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Sirach 9:5 "Do not look intently at a virgin, lest you stumble and incur penalties for her."

 

For some of us, looking at virgins is not an issue🙂, but rather than just assume this doesn't apply to us, I think we should read it more broadly. We shouldn't spend too long looking at anything by which we are tempted, anything we are not meant to have. It's just common sense - do not look too intently at [insert temptation here], lest you stumble and incur penalties for it. Anyone who has ever dieted knows not to have the food you can't eat in your line of sight, this is the same concept. 

 

Spending too much time looking at things we can't or shouldn't have just feeds the longing and strengthens the temptation. It can lead to sin, or at least problematic feelings, such as lust, covetousness, and envy. We can also be tempted to spend too much time looking at or thinking about things that anger us or frustrate us, and be led into sin that way. I often see people online drawn to the feeds of people with whom they disagree, looking to engage in anger. Why? Leave them be, lest you stumble and incur penalties for them.

 

The devil does not care what sin he pulls us into, he will use anyone and anything to lead us astray. He puts things in our paths, hoping that we will look too intently at them and stumble. Treat those things as what Sirach is warning of here, and stop staring at them.