Sexual Thoughts and Mortal Sins

[hunter123]

Perhaps you meant this differently but not one ever** deserves **a chance to repent or anything from God for that matter.

unrepented mortal sin condenms one’s soul, mortal sin is a death sentence.
a person remains condenmed until such sentence is lifted.

So do you think, that if I went to confession regularly, but in a moment of weakness masturbated and then got hit by a bus I would be condemned? To clarify, say I did not truly feel repentant about this because my wife was not in the mood, so I felt justified in my act. Do you really feel that through this one act I would be condemned? By condemned do you mean hell bound?

I believe God judges us by a bigger picture.

 

[JRKH]

So do you think, that if I went to confession regularly, but in a moment of weakness masturbated and then got hit by a bus I would be condemned? To clarify, say I did not truly feel repentant about this because my wife was not in the mood, so I felt justified in my act. Do you really feel that through this one act I would be condemned? By condemned do you mean hell bound?

I believe God judges us by a bigger picture.

Your reasoning is insufficient…In the scenario provided you are looking at two people who’s wants and needs are taken into account. You Love your wife and respect her needs and desires and you Love yourself and so feel justified in the "solo act’.

**But there is another in this scenario who’s needs and desires you are ignoring. God - The one whom you claim to Love above all else, even your wife. **

So, in your scenario, the wife is loved and respected - you are loved and respected - God is NOT loved and respected.

Sorry - this adds up to deliberately turning your back on God in order to please yourself and is a mortal sin no matter how one might try to “justify” it.

Peace
James

 

[fbl9]

Your reasoning is insufficient…In the scenario provided you are looking at two people who’s wants and needs are taken into account. You Love your wife and respect her needs and desires and you Love yourself and so feel justified in the "solo act’.

**But there is another in this scenario who’s needs and desires you are ignoring. God - The one whom you claim to Love above all else, even your wife. **

So, in your scenario, the wife is loved and respected - you are loved and respected - God is NOT loved and respected.

Sorry - this adds up to deliberately turning your back on God in order to please yourself and is a mortal sin no matter how one might try to “justify” it.

Peace
James

hunter123
The prophecy of Ezechiel 18:24 But if the just man turn himself away from his justice and do iniquity according to all the abominations which the wicked man useth to work shall he live? All his justices which he hath done shall not be remembered. In prevarication, by which he hath prevaricationed and in his sin which he hath committed, in them he shall die. look the rest up this is completed at verse 30

 

[JRKH]

Hi, thanks everybody.

I agree that thoughts can be dismissed.
But there are different kinds of sinful “thoughts.”
For example, if I see a neighbor driving a nice new car, and I think,
boy would I like to have that very car!!, that is not necessarily a sin.
But if I start thinking of ways to steal the car from my neighbor,
and really entertain the desire to steal it seriously, then I believe that
by that very fact, I will have finally sinned.

Indeed. Thoughts of this nature become “envy” - the desire to possess what another has.

Sinful sexual thoughts, however, of a much different nature, especially if one, like me,
has been sexually sinful often in the past. The body remembers the intense pleasure of the sexual act, even if my MIND does not want to break the laws of God again. Then there are the “imaginings” which occur, the remembrances vividly of the deeds which further excite the body. With my mind, I want them to go away and not offend God. But my visual imaginings/remembrances and the remembered passions that they trigger,
are almost brutal to succeed in dismissing.
So I would say to everyone here: If you haven’t sexually sinned,
then by all means DO NOT EVER DO SO. Don’t even take a fleeting GLANCE at a porn website, either. Don’t do that to yourself. It remains with you, powerfully, even after you have repented of ever doing it again. I THINK that that is why Saint Paul wrote
that we must at all costs avoid Sexual Immorality in PARTICULAR, because he who sins sexually, as Paul put it, Sins against His OWN Body, whereas every other sin is OUTSIDE the body, as Paul also said.
Thanks everybody, for your insightful comments, and God bless you.
I confessed after mass, and was then given communion, after Mass.
God bless,
Jaypeeto4
+JMJ+**
PRAY THE ROSARY DAILY**

This is a wonderful point and, while certainly sexual sin is a very vivid example, it applies equally to most ALL sin.
Our memories cannot be erased or deleted like a cassette tape or a computer file - never to be recalled. Our memories remain. The can and they will come back to haunt us. It is far better to never create such memories in the first place than to have to deal with them the rest of our lives.

Yet - for those who DO have sinful memories to deal with (and who doesn’t ), even these can be turned to good. First, through our own battle to overcome them which, through God’s grace, gives us strength to avoid and overcome temptation. Second, through the sympathy it provides us as we try to help others to overcome their own past or to avoid the same mistakes we made. Third, and especially after we have been strengthened and overcome them, they can provide us little “reminders” of how far God has brought us and how fortunate we are to no longer be in that sin.

It’s not that we take “pleasure” in such memories. It’s not that such memories will no longer “prick” us. Rather they will be like a “booster shot”, a reminder that we need to be both joyful and on our guard. Joyful in Our God and His mercy on us, and on our guard lest we slip again - even a little…

It’s sad that each generation must learn anew - but that is the way of things…

Peace
James

 

[JRKH]

So do you think, that if I went to confession regularly, but in a moment of weakness masturbated and then got hit by a bus I would be condemned?

So - If you studiously careful around high places but then one day, in a moment of weakness, you jump from a cliff, will you not be dead??

A silly analogy I admit, but it speaks to the principle behind such statements - No matter how careful one is in avoiding deadly things, it only takes one to kill you and all of the previous caution will not make a difference.

But -

More seriously - in looking at this statement, which is not at all uncommon, consider what you are are saying…
a) You go to confession regularly -
This is good, BUT are you also actively seeking to avoid sin? Hopefully you are.
b) Then, in a moment of weakness, you commit a grave sin -
the “moment of weakness” comment is the key to knowing if the sin rises to the level of Mortal or not.

I believe God judges us by a bigger picture.

Indeed God does look at the larger picture and part of that bigger picture is whether one really and truly Loves God more than ones self. That IS, after all, the first and greatest commandment. And if you stand before God with even one unrepentant, I repeat, unrepentant, Grave sin on your soul…What will that say about your love for God? What will it say about the “bigger picture”.

As we seek to grow in God and in holiness, we need to grow past these ideas of somehow “keeping score” (oh just one won’t get me condemned) as if we are somehow assured of salvation so long as we don’t do “too much” bad stuff. Rather we must work out our salvation by doing as much good stuff as possible and avoiding the bad stuff at all cost. Christ does not call us to be good enough. Christ calls us to perfection (Mt 5:48)

Sorry to ramble on, and “hunter123”, I’m not picking on you…I struggle with these things myself so I’m picking on me more than you…
Also I struggle to try to put into words just what I mean…what is in my heart…But I always seem to wind up rambling…

I thank God for all the good people here and hope that we continue to be a strength and comfort to each other.

Peace
James

 

[hunter123]

Well, Peter Loved Jesus but he denied him 3 times. What seems more of a mortal sin masturbating in a moment of weakness or denying Jesus in a moment of weakness? As humans we make mistakes. Would you rather be guilty of relieving a natural physical urge due to human weakness or have Jesus himself call you Satan as he did to Peter? Who seems more of a sinner?

 

[JRKH]

Well, Peter Loved Jesus but he denied him 3 times. What seems more of a mortal sin masturbating in a moment of weakness or denying Jesus in a moment of weakness? As humans we make mistakes. Would you rather be guilty of relieving a natural physical urge due to human weakness or have Jesus himself call you Satan as he did to Peter? Who seems more of a sinner?

As you ponder these things I beg you to remember one very important Act…One Word…

REPENTANCE

Yes - Peter denied Christ. Peter repented

Yes - one who masturbates is also denying Christ…So do as Peter did and Repent…

Repentance will Save…Justification of sin will not…

Peace
James

 

[michelleds]

Indeed God does look at the larger picture and part of that bigger picture is whether one really and truly Loves God more than ones self. That IS, after all, the first and greatest commandment. And if you stand before God with even one unrepentant, I repeat, unrepentant, Grave sin on your soul…What will that say about your love for God? What will it say about the “bigger picture”.

As we seek to grow in God and in holiness, we need to grow past these ideas of somehow “keeping score” (oh just one won’t get me condemned) as if we are somehow assured of salvation so long as we don’t do “too much” bad stuff. Rather we must work out our salvation by doing as much good stuff as possible and avoiding the bad stuff at all cost. Christ does not call us to be good enough. Christ calls us to perfection (Mt 5:48)

James

I really like the way you articulated this, James. Thanks.

For the OP, I am in wholehearted agreement with you in your plea to others–if they haven’t committed sexual sin, don’t. if they haven’t looked at porn, don’t.

For those who might be lurking and thinking it’s just applicable to those of us with lengthy sin history, my mom told me recently that 30 years ago she was cleaning some people’s house. the man had left a porn magazine out and open to some certain page. she said that that image, which she only saw briefly, continues to pop into her head–30 years later. and that was her one and only exposure to porn.

Those types of thoughts can be horribly intrusive. I’ve found that short prayers to Saints, Mary and Jesus along with “get thee behind me, Satan” helps tremendously. Just “not paying any attention to them” is nigh onto humanly impossible and I can’t form lengthy prayers when I’m in the midst of such–but those short, “help me, Jesus” or “St. Gemma, pray for me” helps tremendously.

 

[fred_conty]

No i disagree; the body isn’t instantly aroused by the mere suggestion of one thought.

Dear fbl, that may be YOUR experience, brother,
but it certainly is not mine, not at all.
I am not a virgin, friend, (( I deeply wish I was, and deeply regret having done those bad things all those years )), and if I were, then the mere thought might not quickly arouse my body, but what often happens to me,
is that I will be praying to God specifically for the salvation of the people I sexually sinned with all those years, sincerely praying for their conversion and salvation, and while praying for them, very erotic memories of the acts will come to mind and, even though I don’t WANT that to happen, my body instantly remembers the physical pleasure of the acts, and BINGO, all sinful hell breaks loose. Though the thoughts are wrong,
it is sort of like trying to WILL YOURSELF to DISlike chocolate ice cream, only much more serious. Your body, in that case your tongue, likes the taste of it, period, even if you are now Diabetic and could get sick and die from eating it and therefore don’t want to think about how good it tastes.

You mentioned that it is difficult for you to pray for the spiritual welfare of those that you felt had enticed them into sin, without bad memories flooding back and presenting old temptations to you.

You might try this instead. Have a heart to heart with your heavenly mother about this.
Then ask that she extract from your good works and prayers whatever she feels necessary to rectify this with them. And then leave this in her hands and forget about it except maybe once a year to renew this request with her. Because you should not be subjected to your old sins for any reason if they lead you away from her Son.

Just a sugestion to rest in Mary.

 

[Bookcat]

unrepented mortal sin condenms one’s soul, mortal sin is a death sentence.
a person remains condenmed until such sentence is lifted.

Right…and it is thus we who “send ourselves” to hell…

Now of course we know that if the person has the grace of perfect contrition…(which includes the intent to confess as soon as possible) …he can be already restored by God to a state of grace…before he reaches confession.

And it is possible that Jesus---- in ways known only to him …could come to him even in the last moments (we of course do not presume on such…)…

 

[michelleds]

And it is possible that Jesus---- in ways known only to him …could come to him even in the last moments (we of course do not presume on such…)…

Who said something about God’s eternity between the bridge and the water?

actually, it was Cure d’Ars who, speaking to woman about her husband’s suicide, said something to the effect of “Between the parapet of the bridge and the water, he had time to make an act of contrition.”

 

[laurahill]

Great thoughts!!Thanks for participating.