When is it a near occasion of sin?

[frindro]

I’m very scrupulous and think I may have put myself in near occasions of sin, but I’d like to get some feedback from the CAF community.

I find that sometimes when I look at statues of Our Lady, which are very beautiful depictions of an attractive women, I am afraid that I will be tempted with an impure thought (which happened once when I looked at a painting of Our Lady. Knowing that I had that impure thought one time, was it putting myself in a near occasion of sin to look at a statue of Our Lady? I knew it was possible I would be tempted to sin. What if I wasn’t really tempted when I looked at the statue?

 

[Bookcat]

A near occasion of sin:

They are persons, places, things etc which generally lead one into sin. This can be the case ordinarily with most people or it can be unique to a certain person.

For example Y would generally lead one to consent to sin Z…

A remote occasion would be when whatever it is might but not likely lead one into sin.
These are everywhere…

Now as to the matter of your difficulty.

What you describe is one way that scrupulosity can be active…or one way one who has a tendency that direction may have scruples.

Classically …how was this dealt with?

One will find confessors were advised to advise such penitents to go ahead and look at such statues and ignore any thoughts etc that arise…just continue their prayer or pious look…

(one of course does not want them …and would not consent…in fact one is “disturbed” by them…a very sign of not consenting).

This strikes at the heart of such difficulties…for it is the “fear” that can increase the thoughts etc…so in this case one is looking at a very good modest image…one would continue to look …ignoring any “off topic thoughts etc”.

(So if I were to have such happen I would not consider such a “near occasion of sin” in the future but rather just an annoyance…)

Now it is very important for you to get a regular confessor…to help you with this and other matters that may come up…

 

[Bookcat]

Actually such advise was wise on a emperical level too…

For it is a kind of “exposure and blocking” …which eventually can lead to habituation which would mean the “fear” is diminished and even gone…and so would be the thoughts in time…

 

[Bookcat]

this can be of help too…

(from previous posts)

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? 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 …

 

[Geremia]

which happened once when I looked at a painting of Our Lady

That must’ve been a bad representation of Our Lady, then; I have seen many bad ones and also many very good ones, especially those that are icons.

 

[Adam1986]

I’m very scrupulous and think I may have put myself in near occasions of sin, but I’d like to get some feedback from the CAF community.

I find that sometimes when I look at statues of Our Lady, which are very beautiful depictions of an attractive women, I am afraid that I will be tempted with an impure thought (which happened once when I looked at a painting of Our Lady. Knowing that I had that impure thought one time, was it putting myself in a near occasion of sin to look at a statue of Our Lady? I knew it was possible I would be tempted to sin. What if I wasn’t really tempted when I looked at the statue?

Having that impure thought of Our Lady was not a sin. What is was, was your OCD/ scrupulousness. It is very common in OCD to have a “bad” thought like that. It’s just your brian fooling with you. Not a sin.