"A wise friend once told me how he handles unwanted thoughts - impure thoughts, self-defeating thoughts, or critical thoughts.
'"I treat them like I do obscene phone calls,' he said. 'I hang up on them.' That's great advice. After all, thoughts are not sinful unless we entertain them.
"St. Augustine put it this way: 'Where there is no consent there can be no sin.' No one has ever sinned by accident. Sin must always involve the will.
"However,
Augustine added that if we indulge these thoughts and encourage them,
that's a different matter. So here is some direction on how unwanted
thoughts from the world, the flesh, and the devil impact us today."
In a recent commentary, Tom Hoopes (writer in residence at Benedictine College, Atchison, Kansas) reflected on some ways that may be used to "hang up" on bad thoughts, whether they be from the world, the flesh, or the devil.
To access his complete essay, please visit:
Aleteia: Tom Hoopes: How to "hang up" on bad thoughts (17 MAY 21)
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment