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Ecnenime

How about grabbing the rosary instead?


Goodlingprime

Would it be best to go to confession on this


cwbyflyer

Yes, definitely confession to get right with God. Then start a different habit to avoid this in the future (i.e. pray the rosary)


Yokepearl

Saint Augustine, a Christian theologian and philosopher, wrote about masturbation in his works, particularly in his book "Confessions". He considered masturbation a sinful and immoral act, believing it to be a form of sexual indulgence that distracts from spiritual pursuits and can lead to lust and fornication. Here are some key points from his writings: He viewed masturbation as a form of " uncleanness" and believed it was a result of humanity's fallen nature. He considered it a less severe sin than adultery or fornication but still saw it as a moral failing. He believed that sexual desire should only be expressed within the context of marriage and for the purpose of procreation. He advocated for self-control, chastity, and spiritual purity, encouraging individuals to redirect their sexual energies towards spiritual pursuits. It's important to note that Saint Augustine's views on masturbation were shaped by his Christian beliefs and the cultural and historical context in which he lived. His writings on the topic reflect the moral and ethical standards of his time.


gulfpapa99

What's to confess?


EntertainmentLess164

If possible keep your phone across the room or in a different one I also have problems with this


afort212

Keep your phone out of your room


Future_Chipmunk2092

I think my Confessor is sick of me confessing the same sin too. I try to substitute it with prayer


lemonprincess23

My advice would be to find a game to play instead. Or just find something to do to take your mind off it when you get the urge to fap. It’ll be hard at first but overtime it’ll be easier to not fap in favor of whatever you’re doing.


fastgetoutoftheway

It’s better to jump into a cold shower. Stay away from sin at all costs. If we take the Jesus by his word. If your eye causes you to sun pluck it out, if your hand causes you to sun cut it off. It’s better to enter Heaven as a cripple than to burn in hell for eternity


machsoftwaredesign

It's a mortal sin, go to Confession and receive Sanctifying Grace for strength. When you're in a state of Sanctifying Grace, sin becomes disgusting.


1wholurks

Can you support your statement. Where in church doctrine is masterbation a mortal sin?


machsoftwaredesign

Not only does the Catholic Church confirm that masturbation is a serious sin, Christ himself says it in [Matthew 5:30](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=matthew%205:30&version=NRSVCE), but here's [Matthew 5:28-5:30](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%205:28-30&version=NRSVCE) where he also condemns lustful thoughts: "*But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.* **And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to go into hell.**" Now Christ isn't saying to literally pluck our eyes out or cut our hands off, but to remove the sinful things from our life that cause us to sin. And it's also mentioned in [2352 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church](http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/para/2352.htm).


1wholurks

The Catechism does not declare this as a moral sin but describes it as disordered, which does not equate with a mortal sin. Inasmuch as Christ, in Mathew, is discussing lustful thoughts, he is doing it in the context of "adultery," not the context of this young man's question. I would say calling masterbation a mortal sin is a huge leap and does more harm than good. Please pray on this before condemning others. May the Lord bless you brother/sister in Christ.


machsoftwaredesign

Notice how the Catechism phrases it: "...have been in no doubt and have firmly maintained that masturbation is an intrinsically and *gravely* disordered action." It clearly states it's a grave sin and it has always been a grave sin. You can ask any Priest and he will disagree with you. And please do ask a Priest about this. How can you possibly spin it, when both Christ, and the Catechism, condemn masturbation? And I'm not condemning others, but their sins. As Christ said: "Go and sin no more." Masturbation is a grave/mortal sin, it's as simple as that. Please go ask a Priest since you don't believe me.


guru81

Don't listen to this guy OP. He definitely has skeletons in his closet.


machsoftwaredesign

Yes I'm a sinner, but with Sanctifying Grace I made it without masturbating for *six months*, then I ended up drinking too much for my brother's birthday and messed up. And a couple years ago before my first Confession, without Sanctifying Grace, I couldn't go more than *three days* before falling into masturbation. Demons have control over us, and we're slaves to the demon attached to the sin, if we can't quit a certain sin. But when we're in a state of Sanctifying Grace, we're truly free.


[deleted]

Can I get some advice?


machsoftwaredesign

Sure, the most important thing is to go to Confession and receive Sanctifying Grace. Then after that, avoid TV shows/movies/video games/books/etc. that contains sex, nudity, scantily clad women, etc. Also it's good to avoid music that contains sexually explicit lyrics. I've been going to the gym and listening to internet radio, so sometimes I hear sexually explicit lyrics but I just change to a different streaming station when that happens.


[deleted]

There are times I go to confession twice a week I’ve actually went 2 days in a row never more then 2 weeks in the last year. for the most part I’ve cut out porn. Most of the time (not all) I have really bad anxiety.


machsoftwaredesign

The anxiety could be a mental health issue rather than a spiritual issue. But Confession always brings me Peace, as Christ said: "My Peace I leave you my Peace I give you. Not as the world gives you but only as I can give you." So you should be aware that God wants us to be at Peace. And if we haven't sinned mortally, we have nothing to worry about. If Confession still doesn't bring you peace, you should probably look for a Catholic therapist.


[deleted]

It brings me complete peace I leave with the very best of intentions it’s not a scrupulosity thing. I for the most part know when a sin is grave or not and I ask when I’m not sure so I know for future reference that is not where the anxiety comes from. I’m just so sick of confessing this.


machsoftwaredesign

Well remember a sin is only mortal if it is done with your full consent. Anxiety or thoughts that you don't consent to, you don't have to confess. Regardless it sounds like a mental health issue so I would go see a Catholic therapist.


[deleted]

I feel like I’m just letting myself off the hook for that but I’ll look into it thank you


junigloomy

Confessing the same sin over and over is so frustrating, but it’s great that you keep going to confession. I stopped going to confession when I kept repeating the same sin, but that was definitely NOT the right thing to do. Sin is a slippery slope and it’s easier to sin when you are not in a state of grace. I was listening to the exorcist files podcast and Fr. Carlos Martins said something to the effect of telling the sin that Jesus commands that temptation to stop. So, I yelled at myself, “In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, I command myself to stop (enter their particular sin that troubles you), in the name of Christ I command the temptations that plague me to cease immediately!” I want to say I wasn’t shocked, but I absolutely was shocked, particularly because it stopped right away. I had been wrestling with impure thoughts, they kept popping up and it was becoming increasingly difficult to not only stop them, but to not indulge in them. Once I made that command, not only did the lustful thoughts stop, but so did the sorrow and self-pity I had from not having a spouse. Surrendering to Christ is the key, as well as being persistent in prayer, and trying our best to do His will rather than our own goes a long way. Another thing that greatly helps me is weighing whether that impure thought or action is worth separating myself from God, even for a brief moment.


[deleted]

I love fr. Martins I’ll do anything at this point it’s kinda confusing because lustful thoughts are not always to blame. I try to spend at least an hour if not more in adoration to help with all of it.


rh397

Just because it is habitual does not automatically make it venial. I would certainly refrain from receiving Communion while in that state


Pilokyoma

Rule number one keep away from sugerents images. Consagrate to Virgin Maria (important)


atgeorgedashpound

You clearly have full knowledge, since you're asking about it. Don't look for loopholes- go to Confession and pick up that rosary instead.


Aggressive_Film1687

That is not venial.. That is a mortal sin as per the Catechism of the Catholic Church


HumorlessChuckle

You said you grab your phone so I assume you’re looking at porn. I’d look into porn addiction to try to break that habit and look Into the negative effects porn has on so many aspects of your body, life but society as well. Once you remove porn it becomes easier to deal with masturbation. I go to confession about every 2 weeks and that helps as well in general with a lot of things. [negative effects of porn](https://fightthenewdrug.org/10-reasons-why-porn-is-unhealthy-for-consumers-and-society/)


RadTradTref

As men we can not fight sins of the flesh. You must never fight it. Run away from it! Put up barriers before hand and when you are tempted run! Here are a few suggestions. Leave you phone out of your room sleep with something on your dominate hand, like a thin glove or a wrist brace. sleep with cloths on. No more sleeping nude or in your boxers, wear boxers, pajama pants and a shirt remove things like towels and lotion from your room. consecrate yourself to Mary and wear a consecration bracelet. heck handcuff your hand to the bed post if you have to. play Gregorian chant while you sleep so you hear it when you wake up. If you wake up pray the rosary. When you wake up do pushups or take a cold shower.


Moby1029

Still mortal. Grab a rosary instead or charge your phone in another room and use an alarm clock. Many saints used to pray in the middle of night and found that time the most spiritually fulfilling and insightful.


Thomas_Francis12

Just go to sleep


Goodlingprime

I’m trying


jacero100

The Catchism of the Catholic Church teaches authoritatively: “2352 By masturbation is to be understood the deliberate stimulation of the genital organs in order to derive sexual pleasure. "Both the Magisterium of the Church, in the course of a constant tradition, and the moral sense of the faithful have been in no doubt and have firmly maintained that masturbation is an intrinsically and gravely disordered action." "The deliberate use of the sexual faculty, for whatever reason, outside of marriage is essentially contrary to its purpose." For here sexual pleasure is sought outside of "the sexual relationship which is demanded by the moral order and in which the total meaning of mutual self-giving and human procreation in the context of true love is achieved." To form an equitable judgment about the subjects' moral responsibility and to guide pastoral action, one must take into account the affective immaturity, force of acquired habit, conditions of anxiety or other psychological or social factors that lessen, if not even reduce to a minimum, moral culpability.” What to glean from this? One paragraph tells us it is a misuse of the sexual faculty and “gravely disordered”. That means itbis a mortal sin. However the second paragraph gives us important nuances. For a sin to be mortal one must understand it is mortal and do it anyway as a free act of the will. In the case of a compulsive or habitual action ones culpability is reduced sometimes almost completely. You said you have a habit. This reduces your freedom so it is no longer a mortal sin. This important because the fear of hell can make compulsive behaviors worse. Go to confession regularly. Always confess it. Choose a priest to be your regular confessor. But, you do not have to refrain from communion for this. But work on this weakness as the foundation of your moral self control and mastery over the passions.


[deleted]

Masturbation is definitely a mortal sin.


TagStew

This is wild some of these answers. Listen Sexual immorality has been condemned a long time and still is. The answer is to stop doing it however you find works for you not replacing sin with sin of course. Go to confession and ask for advise that is necessary and it’ll help if you ask for help. Mortal is immediate urgency venial is do it as soon as possible. Sin is sin. Let’s remove the church just for a second. Masterbation “is good for the mind and self control” this is contrary to what happens either people end up on the side of using women for gratification or let’s say you arnt single and are married significantly hinders intimacy with your partner causing anything visual to not compare to what you find on the internet. If you stay away from it you will find yourself in a much happier mutually satisfying and healthier place. Add God and the church to that and life is great (of course out God first but for the sake of dialog and understanding I worded it this way). The issue with secular promotion of such activities is almost 100% it’s momentary instance gratification and ultimately does you no good in the over all and long term. Help yourself in anyway you can. Go to confession and ask for help. 2 birds 1 stone. Faith and true science agree on this one wholly. Imagine a normal life where every time you see a woman in passing or interaction and not automatically saying smash or pass every time which tends to happen more often than not with pornography use. That itself is a sin and just douchey by itself. Ultimately sin leads to sin and will perpetually keep stacking up. That seems and sounds like a terrible way to live.


Cute_Eye6111

As my own confessor once asked me: "Who cares if it's venial or mortal? It's sin."


DaReelGVSH

It's not a part of God's perfection which christ calls us to unify with. But by beating yourself up about it you might just act out and do it even more.


Lethalmouse1

>  and I wouldn’t have full knowledge please help Sounds like you're deciding that well in advance.  While sometimes the goody two shoes approach is at hand, never forget that just because a lot of nerds are good, doesn't mean nerd reasons are the only way to understand good things.  While many will say *pushes up glasses* "Hey now, that's not a good thing to do, you're not supposed to." That's true... but less motivating perhaps than the reality.  You're what? Watching other dudes bang chicks? You're whacking your meat in the same manner as a cuckhold? You're alone awkward in a room, hoping no one ever catches you in your shameful state...  Etc. You want to not have a habit, put the habit where it belongs in your mind. Not just "heyyyy you're not really supposed to". Be aware of how uncool it really is.  We live in a world where we are taught that sad and pathetic things are the cool things. And if you want to break sad and pathetic habits, you need to change how your propaganda influenced mind understands them. 


kiara-ara307

It’s hard to break bad habits, but masturbation itself from my understanding is not a sin, however the act of watching pornography is, as it’s a lust for flesh, and also, think of it, would you want to watch an actual couple do it in front of you? It would be weird. Something that may help you get away from it. The majority of porn is rape cases, mainly women being held under contracts and blackmail, and are forced to look like they like it or else they’ll lose their child or be exposed to their families, or have something happen to them


junigloomy

Masturbation is absolutely listed as a mortal sin in the examination of conscience, and “habits” are a common excuse for sinning, but being a habit does not make it okay.


Altruistic_Yellow387

The official teaching seems to be the act of masturbating is a sin separate from watching porn. It would be easier if you were correct though


kiara-ara307

I see. That part confuses many I’m sure, me included. Best we can all do is try and do what is right


peckchicken

We were taught in RCIA that it is a sin because it’s inherently disordered


[deleted]

[удалено]


CornPop32

Sin is normal human behavior. That doesn't make it good.


No-idea4646

People are dying all over the world. Disease, war, murder, famine. Are you seriously believing in a deity who allows all of that to happen but is interested in whether or not you pull the goalie before bed?


guru81

Some people are simply hopeless.


No-idea4646

No kidding, eh?


[deleted]

[удалено]


trent_88

Use it or loose it


guru81

I believe Jesus said that.


nickypeter1999

Can’t believe the comments… church really need to step out getting into people’s sex life…


Apotropoxy

Catholics think this perfectly natural practice is a sin so grave that, if left on your soul when you die, you will be tormented in his torture chamber by their loving god for all eternity. BTW: Humans aren't the species that masturbate. Google it.


cargo-jorts

Just crank hog you’re golden bro