Feelings

They are emotions or impulses of sensibility toward what is felt or imagined as good or bad. They are automatic reactions to things or events that affect us. They correspond to phrases such as: I would like that, I don't feel like it, I can't stand her, I like him...

They are usually grouped as follows:

• Toward a good: love (sympathy, esteem, admiration), desire, joy (happiness).
• Toward an evil: hatred (antipathy, repugnance, annoyance), aversion (flight), sadness.
• Toward a good that is difficult to attain: hope, despair.
• Toward an evil that is difficult to overcome: fear, boldness, anger.

      The most important is love. It is useful not to confuse love as a feeling and love as a virtue, which is of greater importance. On this see the article on love.

They are good when they make it easier to act well; in that case they should be fostered. They are harmful when they invite evil; in that case they must be mastered and changed.

No. A person must be guided by their intellect, which is the faculty that shows the true good. Feelings are in large part instinctive, and being dominated by them is a loss of freedom. For example, the feeling of annoyance toward study must be overcome. Equally, the feeling of hatred must not guide one's conduct; one must not stab anyone under the influence of this feeling; one must try to change it or master it.

They should be cultivated in the sense of fostering good feelings and checking or setting aside bad ones. The ideal is to make us love good and dislike evil; in that way feelings will make it easier to act well.

A person must not freeze their heart. When the intellect directs feelings it sometimes restrains them, but at other times it drives and fosters affections. Only a misguided reason forgets the latter.

Yes. The intellect must guide the person, so as to acquire the very feelings of Christ, perfect man. For example:

• The feeling of love for God should be fostered, while the inclination toward the married neighbor must be mastered.
• The feeling of anger at a referee's error must be mastered, while at a temptation it is good to react with indignation and reject it promptly.
• Desires for holiness and for doing good should be greatly fostered. Bad desires — such as the desire to steal — must be rejected.

In addition to mastering bad feelings, one should change them so as not to be always making the effort to restrain them. On the other hand, good feelings should be maintained and fostered.

For feelings to incline toward good, it is necessary that:

• The intellect be well formed to distinguish good from evil and make correct judgments about which inclinations to foster or correct.
• The will should be trained to make sacrifices, so as not to be carried away by whimsical feelings and come to regard them as correct: selfishness must be avoided, since it paralyzes many good feelings.

A person improves by performing good actions. By repeating them, qualities are acquired. If one wishes to foster a feeling, it suffices to repeat it. The article on desire also treats this. Here are some examples.

That inclination will have been formed through negative experiences toward that person. To change it, one will need to acquire or imagine several positive experiences. For example:

• Convincing oneself that it is good to love everyone. (Creating feelings of charity in general.)
• Trying to forget that person's slights or errors, thereby eliminating feelings of hatred. (The devil will try to keep recalling them.)
• Recalling or imagining good aspects of that person. (Acquiring feelings of esteem.)
• Having moments of service and kindness toward them. (Practicing that esteem.)

That inclination will have been formed through negative experiences around work. To change it, one will need to acquire or imagine several positive experiences. For example:

• Convincing oneself of the goodness and value of work. (Creating feelings of industriousness in general.)
• Trying to forget the discomfort around work. (Eliminating feelings of annoyance.)
• Recalling or imagining successes or good moments due to work. (Acquiring feelings of esteem.)
• Smiling when beginning to work. (Practicing that esteem.)

A serious reason appears here for not looking at pornography. Such images distort reality by presenting human beings as objects of selfish desires instead of persons worthy of love and respect. Those looks introduce into the heart a wrong way of thinking and reacting. On the other hand, not looking at such images is defending and maintaining a heart with good feelings toward others.

True love for a person consists in desiring their good and serving them regardless of one's own pleasure. However, feelings of affection favor that deeper love. The same holds with respect to God: we must seek his service more than our own pleasure, but a pious heart is also desirable. For example, Jesus Christ loved God the Father in deed, even to the point of giving his life to fulfill his will; and at the same time his relationship with his Father was cordial and trusting. Especially at the beginning of Christian life, it is fitting for feelings to give support.

Piety toward God can be fostered in various ways:

• Convincing oneself that our heart needs to love God.
• Avoiding blaming God for our ills. This would be a great injustice toward him, who always desires our good. If he permits some evil it will be for a good we will obtain afterward.
• Remembering his abundant benefits, above all the Passion he suffered for us and the many times he forgives our offenses.
• Smiling when beginning to pray. Using some pious images.