Sinful thoughts?

[BornInMarch]

Is it possible for thoughts (which are involuntary) to be sinful?

Here is a scenario: Person A severely wronged Person B and never tried to make things right. Later, Person A gets in a serious accident and is crippled; is Person B sinning if their immediate reaction to the news is “Good, I’m glad he’s hurt”?

If this is a sin, how serious a sin is it?

 

[Latinitas]

If he gives entertainment and agreement to these thoughts, than yes, it is a sin, but if they just come into his head as a “gut reaction”, and he lends them no credence or entertainment, then he has not sinned, and in fact, accrued merit.

Benedicat Deus,
Latinitas

 

[Petaro]

If your immediate reaction was “Good, what goes around has finally come around.” and you don’t immediately reject the thought and find sympathy and compassion for someone in trouble, then I believe it is a sin. But if you immediately reject the thought and then positively act to the benefit of the other person, than you do no wrong, but have found a way to prove yourself a child of Jesus. We are only human and cannot always control every immediate thought. It comes down to an act of the will to love over an act of emotion.