Mortification of the Mind

We have to ask God to Help Us

As St. Paul says, our battle is not against mere flesh and blood but against principalities and powers. These struggles between the carnal and the spiritual converge in the realm of the mind.
Our most fearsome and dangerous enemy knows that our victory or defeat lies in the space between our own two ears.

It is the mastery of mind, then, that holds the key to success in recovery from sexual addiction.

Our Lord Jesus taught and urged us to mortification – habitual self-denial.
He urged fasting to deny the body physical pleasures, be it food, drink or any other satisfaction in order that the heart, mind and soul can be brought to bear on things transcendental and eternal.

He said, “If our eye causes us to sin, pluck it out.”
This is meant, figuratively of course, to point out the necessity of avoiding the near occasion of sin – occasions that are visual, material, situational and, most especially, mental.
Jesus is telling us just how important it is that we mortify our own minds.

Especially for the sexual addict, satan, our enemy, knows all too well that such mental mortification is much easier said than done.
Without the defects inherent within us as a consequence of original sin, each person would possess complete mastery over his or her own heart, mind, body and soul.
Because of original sin, humanity lost this innate mastery. As a result, we must struggle and battle fiercely in order to obtain the smallest victory over ourselves.

The devil works hard to control and manipulate our flesh because his success in bringing us to destruction and damnation depends entirely on our own weakness and tendency toward vice.

What this is leading to is simply to emphasize that in order to achieve victory over sexual addiction, denial of the body is of paramount importance. Yet, denial of the flesh cannot be complete without first having achieved victory over the mind. For it is the mind that leads the body to do good or evil.

Two Weapons

As Catholics, we have the advantage of having two powerful weapons at our disposal.
These are prayer and the sacraments.
Victory over our own minds and bodies can only be accomplished through consistent, ongoing, long-term practice of both prayer and reception of the sacraments, most especially the Sacrament of Reconciliation – Confession.
We really and truly do need a lot of Confession – Confession - Confession.

It is important to understand that God’s grace is cumulative.
That is, the more we receive, the more that we are able to persevere in seeking to obtain God’s grace, the more divine grace builds upon itself.
The reason satan works hard to keep people distracted by sports, entertainment and all other sorts of social activities is to keep us away from Holy Mass and the Sacraments. He knows that by keeping us away from the fountain of God’s grace, he can maintain a strong hold on our bodies, our minds and our souls. In this spiritually weakened condition, we are helpless against satan and, in fact, we are mere playthings to him as he tosses us about, bound in chains of slavery to sin, at his evil whim and pleasure.

This hideous and frightening image illustrates just how completely dependent the sexually addicted are upon the grace and mercies of God. For He alone has the power to rescue us from this pit of sin, and from the grasp and snares of satan.

But, we have to ask.
We have to ask God to help us.
Contrary to what many believe, God does not force Himself or His graces and mercy upon us.
He requires that we first acknowledge our weaknesses, helplessness, failures and, thus, our complete dependency upon Him for our healing and salvation.
Almighty God is glorified through our weakness and helplessness. In its proper perspective, one could consider that his or her own addiction may well find its origin in the Divine Will for this very purpose – to show us our weakness, frailty, sinfulness and fractured nature when exposed to the power of evil, and the commensurate need to acknowledge our littleness and humility before the majesty and mercy of God. Only then will His healing graces begin to flow into us.
Our very salvation sprouts from this sacred combination of admitted human sinfulness and Divine assistance freely given.

This is why perseverance is so very, very, very important in this battle.
The moment we stop fighting, the enemy has conquered, God loses another soul intended for the glory of Heaven and we reap nothing but eternal damnation.
No mental image, no video, no magazine, no adulterous affair is worth the loss or your soul.
But, no one can do this for you. You have to make the commitment.
The time is now to begin your own daily discipline of mortification of the mind.

paul for PornNoMore.com