Are all bad thoughts sinful?

Thousands of thoughts pass through our minds every day. Some are not particularly charitable or just, but are they sinners?
Every time we say "I confess to Almighty God ...", we are reminded of four types of sin: in thought, in word, in action and in omission. In fact, if temptation usually comes from outside, sin always emerges from our heart and mind and requires our acquiescence and complicity.
Only intentional thoughts can be sinful
In his conversation with the Pharisees about what is pure and impure, Jesus emphasizes that the things that defile a person are not those that enter us "but the things that come out of a person's mouth come from the heart, they contaminate it. Because evil thoughts arise from the heart: murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander "(Matthew 15: 18-19). Even the mountain discourse warns us of this (Matthew 5:22 and 28).

St. Augustine of Hippo indicates that men who refrain from bad actions but not from bad thoughts purify their flesh but not their spirit. It gives a very graphic example of a man who craves a woman and does not actually go to bed with her, but does it in his thoughts. St. Jerome also shares this opinion: "It is not the will to sin that this man lacks, it is the opportunity".

There are two different types of thoughts. Most of the time, we are not talking about real thoughts in the strictest sense of the word, but about things that cross our minds without us noticing. These thoughts can lead us to temptation, but temptation is not a sin. St. Augustine underlines this: “it is not simply a matter of being tickled by carnal joy, but of fully consenting to lust; so that the forbidden appetite is not curbed, but satisfied if the opportunity is to be given ”. Only conscious thoughts are sinful (or virtuous) - they presuppose active thinking on our part, accepting a thought and developing it.

Become a master of your thoughts
To this we must add that a chaotic train of "thought" is a part of the human condition that we inherited from the fall of man. It disturbs the clarity, serenity and intelligence of our hearts and minds. This is why we must patiently and decisively take control of our thoughts and desires. Let this verse in the Scriptures of Philippians 4: 8 be our guiding principle: "Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is adorable, whatever is admirable ... think about these things ... "