I gave up masturbation for Lent but still struggle

[Italy1219]

I have struggled with masturbation and pornography for some time now. This past Lent, I made it a goal for myself to give it up. I succeeded in giving up masturbation, albeit with much effort and willpower. I’m not positive, but I believe I may have viewed pornography a few times because the urge was eating away at me so much. The problem I have now is giving it up outside of Lent. I’m often able to avoid it for a few days, but I then fall into the habit once or twice before the cycle repeats. I still receive the Eucharist each week because I believe the full consent of the will necessary for mortal sin to occur does not exist due to the habit that has formed as well as my unsureness over the whole thing. I would greatly appreciate any advice or thoughts you have over all this. Thanks and God bless.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

I would gently suggest you use the search function and look up one of the dozens of masturbation threads already on this forum, since this topic seems to be one of the “greatest hits” that many people decide to ask about on here.

Also could somebody move this thread over to the Family Life section where it belongs?

 

[ZMystiCat]

Obviously, I can’t know for certain if a particular act does or doesn’t fulfill all the requirements for mortal sin, but the fact that you managed to make it through Lent without masturbating indicates that this isn’t simply a matter of pure habit. You clearly have the willpower to resist, which would itself indicate that your will is involved in masturbating, whether by choosing to not resist or choosing to give in (possibly both). At the very least, it sounds like playing with fire to be taking the Eucharist without confessing, and I would encourage going to Confession as often as necessary, even if weekly.

With that said, I don’t think there’s much hope in overcoming the matter unless you recognize how serious this really is. My guess is that you need to start recognizing how much of this is on your desires, your feeding those desires, and your willingly giving into them. However, if it really is so compulsive that it’s truly out of your control, then you should be meeting with a priest and/or therapist about this.

Beyond that, the Rosary helps.

 

[po18guy]

Um, mortal sin is not a “good” which we give up. You stopped a negative, but this has nothing to do with the positive side of the ledger. It is not a Lenten penance to stop what you are prohibited from doing in the first place. Plus, it engenders the mindset that, at some level, it is OK to resume during the Easter season. Not so.

You can stop any mortal sin by begging God for the grace to change. It requires an act of the will. Methinks you would benefit from spiritual direction.