Mechanism of the Fall

A Personal Reflection

As I sit down to write this, I, too, still find myself struggling with this addiction.
Strange as it may seem to some, I am in as much need of the help and support found in my own web site as anyone. I know all too well that I am certainly no stronger, no better and no more valiant or victorious in this struggle than the most fallen of God’s pitiful creatures.

The nature of this addiction, this battle, is an ongoing conflict between the two aspects of my being – the physical and the spiritual, or, in Freudian terms, my Superego versus my Id.
My soul, which includes the rational, knowing and understanding side of my being, (the superego), seeks the things of Heaven, the love and mercy of God and the fullness of the light of Christ.
This is the knowing, thinking and ordered part of my being.

My carnal nature, (the id), on the other hand, seeks only the self-satisfaction that the bodily passions constantly demand.

So this battle, in its most simplistic terms, is the struggle for personal dominance of my soul over my flesh, the spirit over the body, the superego over the id.

Jesus our Lord, Himself said, “The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.”

Satan knows well how to manipulate this conflict better than the most experienced grand master who ever played the game of chess. Satan uses the tools of seduction, weakness and temptation against what he knows to be our weakened and wounded spirits. Remember that our very spiritual nature is weakened and faulty as a consequence of original sin. This is the root cause of the difficulty we have in mastering ourselves.
What is the result of losing the struggle? – sin.

Sin is when I lose this personal conflict by giving my will – heart, mind, body and soul, over to satan in preference to giving it to our all merciful and loving God. When put in the proper context of what it is, a slap of Christ’s face as He hangs suffering in torment upon the cross, sin is objectively the most hideous and reprehensible of acts. Yet, I end up sinning time and again.
Only an infinitely kind, loving, forgiving and merciful God could ever put up with a sinner like me.

St. Thomas Aquinas says that the soul is made up of three components - the Memory, Intellect and Will.
Notice what is not in this list – the carnal, the illogical, the emotional, the disordered parts of my being.

Since Adam and Eve, our very existence has been a play on the conflict between spirit and flesh, each struggling for dominance, one over the other.
Keeping this in mind, it is very important to put things in perspective – we will not win every battle. Therefore, we must focus on winning the war. This war can only be won by persevering. Persevere by keeping focused on God who is our goal.
The devil tries to distract us, keeping our attention focused away from God and all things heavenly.

This is the pattern for habitual failure in this struggle:

1) I begin to lose focus on God.
(How? By not praying enough. Getting distracted with worldly things so that, little by little, I end up spending my entire day on everything else, without having given any of it to God.)

2) I allow my carnal nature to take hold of my being. (How? - by allowing satan to push God to the background and my disordered passions to the foreground. Here, satan, the patient spider, gains a foothold.)

3) I begin to allow sinful memories to resurface and take root. (This is the next step of satan’s three-pronged attack on our souls.)

4) I allow satan to possess a stronger presence in my intellect than does almighty God. (At this point, God is all but forgotten and my focus – the intellect and will, is now fully under satan’s control and manipulation.)

5) I fall.

Watch for the telltale signs of imminent failure. Specifically, be constantly aware of the first step, losing focus on God. Are you setting specific and regular time aside daily, both morning and evening, for prayer and meditation? If you haven’t, start now.
Watch for satan’s subtleties in working to distract and confuse. He is the master magician, the master manipulator of the sleight of hand who works tirelessly to get you to look away from God and at the pleasures of the world.
Don’t entertain, whatsoever, any sinful thoughts or recall any sinful memories. This is so important and critical to being victorious in this effort!
If you sense any of these things beginning to happen to you – RUN, and I mean RUN back to God!

Which side will win? - whichever aspect of our being that we really want to win. But never forget that we can’t win on our own. On our own we can only fail. But, with Almighty God, all things, including victory over these demons, are possible.

In the month of Mary, our Blessed Mother, may God bless all who pass here.
paul@pornnomore.com