“Boredom is the grandfather of despondency, and laziness is the daughter. In order to drive it away, exert yourself at work—do not be lazy at prayer. Then, boredom will pass and grace will come. And if you add patience and humility to this, you will spare yourself from much evil." (St. Ambrose of Optina)
“People feel unhappy and they don't know why. They feel that something is wrong, but they can't put their finger on what.... They have everything, yet they want more. And when they get more, they are still left ... dissatisfied. They want happiness and peace, but nothing seems to bring it. They want fulfillment, but it never seems to come. Everything is fine, and yet everything is wrong.... It is covered over by frantic activity, and endless running around.... It is drowned out by television programs and video games. But when the movement stops, and the power is turned off, and everything is quiet ... then the dread sets in, and the meaninglessness of it all and the boredom and the fear. Why is this so? Because the Church tells us that we are really not at home. We are alienated and estranged from our true country. We are not with God in the land of the living. We are spiritually sick, and some of us are already dead [spiritually].” (Father Thomas Hopko)
“Boredom comes from an excessive self-focus…This week I was asked if boredom is a sin. Good question. After contemplating the matter, I think the answer is that sin and boredom go together, but I would rather say that boredom is a disease of the soul. It is a warning sign from God that there is a “dis-ease” in your heart that must be faced. Boredom is a sign that your life is moving in the wrong direction…One of the best cures for boredom is to get involved helping others. One doctor said that whenever a patient comes to him complaining of vague symptoms with no medical cause, he tells them to “crawl out of yourself.” It means to crawl out of the cave of self-pity and get involved in the world of hurting people…It is very difficult to be bored when you are giving yourself to help those around you. Boredom comes when we focus on our own needs. Crawl outside yourself and your problems will seem smaller and your boredom will soon disappear.” (Ray Pritchard)
“I wanted to understand the spiritual nature of boredom better so I did a search on the word “boredom” in many different translations of the Bible. The word simply does not show up. Now perhaps analogous words do but I didn’t pursue it any further. This search was enough to let me know what God was trying to tell me.” (Sacramental Living Blog)
“Our early forefathers and mothers understood that in transmitting the Good news of the Gospel they were in fact communicating an inspired life-style that transforms a life of emptiness and boredom into a life of high purpose and fulfillment. Those heroes of faith have left a timeless footprint and are still leading us today to a life of joyous fulfillment and peace and hope that surpasses all human understanding.” (Father James C. Moulketis)