What are the Conditions for a Lustful Thought to Become a Sin?

[PrincepsAuguste]

Specifically a mortal sin.

Over this Lent I have broken the sins of masturbation and pornography by the grace of the Holy Ghost. However, that doesn’t mean my mind doesn’t occasionally betray me and become a harbor for evil thoughts. Every time I do have such thoughts, I say the Our Father over and over as my priest directed me, and it has worked, the sinful thoughts have eventually fled. Yet, they occurred. I committed adultery in my heart, just as Matthew forbids in his gospel.

Is to be victorious in the battle enough, or must the battle never occur?

 

[Nate13]

A good confessor would tell you those thoughts only become lustful when you accept them and start to relish in them. What your describing is not sinful at all. Most priests would tell you that they themselves never have to stop fighting the battles against lust. I was listening to a talk from a priest on these kinds of issues and he was saying he once asked a old priest who was like 90 years old when the temptations stopped. The old priest told him “I don’t know I’ll tell you when I get there” Battles are definitely going to occur so you should not feel ashamed at all that you had to fight them. Instead look on them as an opportunity to strengthen your resolve to continue to do the right thing.

 

[sparrowhawk28]

A good confessor would tell you those thoughts only become lustful when you accept them and start to relish in them. What your describing is not sinful at all. Most priests would tell you that they themselves never have to stop fighting the battles against lust. I was listening to a talk from a priest on these kinds of issues and he was saying he once asked a old priest who was like 90 years old when the temptations stopped. The old priest told him “I don’t know I’ll tell you when I get there” Battles are definitely going to occur so you should not feel ashamed at all that you had to fight them. Instead look on them as an opportunity to strengthen your resolve to continue to do the right thing.

I agree with Nate. If you are rejecting the thoughts and striving to overcome them - if you do not will them - then it does not seem to me like you are sinning.
Even a person living a consecrated or celibate life still experiences the impulses of human nature. I don’t believe they can ever really fade.

I think your priest has given you good advice. Do not give up. I also battle against impure thoughts, and they can be hard to deal with. Prayer truly is very powerful - stick with it.

And well done on breaking those sins during Lent. May God bless you and give you strength.

 

[PrincepsAuguste]

Thanks, God bless.

 

[Bookcat]

(from previous posts of mine)

Regarding thoughts

while Jesus makes it clear that one can sin in ones thoughts…just cause some lustful thought happens does not mean that one sinned…

(and one can have a sufficiently good reason to think about sexual matters…for instance studying moral theology…but care must be taken to avoid things that would be a problem…but that is another question)

What should we do with* unwanted* sexual thoughts or other bad thoughts…thoughts against God etc? Those pesky temptations that can come …even though we are not seeking them etc…

(there are of course some things we should avoid that cause them…and there can be sin if it is something one should reasonably avoid…but often they come uninvited)

First…Relax. Do not worry.

Now are they mortal sins?

For a mortal sin one needs a grave matter …full knowledge AND deliberate consent!!!

A. If you do not want the thought…it the thought displeases you: it can be a sign actually that you did not give consent or do not give full consent.

B. Even if you felt a temptation for the thought – and were drawn to it —but rejected it and maybe even turned to God : again a sign not full consent.

C. But what if one has a tempting thought --say of a sexual nature and even hesitated for a moment…but then rejected it for one did not want to sin? : it can be partial consent perhaps (and thus a venial sin)-- or it may be no sin at all but rather a strong temptation that drew you but then you saw what was happening and turned away.

D. A temptation can even be very strong or the thoughts very often – but this does NOT mean one has consented! so worry not…even it they go on for a long time…

remember --for it to be mortal there must be that deliberate consent!

What to do? on the spiritual side–relax first of all and remember the above.

Next – know that the more one fears the thoughts the more likely they are to come… or said another way --the more a person seeks to avoid the thoughts the more likely he will have a problem with them. (but do not worry about this either!)

for example: for the next 10 seconds try NOT to think of an apple.

tick tock …

tick tock…

Ok what did you think of? Most likely an apple.

So it is best to ignore them and just not consent and then turn your attention to some other good thing…for instance whatever you are doing. Simply do not consent and move on. and do not worry

another point – thoughts can just happen --they are the stuff with which we think…it is up to us to consent and take them further or not. and just because they are REAL VIVID and almost “think themselves” does not mean per se that one has given ANY consent.

they can be annoying…but need cause no actual harm …

 

[nfreak141]

As long as demons and our fallen nature exist, there will always be a battle between you and your passions. Even the most holiest of saints had to suffer from temptation (second holiest if you count the Blessed Mother). It isn’t a sin to have the battle, it’s a sin to say “Okay, you win!” and give in to those passions.

And since we’re talking about battles here, lemme give you some battle tips:

Do not fight this alone. You are fighting against nature. You will be destined to lose. Keep your mind on God.

Also, GET PLENTY OF REST!

I’m being dead serious. After this Lent, the urge hasn’t been overwhelming, except when I was tired (and when I say tired, I mean “any logical person would be going to bed right now but I can’t because I’m doing homework I oh-so wisely procrastinated on” tired.) I literally couldn’t think that what I was doing was wrong until I had a brief second win.

 

[Marybeloved]

Is to be victorious in the battle enough, or must the battle never occur?

Since you’re not at this moment a Saint in Heaven already, how exactly would the battle not occur? Nowhere have we been promised that we will not battle- actually, the Bible guarantees that we will. So how can we ever say that the battle should not occur? The existence of the battle is not up to you, I’m afraid. It’s up to the Devil. And I don’t think he cares one whit that we would rather not do battle-In fact, I think he’d prefer it if we just lay down and let him do to us whatever he wanted.

You just have to know the difference between sin and temptation.

-Temptation is all up to the Devil (Of course our natural weaknesses after the fall make things much easier for him). To be held guilty of temptation would be tantamount to God punishing you for the sins of the Devil- Not possible.

-You are guilty only of your own sins- And you sin when you agree with what the Devil is suggesting to you, rather than rejecting it. Whenever the thought comes to you involuntarily (without your deliberately willing it)-That is a temptation, not a sin. The Devil is proposing something to your mind- “Hey, look at this!–Ins’t it fun (to do/think/feel)?” You cannot stop the Devil from whispering these things to you- You don’t make his choices!

What you do in response is up to you. If you play around with it and enjoy it, or simply be passive after noticing it and allow it to foster, then you have committed your own sin. If, as soon as you notice it, you reject it, by praying or switching thoughts, switching activities or generally acting to stop the thought until it goes away, then you are NOT guilty of sin at all- In fact you have earned merits (rewards) and one more step closer to holiness. It’s like you’ve said to the Devil “Talk to the Hand, man!” or “Not interested!” or “Go away!”

These merits and gains in holiness are the reason that God even allows the Devil to try and tempt you this way. He knows that he has given you enough grace to resist and battle and be victorious such that IF you choose correctly and resist and fight and flee the Devil, you’ll end up better for having gone through the battle than had you not been tempted at all.

 

[ChibiViolet]

Congradulations on breaking those awful habits!

The way you descirbe it, it doesn’t seem like you have lusted.