Helppp

[Mars6277]

Hi I realised after masturbating for a bit over a year that it was a sin. I have tried stopping and I hadn’t done it for almost 2 weeks but sorta out of nowhere I did it. Would this be considered a mortal sin as I have been trying and will continue to tru until I stop completely. Thanks

 

[Nate13]

From the Catechism:

Offenses against chastity

2351 Lust is disordered desire for or inordinate enjoyment of sexual pleasure. Sexual pleasure is morally disordered when sought for itself, isolated from its procreative and unitive purposes.

2352 By masturbation is to be understood the deliberate stimulation of the genital organs in order to derive sexual pleasure. "Both the Magisterium of the Church, in the course of a constant tradition, and the moral sense of the faithful have been in no doubt and have firmly maintained that masturbation is an intrinsically and gravely disordered action."138 “The deliberate use of the sexual faculty, for whatever reason, outside of marriage is essentially contrary to its purpose.” For here sexual pleasure is sought outside of "the sexual relationship which is demanded by the moral order and in which the total meaning of mutual self-giving and human procreation in the context of true love is achieved."139

To form an equitable judgment about the subjects’ moral responsibility and to guide pastoral action, one must take into account the affective immaturity, force of acquired habit, conditions of anxiety or other psychological or social factors that lessen, if not even reduce to a minimum, moral culpability.

Talk this over with your priest to make sure you understand it, and under what circumstances he believes it would be alright for you to receive communion even if you did not have a chance to go to confession. It would be good to go to confession regularly anyways regardless. If addiction is overcoming your will at times and you fall, this could lessen your culpability for the action. Its something that is hard to judge and requires the council of a priest. Going two weeks right off the bat is a good start on overcoming it though.

 

[ChibiViolet]

If you didn’t realize you were doing something of grave matter at the time because you were half-asleep or something, than you did not commit a mortal sin. If you were fully awake, sane, sober and realized fully what it is you were doing (I’ve had brief fuzzy moments when my concupiscence had seemed to take over my brain and I’d start doing something of grave matter without ever even having registered that I was committing a sin at all) than you were committing a mortal sin and you should go to confession as soon as possible.

Also, pray for chastity, perhaps especially to the Virgin Mary and all the virgin maryters such as St. Philomena (her story is amazing and inspiring so you should look it up when you get the chance.) I will pray for you as well.

It is, of course, best to avoid all circumstances within reason that cause your hormones to overload. Also you may find it helpful to cut down on grains, vitamind B and or potassium; they are vital nutriants, but overdoing them overloads the sex hormones.

Also, if you are a woman, I would suggest the herb vitex (also known as chaste tree berry) preferably in liquid form (although that is the most expensive form.) If you’re a guy, you shouldn’t take vitex, especially not if you want to have children. Side effects are rare and generally not serious (for women.) This is an herb that people have been taking for thousands of years for various purposes (the most ancient reason being to remain chaste.) There is no guarantee it will work as everybody’s body works differently.

Of course, I understand the fact that having sexual urges is natural and that restraining them may not be the best way to go, but if all else seems to fail, it’s good to have a practical and natural resource to turn to.

 

[kubark]

Hi I realised after masturbating for a bit over a year that it was a sin. I have tried stopping and I hadn’t done it for almost 2 weeks but sorta out of nowhere I did it. Would this be considered a mortal sin as I have been trying and will continue to tru until I stop completely. Thanks

Sex addiction can be more dangerous and harder to stop than an addiction to powerful narcotics. The withdrawal effects can be extremely painful. For an introduction to the physical dangers of sex addiction see the excellent article titled, “Slave Master: How Pornography Drugs & Changes Your Brain” by neurosurgeon Dr. Donald L. Hilton, Jr (salvomag.com/new/articles/salvo13/13hilton.php).

Sex addiction is also much more dangerous than an addiction to narcotics not only for the physiological and biochemical reasons stated in the above article, but also because there is a deeply spiritual component to sex. Pornography and Masturbation are not only mortally sinful, but their habitual abuse can quickly lead from demonic obsession to demonic possession. Satan not only want to corrupt you soul, but he also wishes to destroy you body. I say this not to scare you but to alert you to the danger you face. I say this as a former sex addict that saw sex addiction destroy the best years of my life.

Get to confession and find a priest that could serve as your regular confessor/spiritual advisor, as scrupulosity usually afflicts those dealing with these types of sins and addictions. Pray the Rosary. Get to Perpetual Adoration and attend daily mass if possible.

I would also recommend the book,* Lift Up Your Heart: A Guide to Spiritual Peace *by Fulton Sheen. This book will help you understand the dangerous link between Lust and a corresponding denial of immortality and embrace of atheism.