The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1916-08-19
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ingly in thought, word, and deed.
Shining exceedingly is obviously not
venial offence. AS matter of fact,
not only may we sin mortally in mere
thought, in our mind and heart, but
it is just in evil thoughts that the
source and fountain Of sin resides. 1t
is not too much, indeed, to say that
words and acts are sins only mas
much as they spring from an evil
mind and will, or are influenced there
by. This is made abundantly clear by
the words of Our Lord Himself:
From the heart come forth evil
! thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornica-
tions, thefts, false testimonies, bias
phemies. These are the things that
defile a man.
To get a correct idea of Catholic
teaching on this subject, it is neces-
sary to know that by the word
thought is meant not only the work
| ing of the mind, but the inclination OF
the will. 1t is the action of the will
that determines whether or not any
| thought Tin the sense of idea, notion,
| ref1ection), word, or act is a sin.
| When theologians or moralists talk OF
sins of thought, they include in the
term thought" mental images, judg
ments, mental pleasure, desire and re-
solve. A very little reflection will
convince any one that mental images,
ideas, notions, however bad in them
| selves, are not sinful unless they are
voluntary, or acquiesced in by the
| will. Having or not having such
thoughts is really not matter over
which we always have control. They
come into the minds Of the most saint
ly as we'll as the least holy, and are
sinful or otherwise according as one
takes pleasure in them, or endeavours
to rid oneself of them as speedily as
possible. So long as an effort is being
made to Danish them from ones mind,
there is no culpability involved. In
other words, temptations are not sins.
They may be indeed, and in fact very
frequently are, merely occasions for
acquiring merit. Every temptation
vanquished, every bad thought eX-
PEELED from the mind, is an act of
virtue.
The varieties of sins of thought are
numerous, but they may best be classi-
fed under the heads Of sins against
God, against our neighbour, and
against ourselves. Of the first kind
some examples are: doubling the
faith, murmuring in ones heart
against Gods divine providence, fail.
ing to resign ourselves to His holy
will, receiving with Impotence and re-
volt, despairing of our salvation or OF
: The possibility of amending our lives
)resuming on Gods mercy while con
!! | tinuing in sin, etc.
Among sins of thought against our
| 1eighbor may be mentioned sus
: | )icions rejecting on his probity or Vir
.ue, envy of his talents or fame OF
'ortune; deep aversion, especially
owards those who are our civil or re
tigious superiors; anger and malice
| and hatred; the desire of revenge, and
especially the resolution to wreaE
2 | vengeance should the opportunity
f offer; wishing that evil may befal
t our neighbour or rejoicing that evi
|
f! his possessions or position and-ar
e especially vicious form-rejoicing il
y the sins he has committed.
AS for sins of thought against our
e selves, some of them are: pride, van
D | ity, contempt of others, an inordinatt
e ambition for higher state in life OF
6 for hOnours and glory and renOWni
; and, especially, the entertainment Of
I dwelling upon thoughts and image!
r against the virtue of purity.
a Concerning all these varieties, it i!
e never to be forgotten that only wher
|. the will acquiesces in the thought, or
S in other words, when the thoughts art
h willingly entertained, are dwelt upo1
i with pleasure, are consented to, d.
n they become sinful. AS has beer
|, said above, the coming Of such evi
r thoughts into the mind is not Away:
l. 4 matter that we can control; We
/ here is one important point in thi!
c connection that should not be los
sight of: it is possible to be directl!
! "esponsible for their presence through
our imprudence, our want of prope
guard over the senses, etc. The per
D son who deliberately reads danger
)us book, or who voluntarily attends
l lascivious or quasi-lascivious drama
i is simply inviting the presence of in
u Vulnerable bad thoughts, not merel.
1t the time of the reading or durin:
! the presentation of the drama, blu
e for days or weeks, perhaps years
thereafter. He has sown the seeds
5 Ind the naturally corrupt soil of tn
e human heart will ensure plentiful
a crop of evil notions, sinful images
i and dangerous imaginings.
On the other hand, many pious soul
ire unnecessarily troubled by tn
presence in their minds of thought
: against faith or charity, or purity, t
: which they have not consciously givel
any occasion; and they sometime
even consider that such thoughts ar
4 sign that God has abandoned them
They need to remember that wher
there is no will to sin, there is not
and cannot be, any sin committed
The senses may be in revolt, but, IN
8 less the will consents to evil, tn
/ senses can do us no injury. Onl,
when they are yielded to do tempta