A Question about Pornography

[A Believer 89]

All,

Hello, I am a recent convert into Catholicism, in fact I was baptized and confirmed on Easter! Definitely a highlight of my life thus far. For years I've looked at pornography off and on, and then as I started to take RCIA I took significant steps into blocking it on all my devices. I had occasional slip ups of course. I had been good for nearly two weeks until today when I out of some urge, as I was not fully even conscious of what I was doing, looked to see if a popular internet board (Reddit) would pass through my filter. Without being fully aware of what I was doing, I stumbled into a pornographic thread on the site out of habit. I immediately backed out, but one cannot unsee it. I then checked again with a different type to see if that too passed the filter, and it did, which I backed out and manually put it into my filter on my phone. I then logged onto my pc to see if the same exploit was possible against my filter, and it was. The looking at images had to have been no longer than 5-10 seconds cumulative, and the later parts were trying to ensure my filter would prevent longer term slip ups in the future. So I did see the same page several times for a half second or so as I ensured my filter was doing its job. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure they say.

So my question is have I committed a mortal sin? I attend daily mass in the mornings, but confession is not until Saturdays at my parish. Do I need to confess this before I can receive the Eucharist again? I understand that viewing pornography is indeed grave matter, but I did not do it consciously, and the other times were focused in my peripheral vision as I was trying to stop myself from doing so again in the future. I hope to get past this so I don't ever have to make a post like this again.

Any opinions from my Catholic brothers and sisters would be greatly appreciated.

 

[stuart lawrence]

All,

Hello, I am a recent convert into Catholicism, in fact I was baptized and confirmed on Easter! Definitely a highlight of my life thus far. For years I've looked at pornography off and on, and then as I started to take RCIA I took significant steps into blocking it on all my devices. I had occasional slip ups of course. I had been good for nearly two weeks until today when I out of some urge, as I was not fully even conscious of what I was doing, looked to see if a popular internet board (Reddit) would pass through my filter. Without being fully aware of what I was doing, I stumbled into a pornographic thread on the site out of habit. I immediately backed out, but one cannot unsee it. I then checked again with a different type to see if that too passed the filter, and it did, which I backed out and manually put it into my filter on my phone. I then logged onto my pc to see if the same exploit was possible against my filter, and it was. The looking at images had to have been no longer than 5-10 seconds cumulative, and the later parts were trying to ensure my filter would prevent longer term slip ups in the future. So I did see the same page several times for a half second or so as I ensured my filter was doing its job. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure they say.

So my question is have I committed a mortal sin? I attend daily mass in the mornings, but confession is not until Saturdays at my parish. Do I need to confess this before I can receive the Eucharist again? I understand that viewing pornography is indeed grave matter, but I did not do it consciously, and the other times were focused in my peripheral vision as I was trying to stop myself from doing so again in the future. I hope to get past this so I don't ever have to make a post like this again.

Any opinions from my Catholic brothers and sisters would be greatly appreciated.

May a non catholic pass a comment?
Your heart is in the right place, you are trying to stop viewing pornography, I'm sure that's what matters to God.
For three weeks before I got married I was living with my soon to be wife. I told our minister I felt guilty at this as we were not yet married( though I had nowhere else to live)
The minister smiled and said:
God knows your heart, he knows you want to get married to do what is right in his sight, don't worry.

We could discuss mortal sin, but such theological discussion may be best put to one side.

 

[A Believer 89]

May a non catholic pass a comment?
Your heart is in the right place, you are trying to stop viewing pornography, I'm sure that's what matters to God.
For three weeks before I got married I was living with my soon to be wife. I told our minister I felt guilty at this as we were not yet married( though I had nowhere else to live)
The minister smiled and said:
God knows your heart, he knows you want to get married to do what is right in his sight, don't worry.

We could discuss mortal sin, but such theological discussion may be best put to one side.

Stuart,

Thank you for the kind words and the perspective you've given me!

 

[stuart lawrence]

Stuart,

Thank you for the kind words and the perspective you've given me!

Your welcome
God bless

 

[Saucy]

I agree with Stuart! Non-Catholic here, so they might have something different to say, but God knows we struggle. He fully understands and knows you're trying. It would be different if you were trying to excuse your sin and try to make it perfectly okay.

 

[JesusLovesOurLady]

All,

Hello, I am a recent convert into Catholicism, in fact I was baptized and confirmed on Easter! Definitely a highlight of my life thus far. For years I've looked at pornography off and on, and then as I started to take RCIA I took significant steps into blocking it on all my devices. I had occasional slip ups of course. I had been good for nearly two weeks until today when I out of some urge, as I was not fully even conscious of what I was doing, looked to see if a popular internet board (Reddit) would pass through my filter. Without being fully aware of what I was doing, I stumbled into a pornographic thread on the site out of habit. I immediately backed out, but one cannot unsee it. I then checked again with a different type to see if that too passed the filter, and it did, which I backed out and manually put it into my filter on my phone. I then logged onto my pc to see if the same exploit was possible against my filter, and it was. The looking at images had to have been no longer than 5-10 seconds cumulative, and the later parts were trying to ensure my filter would prevent longer term slip ups in the future. So I did see the same page several times for a half second or so as I ensured my filter was doing its job. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure they say.

So my question is have I committed a mortal sin? I attend daily mass in the mornings, but confession is not until Saturdays at my parish. Do I need to confess this before I can receive the Eucharist again? I understand that viewing pornography is indeed grave matter, but I did not do it consciously, and the other times were focused in my peripheral vision as I was trying to stop myself from doing so again in the future. I hope to get past this so I don't ever have to make a post like this again.

Any opinions from my Catholic brothers and sisters would be greatly appreciated.

You should speak to your priest about this, I can't say for sure, but I know when I did those things it was mortal sin. My fallible opinion is that, if you fall into another sexual sin within the next 24 hours, than this is definitely a mortal sin, however even if you don't that doesn't mean for sure you're not in a state of mortal sin, you should still see a priest.

 

[Stabat Mater dolorosa]

Talk it over with your priest in spiritual guidance both inside and outside of the confessional.
There isnt always so easycut as to say "play with yourself and youll be burning" in hell you know?

Ive had and still do have a problem with pornography and lust, masturbation and the Whole package and I spoke this over with my confessor (a dominican monk) that said that in my case it wasnt and couldnt be a mortal sin because (this and that).
Its not to say I have a freepass so to speak, but Im not forced to confessing my filth week in and week out in the confessional.

Talk this over with your confessor, I urge you