Masturbation addiction/ absolution

[PeaceInChrist]

1. Pray. Meditate on the Gospels. Pray the rosary. Be consistent everyday. Attempt to get at least a half hour in each day, preferably an hour
2. Get an buddy you can be accountable with. Call him when you feel tempted. Ask him to pray for you/hang out with you. Tell him when you screw up so he can fast for you the next day.
3. Do penance when you fall. I just started doing cold showers for a week for masturbation, tithe money plus a week of cold showers plus an entire day of liquid fasting for porn. Your buddy can help you be accountable.
4. Sacraments
5. Trust in God’s mercy

Prayer, sacraments, and trusting in God’s mercy are the most important (and inseparable). If you trust in Him, He can, and will, deliver you eventually. He knows our state;He remembers we are dust. He will persevere in you!

 

[PeaceInChrist]

second: the fact that you feel that it might cheapen the sacrament of confession, makes me think that you actually are doing it right, the problem would be if you just go to confession but did nothing to overcome it

Define “did nothing”. If one desires to amend their life and keeps attempting, but fails, confession still avails much. Jesus never gets tired of forgiving is; we get tired of asking. Saying “I have to fix myself before I receive mercy” is akin to semi-pelagianism. We must always avail ourselves of the sacraments, so long as we are striving to run the race.

 

[Phil_Marinus]

This Subject always gets a Crowd…

are contributors mostly men… or about even in gender responses ?

 

[Kingsolomont]

Don’t despair. I’m not a priest, but given your age and what you have described I doubt that you have the full consent of the will necessary for it to be a mortal sin. It would still be a venial sin, but it would not be sufficient to remove you from a state of grace. That is just my opinion. Also, if it is a mortal sin, if after having failed to resist and engaging in the act, you make an act of perfect contrition (that is, you repent to God out of a motivation that you are sorry for having offended him) and resolve to go to confession the next time you have a chance, it will be forgiven then. You would need to follow through and go to confession the next time you could though. Again though, based on what you have said, I doubt it is mortally sinful in your situation, although you should still try to resist to the extent you can.

I hope this helps, and remember God loves you and knows your heart, that you are struggling with this and trying to stop. He will not forsake you in this time of need.

Thank you. This was the most informative post I’ve gotten. All of the other ones have said either it is most definitely a sin regardless of everything else. Or they have said that it is never a sin. I think is that God loves us infinitely but also wants us to follow His will. One shpuld strive for purity but will inevitably slip up. I agree with you the most and I hope you are right. To the best of my knowledge it is a happy medium between all of the previous opinions/points made. Thanks!

 

[bobballen_18]

Thank you. This was the most informative post I’ve gotten. All of the other ones have said either it is most definitely a sin regardless of everything else. Or they have said that it is never a sin. I think is that God loves us infinitely but also wants us to follow His will. One shpuld strive for purity but will inevitably slip up. I agree with you the most and I hope you are right. To the best of my knowledge it is a happy medium between all of the previous opinions/points made. Thanks!

Just want to clarify something for you - you said “all of the other ones have said either it is most definitely a sin regardless everything else” - about that. Someone correct me here if I’m wrong, but masturbation is always at least a venial sin, so don’t get it into your head that even if you’re not fully culpable, you’re not sinning at all. It’s just that you’re not mortally sinning, so you can rest your mind about that.

Otherwise, as mostly everyone else is saying, don’t worry about it so much and just do your best. Find other activities to do, especially when you are tempted more strongly, and also, pray.

You’ll be in my prayers!

 

[TStokes]

Personally I have been thru this and am going thru it too, I recommend keeping your bedroom door open it makes a huge difference, that alone has helped me a ton doing that got me to a point where i put a poster back on my wall because i trusted myself again

 

[Rau]

Thank you. This was the most informative post I’ve gotten. All of the other ones have said either it is most definitely a sin regardless of everything else. Or they have said that it is never a sin. I think is that God loves us infinitely but also wants us to follow His will. One shpuld strive for purity but will inevitably slip up. I agree with you the most and I hope you are right. To the best of my knowledge it is a happy medium between all of the previous opinions/points made. Thanks!

The recent poster that you are responding to also agrees it is a sin. The culpability one has for sin is always a function of circumstances, which only God can assess.