Question on sins against Purity

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RadTrad1

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Hi! I have a question that I have wanted to have clarified for a while now.

Without going into a ton of detail, I struggle with purity, especially in viewing videos for arousal (not pornography thankfully).

Like I mentioned, the things I watched aren’t explicit at all, with no nudity / sex / two-person interactions, etc.
However, I still view them for arousal. I know this is a sin but have never been able to tell if it’s venial or mortal. Acts of Contrition always mention pornography for arousal, but never non-pornographic/explicit material.
I have asked multiple priests this same question, and they both mentioned intent/knowledge (which is present), gravity/ explicitness of what is being viewed (which is not) and then the length watched (one priest gave the example of 5 min vs 30 min). Another priest said it would be venial at the least.
My question is, if I have viewed this material for the larger portion of time (let’s say 30 minutes), is that a mortal sin? If I have the intent and length of time the priest spoke of, but what I viewed was not explicit or pornographic, like I mentioned, would that be a mortal sin?

Regardless, I would confess this anyway, but it would be nice to know whether or not I can receive communion during the week if I haven’t confessed this.

I’m sorry if this is confusing or hard to follow.
 
RadTrad1 said:
it would be nice to know whether or not I can receive communion during the week if I haven’t confessed this.
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This is for you to decide. IMO, from the looks of your post, you already have all the info that you need to make this decision. Take the question back to your priest if you need to. Don’t try to pass the responsibility onto other people who don’t have a clue who you are.
 
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Bro, I can understand and totally relate to your difficulty. It is a hard battle.

This has to be said. Our Lord is clear on this.

Matthew 5:28 "* “You have heard that it was said,'You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you, everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

Yes, the sin is grave.

It doesn’t have to be an explicit or suggestive content. We can be committing sin even if we look at a woman lustfully (even on the street).

I’d recommend St John Paul II’s Theology of the Body. It goes into a great amount of detail on this. You might be able to understand the theological and spiritual meaning of our Lord’s words and why He takes it seriously.
 
Thanks for your response!

I completely get what you’re saying, but a priest I talked to mentioned how the explicitness of what is viewed would affect the gravity, like how pornography would be always mortal but something much milder (without nudity, for example) might not be. I know that’s what you tried to explain but I’m still a little bit confused. I know I’m not giving you much room to respond but any clarification would be greatly appreciated.

I’m sorry for being so confusing…
 
I can understand your confusion. I do have a great reverence for priesthood. However, I’d look up to Christ and His Church for definitive authority.

There’s nowhere mentioned that the gravity of this specific sin is based on the explicitness of what is viewed. I’d be interested to know about any reference to this in the Catechism or Catholic morality.

Catechism of the Catholic Church 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.”

We could close our eyes and commit grave sin spiritually through our sinful thoughts.

I’d encourage you to meditate on the Christ’s teachings Matt 5:28. And yes do pray for grace and wisdom to understand.
 
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RadTrad1 said:
viewing videos for arousal
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The intention is arousal, which is isolated sexual pleasure. The Catechism states:
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.
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Therefore it is morally disordered.
 
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If the end result is impurity, then it doesn’t matter if what you watched was explicit or not. It is the impure ending that needs to be confessed. And whether explicit or not, if your intent is to get aroused, that should be confessed as well.
 
This is a simple issue.
Your desire to know whether it is grave or light matter is itself not good for you.
It serves no practical or effective purpose.

Just go to confession regularly and follow your confessor’s directives.
Do not get obsessive about Communion and being in a state of grace.
If you make a perfect act of contrition before Communion with the intention to go to confession at your regular time most confessors accept that as good practice and you will be in a state of grace for doing so. Check with him if you are not sure. You need a regular confessor.

Noone wants well intentioned people obsessively running off to confession once or more a week under these conditions. it serves no helpful purpose and encourages scruples.
 
Suggest you stick with the words offered by you priests. (Wouldn’t be a bad idea to make a retreat and talk with different priests to get a number of views - if there are any) Not all priests understand the question/problem of sexual sin in the same light.

Having said that, in previous answers to posts on this (and related subjects) I have to believe that human sexual desire is a good and natural condition given to man by God. (and God saw that it was good) It is when normal healthy desire is infused with both malice and intent that desire becomes lust. And that is the problem. Looking at something sexually suggestive and then simply going about your daily life IMO is not seriously sinful.

But again, ask a good priest or two.
 
BlackFriar said:
This is a simple issue.

Your desire to know whether it is grave or light matter is itself not good for you.

It serves no practical or effective purpose.

Just go to confession regularly and follow your confessor’s directives.

Do not get obsessive about Communion and being in a state of grace.

If you make a perfect act of contrition before Communion with the intention to go to confession at your regular time most confessors accept that as good practice and you will be in a state of grace for doing so. Check with him if you are not sure. You need a regular confessor.

Noone wants well intentioned people obsessively running off to confession once or more a week under these conditions. it serves no helpful purpose and encourages scruples.
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This is brilliant. Sometimes, as a person who experiences besetting sin, listening to people talk about which sins are mortal, and the like, just ends up being profoundly distracting to one’s desire to follow Jesus – as if one had to be borderline obsessive compulsive in order to please God. Your post is a helpful antidote.
 
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