Masterbation uncertainty

[PennitentMan]

But there are countless men and women out there who could benefit from this interpretation of the CCC. In certain circumstances it can bring great relief and hope to otherwise depressed and frustrated people, me included.

This is a subject where the bible is extremely vague and pretty much silent. I know that the church fathers spoke on this, but, as someone else asked: “Are we not paying for other people’s sins” with these rules? And where did these rules originate? Not the bible…was the person who penned them down not maybe fighting his/her own battles?

I really respect the teachings, but I can really see that there is a small room for good to come from opening this window a crack. Can they really not see that there may be some good that may come of this for the many frustrated sould out there?

And really, they could trust people enough to allow this…just like they trust people with alchohol, too muchis a sin, but under the right conditions, it’s permissable…why don’t they outline that for us, it would be welcomed with open arms.

 

[LilyM]

Masturbation is not the ideal. I think masturbation can be a habitual, selfish act. It can degrade and objectify others. And, there are times when factors do extenuate moral culpability. This is the teaching of the Church.

NO - masturbation IS an habitual, selfish act. At most all times and in most all circumstances. Is there any time when it can honestly be said to be a good act? When any genuine good can be said to result from it? Even those who kill in self-defence or steal to feed their families can say great good also results, and yet they still have sinned venially at the very least.

The very best one can hope and pray for with masturbation is that it is morally neutral. And in all honestly that is almost never the case. Even after racking my brains I cannot think of any circumstances where it would not be at the very least a venial sin and done either out of sinful habit or selfishness or worse.

I see no point in people entering into a cycle of self hate because of masturbation. Particularly if they understand the full teaching of the Church and are focused on striving toward the loving message imbedded in it. This is especially true for young teens.

I do not know how old you are LilyM but I am no longer a teen. In my teens I was not psychologically or spiritually developed enough to understand the purpose of the teaching of the church or how to channel those energies into spiritual growth. I think this is the case for most teen males.

When the message from parents and the church is “masturbation is a sin” and should be avoided at all cost. This ultimately leads to masturbation in the dark, guilt and separation. Teaching in this manner is not an act of love. Perhaps this is the reason for the second portion of the Catechism on this subject.

I’m no longer a teenager, and my own struggles certainly have extended well beyond my teens So trust me, I speak from personal experience probably as deep as your own.

*Of course *sin should be hated and avoided at all costs, each and every sin! Even the most minor. Your parents, and the church, in that regard were quite right. Jesus said ‘if your hand causes you to sin cut it off’, not ‘if your hand causes you to sin gravely and/or mortally’. All sin is to be avoided at all costs as offensive to God.

And of course one should feel guilt for sin! Again, there are no circumstances where one’s conscience should be hardened or dulled to such a degree as not to feel sorry for, and, yes, guilty about, each and every sin, even the most minor. How can you say you love God if you are either OK with or careless about anything that offends him?

As for self-hatred - most teenagers feel that to a greater or lesser degree. It’s one of the many trials and tribulations endemic to the teenage period of life. And it can be for any reason or no reason. If a teenager perceives themself as not pretty enough, smart enough, sporty enough, popular enough, that will do it. I can assure you you almost certainly had other reasons to feel the way you did, not just this one.

What is not appropriate is glossing over sin - any sin - to create a false sense of OK-ness. It’s the ultimate case of building on a foundation of sand. Sin is real, sin is ugly in all degrees, and I’m sorry but I for one would rather hate myself forever for my sins than risk becoming blase about offending God.

 

[Ritchie]

Most guys when they masturbate, imagine something that turns them on. A lot of guys result in watching porn on the net, or a x rated movie or something. Either that, or they imagine it in their head and go from there…

Now this is where the lust comes in, and we all know that pornography of any kind is not only disordered but also when you are imagining immoral thoughts about another persons sister, daughter, wife or so on, then that is wrong.

Also, you take the whole notion of sex and turn it into something its not. Sex is meant to be a life-giving act, within the sacrament of marriage, which unifies. How does masturbation meet this requirement? It doesn’t.

The Catechism is quite clear, its a mortal sin which needs to be confessed.

 

[PennitentMan]

Most guys when they masturbate, imagine something that turns them on. A lot of guys result in watching porn on the net, or a x rated movie or something. Either that, or they imagine it in their head and go from there…

But there are certainly some married people who cannot engage in intimacy for prolonged periods of time, for whatever reason.
Would this not keep them from the great evils of pornography or adultery?
I am certain that it is entirely possible to engage in the act without having sexual thoughts in your head.

I do think that there is a window for very frustrated and hopeless people to use this facility to save themselves from falling really badly and yes we can be trusted not to misuse it.

But, unfortunately, I cannot see this ever been given the go-ahead, to the case I’m making, even though it may be a logical conclusion, will never be changed.

PM

 

[LilyM]

But there are certainly some married people who cannot engage in intimacy for prolonged periods of time, for whatever reason.
Would this not keep them from the great evils of pornography or adultery?
I am certain that it is entirely possible to engage in the act without having sexual thoughts in your head.

I do think that there is a window for very frustrated and hopeless people to use this facility to save themselves from falling really badly and yes we can be trusted not to misuse it.

But, unfortunately, I cannot see this ever been given the go-ahead, to the case I’m making, even though it may be a logical conclusion, will never be changed.

PM

Indulging in one sin to prevent another? Hmm, that’s like saying someone who kills another by shooting them is less guilty of murder than one who kills by poisoning simply because the shooting method is quicker, cleaner and easier.

A couple in your situation may not be indulging in pornography or adultery but they ARE using for their own gratification their sexual faculties, which are ordained by God solely for use for unitive and procreative purposes within the context of a completed sex act with their spouse.

The correct answer, the only answer, is firstly to not sin at all - neither by masturbation nor by pornography nor adultery. Secondly, to pray with all your might when you’re tempted to do any of the above. Thirdly, if you fall, mortally or venially, acknowledge it to God and your priest openly. No harm in doing so at all, and a lot of good graces and benefits.

God never puts us in a situation where there is literally no option but to sin. Not even venial sin. Being human we find it easy to convince ourselves otherwise, but it simply ain’t so. The only reason we sin is our own weakness.

 

[PennitentMan]

Indulging in one sin to prevent another? Hmm, that’s like saying someone who kills another by shooting them is less guilty of murder than one who kills by poisoning simply because the shooting method is quicker, cleaner and easier.

Are we really going to equate masturbation to murder…again? Really?

God never puts us in a situation where there is literally no option but to sin. Not even venial sin. Being human we find it easy to convince ourselves otherwise, but it simply ain’t so. The only reason we sin is our own weakness.

It’s true that there are two options here: To masturbate or not to masturbate…I have been faithfully following the latter, and I cannot tell you the amount of frustration, sadness and depression I have had to repress because I am denying myself this. It’s very, very tough to keep this up. How can I be the best Catholic/Husband/Father I can be if I’m walking around with this all bundled up inside of me?

I am certain that this denying myself is good in the eyes of God, I just don’t understand why I’m not allowed to make it all go away.

But I persevere.

I have been struggling with this for a while now, and I’m still fighting the urges.
To me the solution is so obvious, yet so unattainable…

PM

 

[wjp984]

it’s interesting you feel that way. For me it’s usually the other way around. I’m feeling depressed or upset about something and therefore masterbate and then therefore feel as though there is the possibility I am in mortal sin although I don’t necessarily believe that fully, and therefore just sink lower and lower masterbating more, feeling more depressed over whatever. Where as when I try not to masterbate, I may get tempted a lot and probably will eventually fall. However, while I still may be depressed and upset over things, at least I am able to take some comfort in hopefully not being in a state of mortal sin, after confession of course, and therefore having a better prayer life, and generally happier. As I said, as always, eventually I will fall or something will happen that causes me not to care about the sin, but I don’t see how avoiding sin could make one more depressed and maasterbation may relieve depression or whatever very temporarily, but it only gets worse soon after.

 

[LilyM]

Are we really going to equate masturbation to murder…again? Really?

Yes, yes and yes again - what part of*** all mortal sin is mortal ***and all kills your relationship with God and your own soul (if nothing else) do you not understand? It doesn’t matter if you can see the harm and destruction or not. A two year old who sets fire to their house doesn’t intend to harm anyone either - the result is equally destructive.

It’s true that there are two options here: To masturbate or not to masturbate…I have been faithfully following the latter, and I cannot tell you the amount of frustration, sadness and depression I have had to repress because I am denying myself this. It’s very, very tough to keep this up. How can I be the best Catholic/Husband/Father I can be if I’m walking around with this all bundled up inside of me?

I am certain that this denying myself is good in the eyes of God, I just don’t understand why I’m not allowed to make it all go away.

But I persevere.

I have been struggling with this for a while now, and I’m still fighting the urges.
To me the solution is so obvious, yet so unattainable…

PM

Firstly - think of it this way.

Your two choices are to give in to the temporary fix that does more harm than good in the long run, or to work for a long-term goal - which is find a way to make yourself feel good, calm and happy that isn’t sinful!

You do have options other than masturbation, you know. Exercise, read, listen to your favourite music, learn to cook or play an instrument, tinker with the car or the computer, work at your local soup kitchen, there are so many things out there for you to try. These are things that build you up in a genuine way rather than merely providing a physical outlet for energy.

Think of it in terms of a junkie deciding not to shoot up and devote their time to more worthwhile pursuits, or a compulsive gambler choosing to avoid the slot machines in the same way.

Or better still, think of it in terms of someone pushing themselves through university to obtain their diploma because it will give them a better life than dropping out and going on welfare. It’s a positive choice of the better long-term course.

 

[violetandgandal]

I don’t know if this will help those struggling with masterbation, but, from my experience and the experiences of people I’ve known, sexual temptation of all sorts is strongest in unfullfilled lives. What I mean by that is a lot of young people just don’t have enough to keep them busy or they spend too much time thinking which a lot of times ends up thinking about sex. My personal experience and from what I’ve seen in other people tells me that susceptibility to habitual masterbation is tied in with a self image (I hate that phrase) problem - its a way to make ourselves feel good, if only for a little while.

The serious sin with masterbation lies with the fact that if you allow it once you’ll allow it again, and again, again, and — why not whenever you want? Its like smoking. I’ve found that I can’t have an “occasional” cigar because if I have one I’ll have another, and another, and — you get the idea. Occassionally we all fall into sin, but we must recognize it as sin and make no exceptions to it. Masterbation is sinful because it is selfish.

If you find yourself masterbating habitually, or can’t seem to overcome it, you might need to seriously examine your life and see if you are not too focused inward on yourself. The love of God calls us out of ourselves to love him and love our neighbor. Do enough of that and I bet the temptations will subside considerably.

 

[wornwheel]

LilyM we clearly have a very different view on this issue. I disagree with much of what you have written.

Thank you for your post Lumendelumine. That was a nice balm for me

I share some of your perspective on chastity. It is an absolutely wonderful gift which does come from God’s grace. I have made wonderful confessions about my past and have experienced deep healing.

My concern now is mainly for teens, not so much my own healing, though I am certain that there is still some level of residue for me to work through.

I don’t completely agree with your comment that “what the Catechism is saying holds true for each and every sin.” If one looks at the Catechism on lust, fortification, pornography, rape, etc. the Church offers no caveats to its moral guidance as it does for masturbation.

Of course, what Dylanschrader says is true. A mortal sin is always a subjective judgment because of the factors of knowledge and intention. But the Church, in her wisdom on the subject of Masturbation explicitly calls out several factors that can extenuate the moral culpability of this act. This is the Church’s acknowledgement of the difficulty that this subject presents and its teaching on masturbation is not the same as it is on lust, fortification, pornography, rape, etc.

If we only look at the ideal teaching of the church, ignoring extenuating factors such as the development of human sexuality, then we are lost. The church has attempted to address this in its paragraph outlining extenuating moral culpability. But it seems these issues are largely ignored in discussion here. The damage that is done when the Church’s teachings on masturbation are given to children and teens without discussion of these extenuating factors is tragic.

My suggestion remains to try to follow the churches teaching on masturbation with love and understanding. Channel that sexual energy into the spiritual realm… GREAT! And, educate children about the ideal teaching of the church, and the extenuating factors that the Catechism sights. In other words, let kids know that this is not necessarily a mortal sin. It does not necessarily prohibit one from receiving communion. I hope that the church will one day make explicit that which I believe is implicit in its caveat on masturbation.

Hopefully what I have shared will benefit some who are struggling and looking for a wider perspective. In reaching for the ideals which the church puts forward for us, it is ever necessary to extend a loving hand and gentle guidance to others along the way. Condemnation and rigid absolutes are seldom part of that glorious path.

Peace and love, wornwheel

 

[lumendelumine]

Hello, wornwheel,

your thanks are very much appreciated…

I don’t completely agree with your comment that “what the Catechism is saying holds true for each and every sin.” If one looks at the Catechism on lust, fortification, pornography, rape, etc. the Church offers no caveats to its moral guidance as it does for masturbation.

No, extenuating circumstances hold for all sins, because it would otherwise be unjust: if you are not aware something is a sin, why should you be held culpable for it by God? Fornication is a point in case: in a society where everybody is fornicating, the objective gravity of this sin is of course extenuated. Same with watching pornography. Don’t forget that all mortal sins are tied to full knowledge and full consent - not only masturbation!

I think the Catechism singles out masturbation and suicide especially and mentions extenuating circumstances, exactly because of people like you, who have struggled with it yet have been unable to overcome it, or where human thinking has not held in account the extenuating circumstances, but told everyone who was struggling with it that they would automatically go to Hell. In the case of those kinds of behavior that are typically tied to a sort of psychological or physiological dependence (like masturbation, but also alcoholism, drug use etc.) or to grave distress (like suicide), culpability can be strongly extenuated, because full consent and/or full knowledge are not present.
*
This does not mean* however that you are allowed to tell your children: “Oh, masturbating isn’t all that bad, you may do it and still be a Catholic in good standing!” Because: if your children know what the Church teaches about it and still engage in it, they’re committing a mortal sin - because they have full consent and full knowledge. They would only be excused if they didn’t know better or couldn’t do otherwise (though the last one is not meant to be a loophole, as God’s grace may heal many things that cannot be overcome by men).

Masturbation is not such a special sin that one has to think about it very much. But because it involves human sexuality, it has grave matter.

And your future children deserve a life filled with the full grace of chastity. Nothing less will do.

 

[PennitentMan]

Firstly - think of it this way.

Your two choices are to give in to the temporary fix that does more harm than good in the long run, or to work for a long-term goal - which is find a way to make yourself feel good, calm and happy that isn’t sinful!

I truly feel that it’s reversed.
The short term solution will relieve stress, frustration, anxiety, make me a better father and husband, since I do not carry all that **** with me.

However, if I choose to abstain from it, I get more frustrated, more stressed and more anxious in the long run and that will decrease my productivity as husband/father.

Rememebr, I’m ot saying that thee should be any lust or porn involved, it’s purely for the sake of releif.

You do have options other than masturbation, you know. Exercise, read, listen to your favourite music, learn to cook or play an instrument, tinker with the car or the computer, work at your local soup kitchen, there are so many things out there for you to try. These are things that build you up in a genuine way rather than merely providing a physical outlet for energy.

Oh I have tried a myriad of “other things” to keep my mind off it…reading, yes. excersize, yes. favourite music, yes - but then the female voices sounds so damn fine that I’m afraid of impure thoughts after a while . My point is, I have not reached this roadblock just overnight. I have all but exhausted my options…and I’m still reading, excersizing, etc, but it’s still not a satisfactory solution here.

Think of it in terms of a junkie deciding not to shoot up and devote their time to more worthwhile pursuits, or a compulsive gambler choosing to avoid the slot machines in the same way.

It’s not like I’m an addict trying to find excuses for his addiction. I am not addicted to masturbation.
I can see the benefits of doing this very irregularly and only when necesarry, and under strict conditions to make a problem better.

PM

 

[wornwheel]

Hi Lumendelumine,

I think the Catechism singles out masturbation and suicide especially and mentions extenuating circumstances, exactly because of people like you, who have struggled with it yet have been unable to overcome it, or where human thinking has not held in account the extenuating circumstances, but told everyone who was struggling with it that they would automatically go to Hell.

I disagree. I don’t believe the caveats expressed by the Church are only for the reasons you sighted. I read the Catechism and see many significant factors mentioned which may limit moral culpability. And, I would argue they mitigate it, even if there is full knowledge of the teaching of the Church. The Church is subtle here and I think Her subtlety is lost in your firm lines of demarcation.

This does not mean

however that you are allowed to tell your children: “Oh, masturbating isn’t all that bad, you may do it and still be a Catholic in good standing!”

May I ask who you are quoting here? Those are not my words. What I wrote is: “let kids know that this is not necessarily a mortal sin”… and “It does not necessarily prohibit one from receiving communion”. The words “not necessarily” are significant. And those, words are consistent with the Catechism. Are you suggesting that you would intentionally withhold from children the full catechism of the Church?

if your children know what the Church teaches about it and still engage in it, they’re committing a mortal sin - because they have full consent and full knowledge. They would only be excused if they didn’t know better or couldn’t do otherwise (though the last one is not meant to be a loophole, as God’s grace may heal many things that cannot be overcome by men).

I believe you are misinterpreting the Catechism in a very damaging way. Maybe we should ask the Pope to clarify. Until then, I stand by my previous posting and others can choose for themselves. I seem to have a strong preference for my outlook

The Church and I will decide what is best for my children. My children will learn about the gift and grace of chastity. And, it will presented with loving, as I have laid out in my posts here.

Peace and Love, WornWheel

 

[valient_Lucy]

I am in the last year of my teens and up until now I have lived outside the word of God. I am now resolved to love him as much as he loves the whole world, yet on of my mental sticking points is masterbation. Jesus taught us to love and respect ourselves and our bodies, yet is masterbation disrespectful to one’s body. If I am hungry between meals I feed myself, likewise with thirst. If I am tired I rest myself. If I have an itch, (no pun intended) I scratch it. Therefor, why am I disallowed to to provide this particular type of releaf as long as I do not do it in contemt and ignorance of God? (please not, i’m not arguing a point, i’m seeking guidance in a manner):banghead:

You’re right, that when we have desires, such as the desire for food, we seek to fulfill these desires. However, masturbation is not the object of the sexual desire. The object (or the fulfillment) of the desire is in sexual intercourse with a person’s spouse, where the sex act fulfills the procreative and the unitive purposes of sex. So masturbating,to use your original analogy, isn’t the same thing as eating food. It’s more akin to eating wallpaper to alleviate hunger.

 

[fix]

Hello, wornwheel,

your thanks are very much appreciated…

No, extenuating circumstances hold for all sins, because it would otherwise be unjust: if you are not aware something is a sin, why should you be held culpable for it by God? Fornication is a point in case: in a society where everybody is fornicating, the objective gravity of this sin is of course extenuated. Same with watching pornography. Don’t forget that all mortal sins are tied to full knowledge and full consent - not only masturbation!

I think the Catechism singles out masturbation and suicide especially and mentions extenuating circumstances, exactly because of people like you, who have struggled with it yet have been unable to overcome it, or where human thinking has not held in account the extenuating circumstances, but told everyone who was struggling with it that they would automatically go to Hell. In the case of those kinds of behavior that are typically tied to a sort of psychological or physiological dependence (like masturbation, but also alcoholism, drug use etc.) or to grave distress (like suicide), culpability can be strongly extenuated, because full consent and/or full knowledge are not present.
*
This does not mean* however that you are allowed to tell your children: “Oh, masturbating isn’t all that bad, you may do it and still be a Catholic in good standing!” Because: if your children know what the Church teaches about it and still engage in it, they’re committing a mortal sin - because they have full consent and full knowledge. They would only be excused if they didn’t know better or couldn’t do otherwise (though the last one is not meant to be a loophole, as God’s grace may heal many things that cannot be overcome by men).

Masturbation is not such a special sin that one has to think about it very much. But because it involves human sexuality, it has grave matter.

And your future children deserve a life filled with the full grace of chastity. Nothing less will do.

Great post.

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.

As others have pointed out it is clear that it is an objective mortal sin always. Subjective culpability varies as is true with all sin. Why all the nuancing here? I think you stated it clearly. Our culture is preoccupied with things like this.

 

[wornwheel]

Dear PM,

My heart goes out to you. I have struggled as you have often and have done what you are suggesting in relieving my anxiety. I hope you will consider my postings and really reflect on the Catechism and what it might be trying to tell someone such as you. What is frequently lost on others or not fully understood is how different the sexual energy levels are between individuals. I don’t think this is lost on the Church itself as it is addressed in the Catechism.

There may be times when one can sublimate those sexual energies into spiritual growth. There may be other times when that door simply isn’t open. I would argue that there are times when not masturbating leads to greater sin than the act of masturbation itself (and I recognize that this statement is not consistent with anything explicitly written in the Catechism).

I would not suggest that you cut off your hand or any other body part in this matter; although supposedly St. Origen did castrate himself. He later regretted that action…oops.

What I realize having posted only a few messages here is that there is a wide range of views on this subject. And, one will not get a unified answer. Is your guilt such that you will only be relieved of your distress about this if you receive a unified answer; Or, if those who are staunchly opposed to masturbation finally come over to your side and say it is ok?

I do not believe you will receive that unified answer here. Many do not have ears to hear. I am sure that there is some wax in mine too. I would suggest that you speak with your priest, but even that may not alleviate this for you. I have spoken to mine. He supports me in my approach. Now, I could find many other priests who would not.

My path is clear to me. I have a sense of being in union with our Lord. I do not have shame about my body and treat it with respect. My heart opened when I finally let go of the guilt, shame and abuse that was gifted to me in my youth in the name of chastity. It had nothing to do with true chastity because it was cut off from love.

I would love to speak to all of this from a purely psychological perspective but unfortunately, this isn’t the forum to get deeply into that. Suffice it to say, that I had to purge my superego of the voices of my parents and their interpretation of the Catechism before I could return with an open heart and receive the true gifts of Chastity and see and hear the full teaching of the Catechism free of the voices of anger, repression and self immolation.

I love myself, my body, my family and my God. I read the Catechism and try to see and understand it within the context of that love. This is discernment. I wish you all the best. You seem like a very sincere seeker of truth.

Peace… WornWheel

 

[fix]

If we only look at the ideal teaching of the church, ignoring extenuating factors such as the development of human sexuality, then we are lost. The church has attempted to address this in its paragraph outlining extenuating moral culpability. But it seems these issues are largely ignored in discussion here. The damage that is done when the Church’s teachings on masturbation are given to children and teens without discussion of these extenuating factors is tragic.

… In other words, let kids know that this is not necessarily a mortal sin. It does not necessarily prohibit one from receiving communion. I hope that the church will one day make explicit that which I believe is implicit in its caveat on masturbation…

I am interested in your argument here. The CCC mentions factors that may diminish culpability in this matter, but it never says it is not objectively evil. It never says it is licit to do it. It says that habit, or addiction, plays a role in determining culpability and how to pastorally deal with folks who may be addicted.

Now, if one is addicted then much needs to be sorted out. One may need psychiatric help and spiritual help. But, from reading your posts it seems you think the Church says it is licit to act on it under certain cirumstances?

 

[PennitentMan]

I wish you all the best. You seem like a very sincere seeker of truth.

Peace… WornWheel

Thanks Wornwheel for the post. I appreciate it.

You know, I’m not sure anymore. I think I see the things clearly, but then it seems like I get blocked at every turn in my quest.
I really feel worn out and tired of all of this, you know? i mean are things really supposed ot be this strict and rigorous?

I have struggled with the intense feelings of guild too, always panicning if I’m in mortal sin for doing the smallest little, insignificant thing…I think I’m too paraniod to properly discern for myself.
But when I talk to other people about my feelings, they dismiss them, so I’m just plain stuck.

I know that no-one here can or will give me the go-ahead, I guess I’m just trying to understand. I’m trying to prove myself wrong so that I can stop thinking the way I do, but it’s not happening.

I’m caught between a rock and a hard place, (as you will see from my previous posts on other threads) with no where to go, except to sin, or stay put with my mouth shut.

Sucks.

 

[wornwheel]

Dear Fix,

In your latest post in sighting the caveats of the church you leave off two very important portions. You say…

It says that habit, or addiction, plays a role in determining culpability and how to pastorally deal with folks who may be addicted.

The Church says much more than this. It also says “conditions of anxiety, or other psychological or social factors that can lessen, if not even reduce to a minimum, moral culpability.” These anxiety conditions and psychological factors can be significant. And, I believe the anxiety refers to the build up of sexual energy to such an extent that it has a damaging affect on ones well being and damages ones ability to be loving with self, other and God.

Your initial posting did contain the full caveat of the Catechism, yet your next paragraph says…

it is clear that it is an objective mortal sin always

“Always?” really? To me the Catechism is clearly saying this is not always a mortal sin. And, that the conditions of anxiety may reduce to a minimum moral culpability, even IF the person is fully aware of the long standing teaching of the church that it is a gravely disordered act. In other words this is above and beyond the standard criteria of mortal sin: 1. The matter must be grave. 2. The sin must be committed with full knowledge. 3. The sin must be committed deliberately. I believe the church is saying in it’s caveat that even with the full knowledge of the first portion of the Catechism there are times when this action may still have minimum moral culpability.

Peace and love… WornWheel

 

[davidv]

I’m caught between a rock and a hard place, (as you will see from my previous posts on other threads) with no where to go, except to sin, or stay put with my mouth shut.

As a Catholic, you have another choice. It is the sacrament of reconciliation. Through it you can be freed from the bondage of sin throught the grace that is available from it.