Intellectual vs. emotional repentenance

[Margarite]

Is not like people can control their emotions, is it possible to repent intellectually, eventhough at the time you may not feel very sorry?

I'm not saying that you go on sinning eventhough you know is wrong, I'm wondering if at the time you relized your mistake, you may still be angry or in despair.

Is it possible to repent by realizing thet you made a mistake even when your emotions are still wheighing upon you?

Are you held accountable by the way you feel or by the way you think?

I know about the weight of temptation and your power over it by acting differently than the way you feel, but what about the times when you really want to be sorry for what you did, yet you just don't feel that way?

[Fides_et_Ratio]

rather than saying we are held accountable by the way we feel or think, I think it would be more appropriate to say that we are held accountable for our actions...

it is what we choose to do that matters, not what we feel like doing, or think about doing... yes, feelings and thoughts come into play (and affect culpability, etc)... but our actions make the difference.

[Margarite]

But wouldn't your actions be worthless or empty if you don't mean them?

[Fides_et_Ratio]

[quote name='Margarite' date='Jun 21 2005, 12:27 AM']But wouldn't your actions be worthless or empty if you don't mean them?
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not entirely. the fact remains that you still completed the action(s).

[Margarite]

For example, someone commits a horrendous crime against you. Intellectually you know you must forgive, but emotionally you want to kill that person.

How can your action of restrain be of value to your salvation if the feeling and the thought remain?

I'm just going through stories of people that go through horrible things, Makes me wonder at what point you are in full control of your faculties? if in the mean time there is a period of cooling off or something before you become fully accountable.

[Fides_et_Ratio]

[quote name='Margarite' date='Jun 21 2005, 12:35 AM']For example, someone commits a horrendous crime against you. Intellectually you know you must forgive, but emotionally you want to kill that person.

How can your action of restrain be of value to your salvation if the feeling and the thought remain?

I'm just going through stories of people that go through horrible things, Makes me wonder at what point you are in full control of your faculties? if in the mean time there is a period of cooling off or something before you become fully accountable.
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Thinking about murdering someone is very different from actually murdering someone... such an act of restraint is GREATLY beneficial to one's salvation.

I know what you mean, perhaps. A priest once told me though, and it still might apply... "God requires that we BE good, not FEEL good."

[Margarite]

[quote]Thinking about murdering someone is very different from actually murdering someone... such an act of restraint is GREATLY beneficial to one's salvation.[/quote]



Yes, it would be greatly beneficial.

[quote]I know what you mean, perhaps. A priest once told me though, and it still might apply... "God requires that we BE good, not FEEL good."[/quote]

I also remeber of a movie I saw in which a woman changed her ways and became a very good faithful servant of God and then one day she committed a sin and wouldn't repent. she knew she had to but wouldnt do it because she still felt angry.

I know, I know, it was just a movie, but even after that movie, I always thought about not really feeling sorry as coming short of true repentenance.

I know what your saying, I just still have trouble separating the part where Jesus says (paraphrasing if you will) if you thought about it, you've commited the sin.

[Don John of Austria]

[quote name='Margarite' date='Jun 20 2005, 11:35 PM']For example, someone commits a horrendous crime against you. Intellectually you know you must forgive, but emotionally you want to kill that person.

How can your action of restrain be of value to your salvation if the feeling and the thought remain?

I'm just going through stories of people that go through horrible things, Makes me wonder at what point you are in full control of your faculties? if in the mean time there is a period of cooling off or something before you become fully accountable.
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Wanting to kill someone who has done something horrid is not a sin so you wouldn't need to repent. This is the best way to determine if one is guilty of a sin ( such a s murder) in ones heart. If you would do it if you could, would you? Wanting to Kill some one is not a sin-- Killing someone with the intent to kill them --assuming they have not forfieted their right to life-- is the sin of murder. If you would actually muder them if you could then would you, that is the question one must ask oneself. IF not then one has not sinned, rightous anger is not sinful in fact it is rightous.

[Margarite]

[quote]This is the best way to determine if one is guilty of a sin ( such a s murder) in ones heart. If you would do it if you could, would you?[/quote]

aaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!!!

Somehow I've seen this before, but it didn't come to mind, Now I got it.

Thanks!

It was that simple.