“What I do, I do not understand. For I do not do what I want, but I do what I hate…So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me…The willing is ready at hand, but doing the good is not. For I do not do the good I want, but I do the evil I do not want…For I take delight in the law of God, in my inner self, But I see in my members another principle at war with the law of my mind, taking me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Miserable one that I am! Who will deliver me from this mortal body?” ~ Romans 7:15, 17-19, 22-24.
“This dramatic situation of ‘the whole world [which] is in the power of the evil one’ makes man’s life battle.” ~ CCC #409.
“Examining his heart, man finds that he has inclinations toward evil too, and is engulfed by manifold ills which cannot come from his good Creator…Therefore man is split within himself. As a result, all of human life, whether individual or collective, shows itself to be a dramatic struggle between good and evil, between light and darkness. Indeed, man finds that by himself he is incapable of battling the assaults of evil successfully, so that everyone feels as though he is bound by chains.” ~ Gaudium et Spes 13.
Author’s note: All three of these quotations, from very different time periods, address the same situation: the battle of Man’s spirit against his flesh; for the world belongs to the flesh and the devil. And, all too often, it seems as if our bodies are not fully under control - and, our minds become slaves to the whims and desires of the flesh while our spirit remains practically useless to control anything. In the midst of this struggle, we push, pull, and writhe – as if we can solely will ourselves to chastity and ultimate freedom. It’s exhausting, and, oftentimes, we find ourselves still slipping into impurity with a resulting backlash of remorse and depression.
The only road to sexual sobriety is through Our Lord Jesus Christ: this is most effectively realized by completely placing our Trust in Him alone; frequent reception of both the Sacraments of Confession and the Eucharist, daily recessitation of the Rosary, devotion to St. Joseph, and a reliance upon the Prayer of St. Michael the Archangel during times of particular torment. This confidence in Christ frees us from carrying the burden by ourselves. We no longer feel alone, and slowly the weightiness of it all begins to decrease. For, as we depend upon Christ more and more, we also begin to Love Him in a much more deep and profound way – therefore, because of our great Love for Him we count less on those transitory remedies of sex and porn for daily relief and we rely upon Him; also, because of our great Love for Him – we desire not to offend Him: we do not want to look at porn and masturbate before His eyes. Instead, we seek solace and joy in serving Him alone – then, in this, we find True happiness.
*The above quotations were taken from Fr. John Bartunek’s “Retreat Guide.”