![]() ![]() ![]() Here’s a silly example but you’ll get the idea. We have to watch our thoughts and become aware of that very first thought to determine its source and whether or not this is something to accept and facilitate or to reject and let pass away. If the initial thought was bad then my consent enters me upon a life of sin and vice. Now, if the initial thought was good then my consent enters me upon the life of grace and virtue. Then there is the virtual act in my mind (hence, lust in the mind IS adultery our Lord says) which will usually lead to actual consent. The thought is ‘thickening’ in my mind and swiftly leads to an invitation to act. ![]() That second thought is usually coupled with our own motives and intentions, our desires and our passions. (When we learn how to watch our thoughts and discern them, we will simply let pass all thoughts that do not come from God or those that don’t really benefit me). In brief, a thought enters in and it usually gives rise to a second thought. ![]() In the class, we examined the anatomy of thoughts. I’ll say it again, we are not our thoughts. We let our mood, our relationships, our prayer life, our faith, our job, our schoolwork- we let everything suffer because we didn’t notice the initial thought and we didn’t know how to handle the chain of negative thoughts that followed. The thought arises, ‘you’re worthless,’ ‘you’re stupid,’ ‘nobody likes you,’ ‘you’re a lousy deacon,’ ‘this parish isn’t for you,’ or, ‘I hate him,’ ‘I wish they were dead,’ or ‘God is not real,’ ‘I’m sick of all the rules of the Catholic Church,’ or a thousand other negative thoughts that can run through our minds, and we buy into it. What I see is people way too ready to take credit for their thoughts, or assume sole responsibility for their thoughts or beat themselves up over their thoughts. This brings us to a very important principle: we are not our thoughts. Peter follows up his admonition of ‘be sober and watch’ with the reason why: ‘because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, goes about seeking whom he may devour.’ Many times the thoughts that enter our mind come from him. See how close the devil is to our inner life, that he can place thoughts in our minds? Hence St. Or, if some of them do arise from within us, he is right there to intensify them. I had a priest once say he thinks all negative thoughts come from the devil. That first thought can also come from the devil. Thoughts from Him are necessarily good and so we want to recognize them and work with them. God can place the initial thought in our minds. Let me repeat that: the very first thought that arises in my mind does not necessarily come from within myself. The first thought that arises comes from one of four sources: from within myself, from others, the evil one, or from God. The battle really starts in our thoughts as they arise. But the fact is, the battle does not begin in prayer or in the senses. It takes a lot of effort over a long period of time to gain this discipline and mastery. The imagination and the memory locked in on our subject of meditation or on our conversation with the Lord, not drifting about, doing their own thing. In prayer we want all our faculties gathered up and focused on God the five external senses subordinate to the intellect and the will. Whether it is midway through an Our Father, or when I am weeding the garden, or while sitting in the pew at Mass or while talking with another, thoughts are continually arising. Often times without us really even being aware. We have thoughts coming at us almost constantly. Peter instructs us today, ‘be sober and watch.’ Watch what? What your thoughts. Upon this foundation, Benedictine monasticism was built. Antony, Evagrius, John Cassian and many others. These men went into the desert to do battle with the devil. The first day is spent studying the desert fathers and their work on understanding our thoughts. This past week I participated in the School of Lectio Divina, a three-day retreat hosted by the Benedictine nuns at St. You can read his other sermon here, Corpus Christi and a former pastor’s here, Divine Mercy. His sermons speak my “sermon love language” if there is such a thing. I was out of town when he delivered this sermon but a sweet friend emailed me to let me know his sermon would be one she knew I would enjoy since I frequently write about our thoughts. Another Everything is Grace Sunday Sermon Guest Post from our deacon. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |