilizes us because it robs us of the hope we need to believe something good is possible.