I need some advice. Even when I don’t say or do something wrong, my mind can be filled with all kinds of troubling thoughts. At any moment, without provocation, I can be entraining judgmental thoughts, thoughts that are prideful and self-centered or thoughts of resentment or even deceit. What should I do?
I realize that thoughts, in and of themselves, are not bad or good. We really do not have control of the thoughts that pass through our minds. Just having a thought is not sinful. Yet I know that if I let these thoughts fester and persist and linger in my mind, I will soon be in trouble. I will eventually end up doing or saying something that is not good. I will sin.
So, what are we to do when these thoughts arise in our minds? St. Benedict has some advice for us. He says in his Rule “as soon as wrongful thoughts come into your heart, dash them against Christ” (RB 4:50).
St. Benedict’s advice sounds pretty good. He knew that we would be tempted by evil thoughts, some of them leading to sin. He knew that on our own we, most times, would not be able to overcome them. Thankfully, he also knew that dashing these thoughts against Christ would destroy them.
So, the next time I am plagued by troubling thoughts, I am going to take St. Benedict’s advice.
Jesus the Christ, please help me. I dash all my wrongful thoughts against You. Take them from me and bless my mind. Help me to walk in righteousness. Help me fix my thoughts on You and bring healing into the parts of my mind that feel out of control. Bless me with peace and joy. Amen.
