jasphair,
In addition to our prayers here, I offer the following suggestions. You may have already done some of them, but I take the risk of being redundant.
- Any pornographic materials that are in your house should be thrown out. That said, if the source is Cable TV, you may want to disconnect it. The same goes for the internet. If that isn’t practical, find a way to place crucifixes near the TV and/or the computer, and/or any place else where the temptation may come. When you feel tempted, look at that crucifix and meditate on how giving in to the temptation will drive yet another nail into our Lord. I know you love him so that will be a powerful disincentive to giving in to the temptation.
- Begin a habit of proactively thinking about all persons, including those whose pictures have fueled your temptation, and think about them as precious children of God whom he created, as the persons for whom Christ died. Think about the pain and suffering they endure (even if they don’t realize it) by virtue of their being exploited by the pornography industry. Think about how they are treated like objects without souls for the selfish pleasure of others. Think about how in some instances they may be trapped into doing what they do by persons who bully them and hold them captive. Think about how any money you might spend on cable programs, magazines, movies, or internet sites wind up inflicting more pain upon them. And then pray for their rescue from their captivity to the pornography industry and/or their greed for money and/or a perverse fame or attention. Remember that love is not lust, and you do not love God anymore than the person you love the least. Again this will be a powerful disincentive to give in to the temptation, because you love God, and so you will want to respect the people in the pornography industry by not adding to their bondage and by not treating them as less than human beings.
- Find a friend you can trust who is willing to help you, should you call, in trying to weather the storm of temptation. Or get involved in activities where you are serving others so you have a double bonus of not having time to be tempted while also helping those in need. Or find Catholic programming and turn to that in your moment of temptation. Download good educational Catholic programming onto your ipod and listen to that when you are tempted, especially programming directed at your specific tempation that will help strengthen you in your fight.
- Pick up a rosary at the moment the temptation comes, and pray and keep on praying until either the temptation passes or until you literally drop from exhaustion.
- Spend time praying on this website for the countless others in need of God’s intervention. You will be too busy to be tempted and you will do a great favor of penance to help others desperately in need.
- Use your imagination, perhaps there are other answers that I haven’t thought of. Read Scripture. Find a good devotional. Join a support group. Whatever it takes, be proactive and decide that you will seek God’s grace to fight this thing and then make a determined effort once you have.
Most gracious Father, our brother jasphair is struggling mightily with an addiction to pornography. He knows it and wants to fight it, but finds he is too weak at times. Grant him the grace to know that like the Apostle Paul who prayed to have his proverbial thorn taken away, that when he is weak, then he is strong, because your power is made perfect in his weakness. We all know you hate sin while loving all sinners. Because of this, we beg of you to spare nothing to help jasphair overcome and defeat this evil mennace that threatens to steal his soul and divide him from you for all eternity. Heal his mind and take away the images that reside there that torment him. And grant him to be transformed so that he may love, really love all people according to your word in I Corinthians chapter 13. Father we ask all of these things and anything else you see that he needs in this battle against Satan’s wiles, in the name of Jesus Christ our sure defense, we pray. Amen.
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name.
Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.
Hail Mary full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and in the hour of our death. Amen.
