sin against hope

[houston1]

How would you describe a sin that involves deliberate thoughts against trusting God of a venial nature? Basically, what are the sins for not trusting God to take care of temporal stuff in this life? I’m not talking about outright despair.

Thanks for your help.

houston1

 

[Regina_Love]

Abortion is a sin against hope! A woman misses out on the miracles God had prepared for her, and the blessing of her child. I saw a study that said 96% of the things we worry about never happen. You are not alone. We are in general a society that lacks God, and there fore hope. I would suggest you get a copy of the Divine Mercy poster. At the bottom are the words…Jesus I trust in you! Seeing it daily will remind you to trust in Jesus, which leads to hope. May God Bless you richly.

 

[JRKH]

How would you describe a sin that involves deliberate thoughts against trusting God of a venial nature? Basically, what are the sins for not trusting God to take care of temporal stuff in this life? I’m not talking about outright despair.

Thanks for your help.

houston1

If I understand you right, then what you are describing is not so much discrete sins, but rather an attitude or habit. It is a lack of faith in our Lord and King. I don’t know that one can be more specific than that.

Peace
James

 

[houston1]

If I understand you right, then what you are describing is not so much discrete sins, but rather an attitude or habit. It is a lack of faith in our Lord and King. I don’t know that one can be more specific than that.

Peace
James

James,

Thanks. Perhaps “deliberate” is not the word I’m looking for. I would say that it would involve runnaway thoughts of diasters and misfortunes that could theoretically happen to oneself - basically when you momentarily dwell on thoughts that bring about sadness, etc. These thoughts continue when left unchecked. Certainly there’s some kind of sin in this as we are supposed to guard our minds. What would you call that? Or, is there any information on this?

Thanks for your help.

houston1

 

[houston1]

Abortion is a sin against hope! A woman misses out on the miracles God had prepared for her, and the blessing of her child. I saw a study that said 96% of the things we worry about never happen. You are not alone. We are in general a society that lacks God, and there fore hope. I would suggest you get a copy of the Divine Mercy poster. At the bottom are the words…Jesus I trust in you! Seeing it daily will remind you to trust in Jesus, which leads to hope. May God Bless you richly.

Regina Love,

I agree that abortion is a sin against hope. However, my question is completely unrelated to abortion. But, because it’s such a big deal in our country, I can see why you’d want to emphasize that. I love the Divine Mercy chaplet and often meditate on “Jesus I trust in you!” It really makes a difference for me and helps me get through my difficulties.

Thanks for your post. May God bless you.

houston1

 

[Julia_Mae]

How would you describe a sin that involves deliberate thoughts against trusting God of a venial nature? Basically, what are the sins for not trusting God to take care of temporal stuff in this life? I’m not talking about outright despair.

Thanks for your help.

houston1

What “stuff?” What we think of as Him taking care of it and what He is doing to actually take care of it, might be very different,…

I think the trick is to trust enough to accept what has come once we give Him our lives. Then if it seems like something is not taken care of, we know God left it that way for His Own purposes.

 

[odile53]

Are you talking about anxiously ruminating on possibilities of a situation that may never occur? That sounds like it might be a sin of not trusting in God, or it might be a mental health issue. Some people really can’t help being unduly worried.

How I deal with those nagging worries that try to destroy my peace of mind: I look back to situations in my life, where it was obvious that the Hand of God was at work, and remind myself that He has never let me down, even in situations of my own making, and has always given me either the spiritual resources, the temporal resources, and quite frequently both, to deal with the situation as it works its way out. And in a few of those times when prayers have seemed to been unanswered, I later found out that what I had so desperately wanted at the time turned out so awful that I would have probably gnawed off my foot to escape!

 

[JRKH]

James,

Thanks. Perhaps “deliberate” is not the word I’m looking for. I would say that it would involve runaway thoughts of disasters and misfortunes that could theoretically happen to oneself - basically when you momentarily dwell on thoughts that bring about sadness, etc. These thoughts continue when left unchecked. Certainly there’s some kind of sin in this as we are supposed to guard our minds. What would you call that? Or, is there any information on this?

Thanks for your help.

houston1

Ahhh - OK…Yes there could be sin involved in this but it is much more likely that it is not sinful. It this is something that is much better discussed with your confessor.
The reason I say this is because it can depend on many factors surrounding where one is in their spiritual development, what issues they need to address in their lives, and other factors.
If I had to put a name to what you describe, it would maybe be a very mild form of spiritual sloth. So mild in fact that for the vast majority of people it should hardly register as a sinful problem.
For most everyone it would simply be - “Why am I thinking about that stuff…”, then shake it off an move on.
However, if such thinking becomes so intrusive that it threatens one with falling into despair…It could be more serious…

So - As I say - this is really a matter that needs to be taken to your confessor - he is the one who can advise you the most fully.

Peace
James

 

[houston1]

What “stuff?” What we think of as Him taking care of it and what He is doing to actually take care of it, might be very different,…

I think the trick is to trust enough to accept what has come once we give Him our lives. Then if it seems like something is not taken care of, we know God left it that way for His Own purposes.

Julia,

Thanks for the post. I agree with that God always takes care of everything even if it is not what we understand or want. My question relates to letting our thoughts wander unto unproductive stuff like diasters and hardships - things that cause sadness and anxiety. These thoughts are brief but sometimes can be longer. I just wanted to know what kind of sin this is called.

houston1

 

[houston1]

Are you talking about anxiously ruminating on possibilities of a situation that may never occur? That sounds like it might be a sin of not trusting in God, or it might be a mental health issue. Some people really can’t help being unduly worried.

How I deal with those nagging worries that try to destroy my peace of mind: I look back to situations in my life, where it was obvious that the Hand of God was at work, and remind myself that He has never let me down, even in situations of my own making, and has always given me either the spiritual resources, the temporal resources, and quite frequently both, to deal with the situation as it works its way out. And in a few of those times when prayers have seemed to been unanswered, I later found out that what I had so desperately wanted at the time turned out so awful that I would have probably gnawed off my foot to escape!

odile,

To your 1st question, only briefly until I realize what is happening. We all have our “poor me” moments. I agree that persons with obessive thoughts can have a mental issue. This is not what I am talking about. These thoughts are possible and not too crazy or unrealistic.

God has never let me down and I agree that I can see it more clearly when reflecting back on His providence in past situations. Thanks for reminding me of this.

It is often difficult to determine temptation from sin. I know that the enemy of our souls put negative suggestions into our minds. Sometimes my mind will run a little with the suggestions but I ultimately reject them. Sometimes though I think I could control my thoughts better.

Thanks for your post.

 

[houston1]

Ahhh - OK…Yes there could be sin involved in this but it is much more likely that it is not sinful. It this is something that is much better discussed with your confessor.
The reason I say this is because it can depend on many factors surrounding where one is in their spiritual development, what issues they need to address in their lives, and other factors.
If I had to put a name to what you describe, it would maybe be a very mild form of spiritual sloth. So mild in fact that for the vast majority of people it should hardly register as a sinful problem.
For most everyone it would simply be - “Why am I thinking about that stuff…”, then shake it off an move on.
However, if such thinking becomes so intrusive that it threatens one with falling into despair…It could be more serious…

So - As I say - this is really a matter that needs to be taken to your confessor - he is the one who can advise you the most fully.

Peace
James

James,

Thanks for your post. With these thoughts, I always conclude “why am I thinking of this” and affirm that I trust in God. I haven’t fallen into despair but I often feel confusion which is part of desolation (as I understand). I’ve had some temptations which discourage me for the moment. However, I know God is in control. I keep praying that God will bring me out of this. I know that He will in His timing. I just must practice patience while I wait.

I also wanted to know what kind of sin to call this for purposes of confessing this.

houston1

 

[JRKH]

James,

Thanks for your post. With these thoughts, I always conclude “why am I thinking of this” and affirm that I trust in God. I haven’t fallen into despair but I often feel confusion which is part of desolation (as I understand). I’ve had some temptations which discourage me for the moment. However, I know God is in control. I keep praying that God will bring me out of this. I know that He will in His timing. I just must practice patience while I wait.

I also wanted to know what kind of sin to call this for purposes of confessing this.

houston1

Based on what you say here, I would not call this sin at all. If anything I might just mention to my confessor that I am being “tempted to despair”…though not seriously…See what he has to say.

Peace
James

 

[houston1]

Based on what you say here, I would not call this sin at all. If anything I might just mention to my confessor that I am being “tempted to despair”…though not seriously…See what he has to say.

Peace
James

James,

I appreciate your response. In all honesty, I could have had a better control over my thoughts on some of these situations. So, there may be a little consent on my part. I hesitate to use “despair” because I am not fearful of my salvation. It’s more related to bearing the crosses given me. Maybe I could say that I allowed my thoughts to run away with thoughts on bad circumstances which caused me lose hope in God’s providence. Somthing like that.

May God bless you.

houston1

 

[JRKH]

James,

I appreciate your response. In all honesty, I could have had a better control over my thoughts on some of these situations. So, there may be a little consent on my part. I hesitate to use “despair” because I am not fearful of my salvation. It’s more related to bearing the crosses given me. Maybe I could say that I allowed my thoughts to run away with thoughts on bad circumstances which caused me lose hope in God’s providence. Somthing like that.

May God bless you.

houston1

 

[Julia_Mae]

Julia,

Thanks for the post. I agree with that God always takes care of everything even if it is not what we understand or want. My question relates to letting our thoughts wander unto unproductive stuff like diasters and hardships - things that cause sadness and anxiety. These thoughts are brief but sometimes can be longer. I just wanted to know what kind of sin this is called.

houston1

That’s not a sin. That’s responding to environmental influences. Look, when you have some sexual thoughts it’s not a sin. If you intentionally indulge yourself in fantasies, well, discuss with confessor.

The world is full of horrible stuff. You are going to think about that when you hear about it. You are, if you are normal, going to have a very human reaction (I’m glad it wasn’t me) and then - even though it’s practically subconscious - be horrified at your response and then … then you start to wonder why God lets such awfulness happen. Why do the innocent suffer?

HOW CAN YOU LET THIS HAPPEN?!!

(I used to yell at God a lot.)

It’s not a sin. It’s part of what pushes us into a deeper communion with Him, seeking the answers, knowing He loves us, but trying to make sense of what seems senseless. At least, that’s what I decided.

 

[JRKH]

That’s not a sin. That’s responding to environmental influences. Look, when you have some sexual thoughts it’s not a sin. If you intentionally indulge yourself in fantasies, well, discuss with confessor.

The world is full of horrible stuff. You are going to think about that when you hear about it. You are, if you are normal, going to have a very human reaction (I’m glad it wasn’t me) and then - even though it’s practically subconscious - be horrified at your response and then … then you start to wonder why God lets such awfulness happen. Why do the innocent suffer?

HOW CAN YOU LET THIS HAPPEN?!!

(I used to yell at God a lot.)

It’s not a sin. It’s part of what pushes us into a deeper communion with Him, seeking the answers, knowing He loves us, but trying to make sense of what seems senseless. At least, that’s what I decided.

Thanks Julia…
I should have mentioned about how these things can push us closer to God.

Peace
James