“You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.”
Jesus says to Peter, “You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.” Jesus goes right to the root, which is the thought of Saint Peter. “A single human thought is worth more than the whole world; hence, God alone is worthy of being its subject.” [1] Thoughts can either be accepted or rejected. We use our free will to either accept them, if God is the subject of the thought or reject them if God is not the subject of the thought. In this Gospel we see that Jesus helps Peter understand that his thoughts are not of God. Jesus gives Peter the Grace to reject the thought and begin to think as God thinks.
How can we think as God thinks, rather than how man thinks? Everything begins with a thought. A saint once said, “Think well; speak well; act well.” [2] Saint Bernard said, “thoughts lead to pleasure, pleasure to consent, consent to action, action to habit, habit to necessity.” It all begins with our thoughts. If our thoughts are on the world, we will believe that we need the things of the world. If our thoughts are on God, we will believe that we need God. The rule of Saint Benedict gives some suggestions on how to begin to center our thoughts on God, rather than on our self and the world. We can avoid worldly conduct and keep constant guard over the actions of our life. We can listen gladly to holy readings. We have to gladly search out and long to find holy things on the internet, music, TV, movies. What we watch and listen to affects our thoughts. We must apply our self-frequently to prayer. If we are praying daily; we are then speaking to and thinking of God. Many times we ask each other, “What are you thinking?” This is a good question, but a better question to keep us in check might be, “How are you thinking?” Are we thinking as God or as man?
What things influence our thoughts the most? We think of things like books, internet, television, conversations, video games, coaches, teachers, parents, etc. "Americans spend an average of 29 hours a week watching television ... which means in a typical life span we devote 13 uninterrupted years to our TV sets! ... Cutting down just an hour a day would provide extra years of life — for music and family, exercise and reading, conversation and coffee." [3] When we realize how just one thing, like television can actually effect years of our life, it is important to ask the question, “How is this thing influencing my thoughts?” In the Act of Contrition we that with the help of God’s grace we are going “to avoid the near occasion of sin.” Are we doing are part to avoid sinful thoughts and removing our self from the things that may cause sinful thoughts. Many times we take the attitude that we can think it as long as we do not do it. This is not correct. We sin in our thoughts as well as actions and must confess sinful thoughts and actions.
What can we do when we think bad thoughts? We must ask Jesus to wash our mind, to not only be a part of our thoughts, but to inspire every thought, so that we have good thoughts, and “When evil thoughts come into our heart, we dash them at once on the rock of Christ and manifest them to our spiritual advisor (confessor).” [4] Saint Teresa of Avila says, “If any bad thought comes to you, make the sign of the cross, or say an Our Father, or strike your breast, and try to think of something else. If you do that, the thought will actually be winning you merit, because you will be resisting it.” [5]
Can we blame our actions on bad thoughts? We cannot blame our actions on bad thoughts (as if we have no control) through our free will. We can either accept or reject the thoughts that come to us; the responsibility is ours. “Thoughts inevitably besiege the mind. But any earnest person has the power to accept or reject them. Their origin is in some ways outside ourselves, but whether to choose them or not lies within us.” At the Mass we confess not only our actions, but our thoughts as well. “I confess to almighty God and to you, my brothers and sisters that I have greatly sinned, in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done and in what I have failed to do.” [6] We confess our thoughts, words and actions (actions we have committed and actions we have omitted). Once again our goal is to “think well, speak well and do well” and the Confiteor of the Mass reminds us of this goal.
How can we think like God? It is only through the Grace of Jesus Christ, who through His passion, death and Resurrection has given us the divine life, God dwelling within us. The Blessed Trinity does not just tuck itself away in some random part of our body, but instead dwells in every part of the Christian, in our heart, mind and soul. It is only by Grace that we are able to fulfill the greatest commandment. "You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” [7] Saint Peter did not stay in his state of detachment for long; in fact it was at the Last Supper where he asked Jesus to wash more than just his feet saying, “Master, then not only my feet, but my hands and head as well.” [8] It is the gift of the Grace that allows us to renew our mind. It is Grace that enabled Saint Peter to stop thinking like man and begin thinking like God. Saint Peter lost faith because he conformed His thoughts to that of the world and to himself rather than to God. He regained this faith as he allowed Jesus to renew him and thus he lived out the words that the Apostle Paul would later write, “Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect.” [9] In the Old Testament the Israelites wondered the desert for forty years because they did not trust in God. God had to make them realize they had to think, trust, and rely solely in God’s plan before they could move forward. Peter too had to think as Jesus, fully trust in Jesus, and rely only on Jesus.
If we are supposed to think like God, does this mean we will know everything? No. God does not reveal everything to us, but rather only what we need to know. We do not think exactly as He does, but rather like God, similar to Him, because He has filled our hearts, soul and mind and we have welcomed Him into our hearts, soul and mind. He will also only reveal to us as much as we ask and what we can handle. If we only open the door just a little bit to think like God thinks it will be a small amount. We can be like Peter who had the door open pretty far, but even he had more to open up of himself. We too must be like Saint Peter and open wide the door of our heart to God, and to be able to put on the mind of God.
Why can’t we think exactly like God? We are not God. We should be extremely humbled and grateful that through the Grace God has allowed us to “have the mind of Christ.” [10] It is Christ who perfectly united His human will with the divine will. This means that Christ united His thoughts, words and actions with those of the Father. Through Grace, we have the mind of Christ, which enables our thoughts, words and actions to be united with those of the Father. This will only happen to the extent that we detach our self from our own will and the will of those around us. If we do not detach our self, our thoughts, words and actions will not be those of the Father’s and His will will not be done on earth as it is in heaven. It is only through Christ that we can begin to conform our will to the will of the Father. The prophet Isaiah says, “Who has cupped in his hand the waters of the sea, and marked off the heavens with a span? Who has held in a measure the dust of the earth, weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance? Who has directed the spirit of the Lord, or has instructed him as his counselor? Whom did he consult to gain knowledge? Who taught him the path of judgment, or showed him the way of understanding?” [11] No man can do any of these things and therefore no man on his own can think, speak or act like God. It is only in Jesus Christ, God made flesh who can cup his hand in the waters of the sea and who is the path of judgment and way of understanding. It is only therefore through Jesus Christ that we can think like God, we must put on the mind of Christ.
We are made in the image and likeness of God [12] and it is our soul that bears the likeness of God. How is the soul like to God? “The soul is like God because it is a spirit that will never die, and has understanding and free will.” [13] Our soul is immortal, it will never die and it has reason and choice. This makes us different from animals that are unable to reason or choose. They act based on instinct, whereas we are able to act based on reason and free will.
God gave us our mind, our body, our heart, our soul. What does each of these do? How do our mind, soul, heart and body work together? Our mind receives the experiences and knowledge necessary for our soul to make reasonable choice. We can think of the mind as a receptor of the soul. Our mind needs receive the revelation of God so that our soul will be able to reason and choose. Our heart is the charity that we have, the passion behind the action. Our mind receives information, our soul reasons and chooses. Our body puts these reasons and choices into action and our hearts puts passion and charity behind the action.
Why should we take our mind seriously? “Thought is a kind of sight of the mind.” [14] Our mind is a gift from God; it is not ours, but rather on loan from God. What will we do with this great gift? Thoughts are the reception for the mind and our mind is the receptor for our soul, therefore, what we receive into our mind will affect our reason and free will.
What effect does sex, drugs and alcohol have on our minds? Addictions whether they be sexual, drugs, alcohol, etc. affect the mind first, which then distorts our reasoning and can cause us to use our free will for self rather than God. The Church teaches that drug use is a grave offense. What is necessary for a mortal sin? A grave offense, full knowledge and full consent is necessary for a mortal sin, therefore if we know that the Church teaches that drugs and pornography are grave offenses and we give our consent and commit these sins anyway we have committed a mortal sin. “The use of drugs inflicts very grave damage on human health and life. Their use, except on strictly therapeutic grounds, is a grave offense.” [15] Drugs not only negatively affect the mind but damage it. Our mind receives knowledge through our five senses. Both our eyes and ears are constantly bombarded with sin, and we are very often tempted to think as the work and not as God.
Pornography is one of the most poisonous and addictive ways our mind becomes detached from God and attached to sin. This evil, like drugs, is not only an addiction but is a grave offense. “It [Pornography] does grave injury to the dignity of participants (actors, vendors, the public), since each one becomes an object of base pleasure and illicit profit from others. It immerses all who are involved in the illusion of a fantasy world. It is a grave offense.” [16] Drugs, pornography and drunkenness are three of the greatest ways in which the mind is darkened, and free will is misused. In regards to drunkenness the Church says, “The virtue of temperance disposes us to avoid every kind of excess: the abuse of food, alcohol, tobacco, or medicine. Those incur grave guilt, who by drunkenness or a love of speed, endanger their own and others’ safety on the road, at sea, or in the air.” [17] Due to the obsessiveness of drinking among teens and pre-teens and alcoholism among adults, there is a whole lesson on “drunkenness” in this packet.
What are some other examples of how our mind can get trapped in the illusion of a fantasy world?
When we are in the illusion of a fantasy world we cannot think clearly and will not act clearly. Saint Peter was in the illusion of a fantasy world in which he thought that Jesus’s life would like include suffering and death. Through the Grace of God, Saint Peter was delivered out of this illusion into reality. We must prayer that we to have the Grace to live in reality, the reality of God and the reality of man created in the image of God and turn from the world of illusion.
[1] Saint John of the Cross; Paul Thigpen; Dictionary of Quotes from the Saints; page 232
[2] St. Camillus de Lellis
[3] Michael Medved, radio talk-show host
[4] The Rule of Saint Benedict (A Guide for Daily Living)
[5] Paul Thigpen; Dictionary of Quotes from the Saints; page 232
[6] The Order of the Mass
[7] Matthew 22:37
[8] John 13:9
[9] Romans 12:2
[10] 1 Corinthians 2:16
[11] Liturgy of the Hours Vol. 4; Week III; Thursday, Morning Prayer
[12] Genesis 1:27
[13] Baltimore Catechism No. 2; Question 5
[14] Saint Augustine; Paul Thigpen; Dictionary of Quotes from the Saints; page 232
[15] Catechism of the Catholic Church; Section 2291
[16] Catechism of the Catholic Church; Section 2354
[17] Catechism of the Catholic Church; Section 2290