And “4 Out of 5 Catholic Men Confess This Sin “

St. Alphonsus: The most necessary means for avoiding sins against chastity, is to fly from dangerous occasions.

Generally speaking, the first of all the means of preserving yourself always chaste is to avoid the occasions of sin. There are many means, such as to frequent the sacraments, to have recourse to God in temptations, to be devoted to the Blessed Virgin; but the first of all is to avoid the occasions of sin.

The Scripture says, Your strength shall be as the ashes of tow,. . . . and there shall be none to quench it.

Our strength is like the strength of tow thrown into the fire: it is instantly burned and consumed. Would it not be a miracle if tow cast into fire did not burn? It would also be a miracle if we exposed ourselves to the occasion, and did not fall.

According to St. Bernardine of Siena,it is a greater miracle not to fall in the occasion of sin, than to raise a dead man to life.

St. Philip Neri used to say that in the warfare of the flesh, cowards—that is, they who fly from occasions—are always victorious. You say: I hope that God will assist me. But God says:

He that loveth the danger shall perish in it.

God does not assist those who, without necessity, expose themselves voluntarily to the occasion of sin. It is necessary to know that he who puts himself in the proximate occasion of sin is in the state of sin, though he should have no intention of committing the principal sin to which he exposes himself.

By proximate occasions even saints have fallen, and persons on the point of expiring have been lost.

Father Segneri relates that a woman who had lived in the habit of sin with a young man called for a confessor at the hour of death, and with tears confessed all the wickedness of her life. She afterwards sent for her friend, with the intention of bringing him to God by her example. But what happened? Listen to the consequences of the occasion of sin: when the young man arrived, she fixed her eyes upon him for some time, and at last, with a gush of carnal affection, said to him:

“Dearest friend, I always loved you, and I love you now more than ever. I know that on your account I shall go to hell; but no matter: I am willing to be damned for love of you.”

With these words on her lips she expired. We must, then, avoid the occasions of sin if we wish to be saved.

— from “The Saint Alphonsus de Liguori Collection Catholic Way Publishing

4 Out of Five Catholic Men Confess This Sin

The Catholic Gentleman
January 12, 2016

They confess to looking at pornography and masturbating. It’s awkward, I know, to say it so candidly, but the only way to defeat pornography in our lives is to admit that we have a widespread problem with it.

Vice, Firmly Entrenched

By the time I was in high school, the habit of lusting after women via pornography was firmly entrenched in my soul. I was an atheist at the time.

I recall listening to a popular late night radio show during these years, where the female host–allegedly a psychologist with a Ph.D.–counseled callers that looking at pornography and masturbating were good, healthy things for a young man to do. I knew I couldn’t resist the desire to look and lust on a frequent basis, so her words confirmed for me that what I was doing wasn’t something wrong.

Years passed, and I was in college, suffering from an anxiety disorder, panic attacks, and depression. I reached out to God for help, and over the course of many months He came into my life. But I was still addicted to pornography….”

… continue