Early this year, I had two posts which referred to the "matter of sin". Few priests talk about this and today, I want to refer to one aspect of the left-over weaknesses we have from falling into sin.
First of all, once a person sins mortally, that is chooses a serious sin, even after the sacrament of confession, there is a weakness in the will, imagination and the senses.
This "matter of sin" may cause us to stray when we would not have been tempted in an area if we had never committed mortal sin at all.
Some people did not like the scene in the last Narnia movie when the White Witch tempts Edmund when the crew of the Dawn Treader is fighting the sea serpent. I found that scene most believable and connected to this conversation on the matter of sin.
If Edmund has never betrayed his brother and sisters, he would not have been tempted either in his imagination or in his senses by the White Witch. But, like anyone who falls, his person became vulnerable to suggestions.
This is why we must have control over our emotions regarding past sins. And, we must have custody over our imaginations.
Everything we see, watch, read, hear and so on goes into our imaginations. A person who has watched porn, for example, will be tempted in the imagination in a much more severe manner than the person who has never looked at porn.
One absolutely must guard the imagination from anything sinful.
Or stupid, or silly, or merely a waster of time....our brains feed our souls and what is in the mind is in the soul.
The matter of sin affects the senses, which is why some people cannot go into certain places, like pubs or bars if they are alcoholics.
Once we have fallen, we nurse a weakness, perhaps for years and years.
God does strengthen ones spiritual life and will, but it is so much better never to have sinned in the first place.
Teach your children about the matter of sin. Innocence cannot be tempted in the same way as the weakness of will and senses, imagination and memory.
Some priest teach that the healing of memories should include forgetfulness. This is a good, as one must forget past sins and the matter of sin, so as not to be constantly tempted in that area.
to be continued...