Sin or not. Curious

[Ghhh]

Today i was in a resturant and a girl walked by and I looked at her but looked away right after. I saw she was quite a bit younger than me and looked away immediately. Just wondering if this is a sin. Thanks

 

[St.Martin_de_Porres]

I do not believe simply looking at her would be sinful…However lustful or impure thoughts you may have while looking may be. Did you intentionally sexualize this young woman or simply look at her as she passed.

 

[regression]

Did you intentionally sexualize this young woman or simply look at her as she passed.

To expand on that, if a lustful thought pops into your head and you push it away, that isn’t a sin. If a lustful thought pops into your head and you intentionally dwell on it, that is a sin.

 

[superblue]

Just do like the book of Matthew 18:9 but take out both eyes , n then ya wont have that problem any more; plus if ya have to ask, if something is a sin then chances are it is.

 

[mVitus]

Not always. Especially if scrupulously comes into play. A priest is best for clarification.

 

[JamalChristophr]

I think it is an interesting question, really.

I have this same problem as the OP. Many men do, I would think. I have found it becomes a rather bad habit- looking at women, I mean, in a way that encourages man’s sexual appetite. The appetite itself is not sinful. It is neutral, I suppose. But because of our wounded nature, our appetites have a strong tendency to become or simply to be inordinate.

I’m thinking it is an “occasion of sin” rather than a sin in itself.

You said you looked away right after and that is a good sign of virtue actually. You resisted the temptation by looking away right after and such a response is a clear indication of willing the good on your part.

 

[ChunkMonk]

If I am reading you correctly (big IF) then at most you committed a venial sin, and more probably commited an unintentional venial sin, or perhaps even just fell prey to an imperfection.

Unless you consented to lustful thoughts and deliberately enjoyed holding them, you were almost certainly not at risk of being in mortal sin. I don’t read anything even approaching true malice in your description.

 

[mVitus]

1: Scrupulosity is not a sin. Full stop.

2: Asking a priest is good because unlike strangers on the internet, they have a good theological background, many years of experience oftentimes, and are addressing one in person which has its own advantages.

 

[Vico]

Today i was in a resturant and a girl walked by and I looked at her but looked away right after. I saw she was quite a bit younger than me and looked away immediately. Just wondering if this is a sin. Thanks

Suppose for a moment that it is material sin, so it could be an actual mortal or venial sin or no actual sin, depending on factors.

Baltimore Catechism

• 282 A. To make a sin mortal, three things are necessary: 1.a grievous matter, sufficient reflection, and full consent of the will.
• 285 A. Sins committed without reflection or consent are called material sins; that is, they would be formal or real sins if we knew their sinfulness at the time we committed them. Thus to eat flesh meat on a day of abstinence without knowing it to be a day of abstinence or without thinking of the prohibition, would be a material sin.

 

[Mary_Ellen]

You did not sin. It does sound like you struggle with scrupulosity, however.

Superblue is way off. He/she said that if you have to ask “is it a sin” than it’s probably a sin - that’s not right at all. If one has to ask the question, at least on these forums, it often means the one who’s asking tends to be scrupulous, especially if they ask that type of question more than once.
Superblue was also incorrect in stating that scrupulosity is a sin. It is not. It is a spiritual disorder, either sensing sin in non-sinful actions or not trusting in the efficacy of the Sacrament of Reconciliation/sensing the remnants of forgiven sin after experiencing the Sacrament.

Persons who suffer from scrupulosity should not seek advice from anonymous forums but should the advice of their regular confessor. They should stick to one confessor and not seek out a priest who will tell them what they want to hear.
If you’re not sure you’re scrupulous, seek the advice of a priest you trust.

Be at peace.

 

[Ghhh]

I didn’t have any lustful or impure thoughts. I looked and then looked away right away. Thanks for help

 

[Crusaderbear]

Come on, God Gave you the eyes to see the world, you didn’t seem to entertain lustful thoughts, or stare too long. Let it go.

 

[Joshua_M]

Saint Domonic Savio would intentionally keep his eyes away from the world so as to preserve them for God and Mary.
This is something we should all try to do; keep your eyes on anything but things that will lead us to temptation.

This being said, God gave us attraction and the loss of grace at the garden created the anti-attraction, lust.

So simply being attracted to beautiful women is not a sin; its vocational discernment. However, should the evil one put a temptation into your head that will lead you to lust, please look away.

Temptations aren’t sinful because they are passive, but actively acting out the temptation is sinful.

So look at modest women with love and an appreciation for their dignity and beauty.

 

[BenedicamDominum]

everything at some level is a sin

Every action that anyone performs is, at some level, a sinful act that is willed? Of course not. You’re taking an extreme position rooted in some kind of apparent resentment, and are not communicating an informed understanding of Catholic moral and spiritual theology.

Many people perform actions imperfectly and with some degree of flaw. But a flaw and an imperfection is a separate category from sin. Likewise, there is a massive distinction between objective and subjective sin, and that distinction is rooted in intent of the will. One can perform an objective sin, venial or mortal, for which one has no subjective culpability … or even knowledge of. No one is punished for a sinful act when they have no culpability for that act. They are punished only for the acts contrary to God’s law that they willed.

Your view is overly cynical and unbalanced.

 

[BenedicamDominum]

Just wondering if this is a sin.

If you don’t know right now whether or not you committed a sinful act, chances are high you likewise didn’t know before or during your behavior. You probably didn’t suddenly forget whether or not you were choosing to sin.

Examining our conscience is not psychotherapy wherein we try to delve into our subconscious and find secret motivations which, quite beyond our knowledge, killed the life of grace in our soul.