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    Fr. Joseph Jenkins

  • The blog header depicts an important and yet mis-understood New Testament scene, Jesus flogging the money-changers out of the temple. I selected it because the faith that gives us consolation can also make us very uncomfortable. Both Divine Mercy and Divine Justice meet in Jesus. Priests are ministers of reconciliation, but never at the cost of truth. In or out of season, we must be courageous in preaching and living out the Gospel of Life. The title of my blog is a play on words, not Flogger Priest but Blogger Priest.

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What to Do about Fleeting Bad Thoughts?

Posted on January 24, 2014 by Father Joe

QUESTION:  I have horrible fleeting thoughts against God, Jesus, the Holy Mother, and the Holy Spirit– of cursing and blasphemy. It makes me very anxious and I have no peace. What can I do?

ANSWER:

I would recommend that you speak with your local priest. There are too many details not available to me: (1) your age and state of life; (2) the culture and influences to which you are exposed; (3) the level of your religiosity; (4) life experiences and possible trauma; (5) your health and mental stability; and (6) the possibility of spiritual oppression or obsession.

We are constantly afflicted with fleeting bad thoughts and urges but we can redirect our attention and quickly dismiss them. If they are not directly intended and do not reflect our core preoccupation then I would just quickly disregard negative thoughts and images as insignificant. Scrupulosity about them gives them a certain negative hold upon us.

Filed under: Catholic, Questions, Religion, Sin | 1 Comment »