Chapter LXIV: On Evil Thoughts

IN the first place, take care of evil thoughts or imaginations. Thoughts go before actions. If we did not first conceive evil in the mind, we should never commit it in deed. This is what the Scripture says: “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, etc. All these evil things come from within and defile a man” (St. Matt. xv. 19, 20).

We have no more right to indulge an evil imagination or thought than to do an evil deed. As soon as we perceive, then, that our minds are dwelling upon a bad thought, we must promptly and firmly strive to drive it away, either by thinking on something else, or by praying to be de livered from it. For example, we may say: “God help me!” “Far be it from me to think of such a thing”; or, what is very good, we may repeat devoutly the holy names of Jesus and Mary, or make the sign of the cross, that holy sign which recalls our hope of salvation and our dread of all that will hinder it.

Many, very many I fear, have no proper idea of the sinfulness and danger of evil thoughts. They esteem them small matters. They are not small matters; they are very great and very important. I may say salvation depends upon them.

We cannot be in the grace of God, we cannot have a hope of salvation, we cannot live peaceful or pious lives, unless we are set against all bad thoughts; unless we are prepared to drive them from our minds as soon as we discover them.

We cannot always hinder them from entering our minds, because our imaginations or fancies are not always in our power. They may enter in the twinkling of an eye. We may not even notice for a little while what we are thinking about; when, for example, we are perplexed or fatigued or absent-minded. In that case we do not sin because we do not consent to wrong; but as soon as we do take notice and think, “These are sinful imaginations; I must not indulge or take pleasure in them,” then we must do as I have just said, put them out at once. By behaving in this way, such evil thoughts can do us no harm; on the contrary, they become a great occasion of merit.

Many pious persons, who hate and detest every sin of impurity and every bad thought, are distressed and annoyed by such things coming in their minds in spite of themselves, and even imagine they have sinned by them. But as long as they hate and detest them, as long as they strive to put them out, their anxiety is entirely ungrounded. We have an instance of this in the life of St. Catherine of Siena. Her soul was assailed by the most horrible temptations of the devil. They lasted a long time, but she resisted, and after the conflict was over our Saviour appeared to her with a serene countenance. “O my Divine Spouse,” she said, “where wast Thou when I was enduring these conflicts?” “In thy soul,” He replied. “What! with all these filthy abominations?” “Yes, they were displeasing to thee; this, therefore, was thy merit, and thy victory was owing to My presence.”

Do not endeavor to excuse such thoughts on any pretence whatever. Do not say they are natural; do not think of such things on the idea that you will marry by and by, but simply put them all out and keep them out. When you have closed the door of your heart the enemy cannot find any entrance for evil.