Oct 7 Wed
Is it also bad to indulge in impure thoughts or desires?
The ninth commandment in the Decalogue, extracted from the same verse as the tenth (Exodus 20:17), is also found directly in the Gospel: "He who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart" (Mt 5:28).
You can say it louder, but not clearer.
We should link this episode to the one in the Gospel of Saint John, "Master, this woman has been caught in flagrant adultery" (Jn 8:4), and Jesus' answer: "He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her."
Only men were authorized to participate in a stoning, so Jesus was surrounded by men and said to them, "He who is without sin." He knew that, at least in one's heart, everyone had sinned, since we usually have to fight against impure looks and desires.
The most beautiful thing about this commandment is that it says, "You shall not indulge impure thoughts or desires." The Church already knows that we are going to have them, that when we come across an attractive person of the opposite sex, we are going to desire that person spontaneously. What the commandment requires of us is: Do not consent to it; do not linger on it.
We are human and, therefore, we are animals (how many insist on denying it!), but because we are human, we can overrule instincts. The more we master them, the more human we become.
We are animals, and we can communicate with grunts, exclamations, and with our hands, but the more we use spoken language, the more human we are. Thus, the most human form of language is poetry, because it is its highest form. We can easily agree that these demands are “more human” because they are higher functions. But some find it very difficult to be asked to rise above their instincts.
Some believe that “having impure thoughts and desires” is not bad, since “you do not harm anyone.” We return to the reduction of the human being to external behavior, ignoring that thought is also behavior.
For me, it is a matter of respect. Think about children; I would be very upset if someone desired them in a solely carnal way. This is clearly “using them”: I desire you, but without you, as a person.
Impure desires are a clear way to “objectify” a person. I don’t care about you being a person; I don’t care who you are, or what you need, or what you think, or your emotions, or your feelings; I just want to enjoy you, even if it’s without physically touching you.
Indeed, limiting yourself to thought is not the same as taking action. Indeed. Wishing death on someone is not the same as murdering him. An impure thought or desire is not the same as executing the action. Still, God, who as a Father wants the best for us, wants all of our conduct—not just our external actions, but also our internal ones—to be directed to what brings us good.
Let’s put the precept positively: You may entertain those thoughts and desires that, if you could carry them out, would bring good to you and others.