Moral culpability

[Bulletbandit]

Hello I’m a recent revert to Catholic Church and have deep seated lustful tendencies from masterbating and watching porn but now that I know it’s wrong I find it hard to break the habit. I go to confession almost once a week to confess these sins but I don’t know if I’ve committed mortal sin or not as I don’t know if I have full consent over the matter. When I get temptation I try and ignore them and do something else but when I can’t I try and view milder things such as women in swimsuit to get my “fix” without masterbating and I don’t know if this is mortal sin? Problem is when I do this I get the vicious cycle of lust where I get deeper and deeper into it I’ve just turned 18 and I don’t know if I’ve committed mortal sin based on the exceptions?

 

[Dolphin]

Once you open the door a little, it pushes right open. You can’t fight one sin with another sin. Viewing women as not human but rather as objects of pleasure is not good no matter clothed or not.

Ask St. Michael to help. It is not easy to fight the temptations but once you give in a little, any willpower you have left to fight is gone.

It becomes the mindset of “well I’ve already sinned so why not go a bit farther and at least enjoy it.” That’s not a good mindset.

 

[Cor_ad_Cor]

I’ll second the advice to speak to your priest; continue frequent confessions. Whenever you feel that you need to engage in such behaviors, offer a particular prayer, such as the Memorare, and try to offer some small daily personal sacrifice instead (or as penance). Focus less on whether or not it’s mortal sin and focus more on changing your behavior so the sin is mitigated entirely.

 

[Zach]

When I get temptation I try and ignore them and do something else but

First, go to confession, receive Communion often, pray, read scripture It will all work to strengthen your will to resist. A priest gave me advice to get busy with doing something else whenever I am tempted. Get up and move around. Do house work, go for a walk, anything. He said trying to ignore it is futile. The key is get distracted away from the temptation through action.

 

[CRV]

when I can’t

try gazing at a picture of The Blessed Virgin Mary, and praying to her. Mary, most chaste, please be a mother to me now and shelter me from these thoughts. Pour our that prayer from your heart, continue to pray it until the temptation passes.

view milder things such as women in swimsuit to get my “fix”

playing with fire never ends in a good way. Sin is sin. Change your viewing habits then, rather than sin venially. If you deny yourself from even looking at women in swimsuits, you’ve avoided a possible near occasion of sin.

10 Ways to win the battle for purity

Go to confession and ask your priest whether you’ve committed a mortal sin on these occasions or not.