To what degree do we have control over our thoughts and desires?

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Robert_Sock

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St Augustine said something like:My arms and legs obey my every command; not so my thoughts and desires. Our minds are free to roam, but only a short distance in any direction until the chain connected to our shackles loses its slack

Why is this so, and what are the implications?
 
From the looks of some of my longer, toss in the kitchen sink, posts …

Apparently NONE!

:banghead::rotfl::takethat: :extrahappy: :hmmm:

(THIS – is about as brief as I get!) 🙂
 
Well, I guess he is referring to the variety of mental and spiritual problems that can cause intrusive thoughts, such as scrupulosity, OCD. That and our natural concupiscence, or our tendency to sin.
 
Robert_Sock said:
St Augustine said something like:My arms and legs obey my every command; not so my thoughts and desires. Our minds are free to roam, but only a short distance in any direction until the chain connected to our shackles loses its slack

Why is this so, and what are the implications?
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It means that self-control is difficult to achieve. At the same time, self-control is said to be a Gift of the Holy Spirit. So that makes it easier, but it still does not remove concupiscence. We have to strive against our sinful tendencies in order to attain virtue, and at the same time it is God in us Who strives, otherwise we could not do it at all.

I sound like a broken record, but: the Rosary is an invaluable help.
 
But, what are the implications of our inability to control our thoughts and desires?
 
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