Other videos that might be helpful to all those who are sincerely looking for healing: ua-cam.com/video/vx_iMIqQPL4/v-deo.htmlsi=sbULlC7F0WBQpnvY ua-cam.com/video/oMyK0A2hDUs/v-deo.htmlsi=aSYt1IqPLWKaSR-Q ua-cam.com/video/ibgvvEm1Rok/v-deo.htmlsi=fKwggZ3gHmaRQ76V
Christopher, these Videos might not have a very wide reach in UA-cam-terms, but I want you to know, that they are deeply meaningful to me, and really go a long way, because they affected the way I go about my daily life, how I treat others, how I love my girlfriend. Thank you very much. J.
We all have but one essence, one storehouse of energy located at the base of the spine. This energy rises as our soul matures eventually trying to reach our crown. When we masturbate we deplete our essence and for a moments pleasure our soul once again does not ascend...................Falun Dafa
@@dawei227 have you listened to his conversation with Pints w Aquinas? They spend about 5 hours over 2 podcasts breaking this stuff down, and its soooo good.
We all have but one essence, one storehouse of energy located at the base of the spine. This energy rises as our soul matures eventually trying to reach our crown. When we masturbate we deplete our essence and for a moments pleasure our soul once again does not ascend...................Falun Dafa
Thank God for your ministry, Christopher! So many, like myself, feel the inevitable shame and disorder that comes with masturbation, and it’s especially difficult when we’re so easily exposed to pornography (in some form or another) as young adolescents. Habits get formed around it and it even becomes an addiction, and a secret shame to contend with. The way that you’ve developed this theology of the body has been immensely helpful in increasing my understanding for something which I instinctively (and even biblically) knew, but have had a difficult time confronting effectively. Please keep up your great work, and pray for us who struggle against ourselves! May God bless all your endeavors, they’re so valuable.
We all have but one essence, one storehouse of energy located at the base of the spine. This energy rises as our soul matures eventually trying to reach our crown. When we masturbate we deplete our essence and for a moments pleasure our soul once again does not ascend...................Falun Dafa
I always find videos like this just after I stumble and fall. I too became addicted to this sin and even though I've turned to Christ and trust him I still struggle with this.
But believing in Christ and still committing such sin, what do you think of it? Because I am also in such a condition: I believe in God but I can't just stop masturbating and I don't know what to do or what to think.
We all have but one essence, one storehouse of energy located at the base of the spine. This energy rises as our soul matures eventually trying to reach our crown. When we masturbate we deplete our essence and for a moments pleasure our soul once again does not ascend...................Falun Dafa
That’s a lot and dangerous, kudos to your honesty If not a wife or long term gf right now, get a Christian brother or Christian direct family member to help w app like Qustodio etc (blocks perversion your from theirs; will have to block Settings too) Read one chapter of Gospels daily, pray one rosary daily and go to Adoration one hour a week bringing NT Avoid highly questionable & shallow ‘divine mercy’ devotion (not infallible) Tricks some laity to skip AM prayers and gradually skip into Presumption Real Jesus says Sin no more (especially mortal sin like pornography; masturbation often venial if releasing persistent urge)
I have struggled with these sins of impurity for most of my life and have been trying to find and befriend more brothers in the Catholic Church who relate to me and also who would want to strive together to overcome these sins with God's grace and for the love and glory of God. To be honest I am tired of small talk with anyone in general and I want meaningful relationships that try their hardest with genuine intentionality to fight these sins and build their relationship with God. It has been very frustrating because I would think that my desire for the vocation of marriage with a future wife is worthless because of the severe exposure and repeated sinful acts I have fallen into. Even with priesthood I am somewhat open to it but for most of my life I always had a passionately objective and subjective desire for the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony. This really is just a heartfelt exposure of my heart but maybe this can reach others who have possibly felt the same. God Bless you Christopher and for this ministry and May God Bless all of You!
We all have but one essence, one storehouse of energy located at the base of the spine. This energy rises as our soul matures eventually trying to reach our crown. When we masturbate we deplete our essence and for a moments pleasure our soul once again does not ascend...................Falun Dafa
I have asked St. Joseph to help me be a proper man and I believe through his intercession that God has brought me to you. I devoured your interview with Matt Fradd. In it you talk about all of our organs having their own functions, and the genitals' function being generation. So I wondered why of all the organs the genitals can be so hard to master. I'm sure our culture of pornography and objectification has a lot to do with it, but people have been masturbating and fornicating all throughout history as far as I know. Well, then I thought, what if we haven't mastered our other organs as much as we think we have? The eyes are meant to see, but we look indiscriminately at everything. The ears are meant to hear, but we are not careful about what we listen to. The lungs are meant to breathe but do we breathe to properly nourish our bodies with oxygen or do we breathe quickly and shallowly in response to this stressful world of ours? I've noticed that the more I invite Christ into my life, the less tolerance I have for profanity, in images and especially in speech. When people use f-bombs like commas, I feel myself wilting inside. Anyway, those are some thoughts I wanted to share. Thank you for all that you do.
We all have but one essence, one storehouse of energy located at the base of the spine. This energy rises as our soul matures eventually trying to reach our crown. When we masturbate we deplete our essence and for a moments pleasure our soul once again does not ascend...................Falun Dafa
Thank you. Last summer (2022) i successfully stopped masturbating for many months until December. I fell into sin and have been struggling. Now that it is Lent i’m making it my goal to once and for all stop this addiction. Going back to the confessional. It’s still the first week of Lent, but i haven’t masturbated since the day before Ash Wednesday. And i would like to keep it that way. Thank you for these videos and the channel.
@@vigneshiyer4334 this guy. Jesus also never said there was gonna be a bible compiled in the council of Rome that was canonized by the bishops, nor did he name the writers of the gospels, nor did he say which books were in the bible. but.. we still have a bible? weird, huh?
@@christophersalinas2722 No weird. He said go spread the good news. That's enough. Whatever was needed, those things were done by His disciples and followers. God has spoken and nobody can change that. His truth, His Word will spread and His sheeps will listen to His voice... Printing, binding, creating insta group, whatsapp group are all secondary and not even important here.
@@christophersalinas2722 Agreed, we're not depended upon that council of Rome's conclusions as to cannonization. We can review the reasons and logic used to come up with their conclusions and confirm or reject them for ourselves. For instance, we know that the gospel of James is from the Gnostics, but Theology of the Body Institute reads as if it is official. We can look at the data ourselves. We can review the historical records and the various opinions of different church fathers.
I just want to know, have you stopped masturbating? Please be sincere to me because I really want to know about myself too. I find it so difficult to stop it due to the situation I am into.
Thanks A Lot sir! You just don't make a video on UA-cam, but you are changing so many lives, including mine. You're a God given gift and a true servant of Jesus! God Bless You sir 💖 Greetings from Philippines
We all have but one essence, one storehouse of energy located at the base of the spine. This energy rises as our soul matures eventually trying to reach our crown. When we masturbate we deplete our essence and for a moments pleasure our soul once again does not ascend...................Falun Dafa
This is wonderful. Mr. West, thank you for examining these questions and being vulnerable to talk openly about your experience with these topics, with the goal of pointing us towards God. I struggled with this sin for a while and am gaining self-control as I surrender my desires to Christ. Masturbation is lifeless and a distortion of God’s design of the connecting and loving power of sex.
We all have but one essence, one storehouse of energy located at the base of the spine. This energy rises as our soul matures eventually trying to reach our crown. When we masturbate we deplete our essence and for a moments pleasure our soul once again does not ascend...................Falun Dafa
I am that rare find, ask me anything and I will do my very best. We all have but one essence, one storehouse of energy located at the base of the spine. This energy rises as our soul matures eventually trying to reach our crown. When we masturbate we deplete our essence and for a moments pleasure our soul once again does not ascend...................Falun Dafa
Great video and well relayed. It's a interesting thought and appreciate hearing it explained in this way. Of course, dependent on situation life can feel numbing if one has loved someone and not looking at them as an object but do have a passion for only them to be rejected on a constant basis. As a married man, this presents a feeling of rejection and a burning passion that cannot be resolved. Overtime the weariness of this can take its toll. Finding release (without indulging in visuals) but of the thought of there own wife becomes the action taken and unfortunately don't have any alternative as forcing oneself on the other is never the answer. No matter how romantic or patient it still ends the same...untouched. Sadly the mental toll that can take makes life of anxiety and the sense of being unloved because as a man the physical act is necessary in a marriage (of course without pushing that expectation or forcing) and what's left is releasing as there's no other option because there is no answer in finding that with another person or lusting through pictures or videos. 7 years and counting...the battle I face everyday after trying to give it to the Lord I feel at this point has no answer until the day I move on to my eternal home. I do appreciate your video as many will be helped.
This is a very good video that outlines from a natural law perspective why masturbation is intrinsically disordered in every circumstance. Perhaps this question is a bit more pragmatic, but for a single male who is currently not seeking out a relationship right now, for various reasons, what are the best PRACTICAL steps one can take to, putting it bluntly, never masturbate EVERY again? This has often troubled me because while I agree with the Church's teaching that masturbation is illogical, absurd, and sinful...it's also a mortal sin. And, I would add, probably next to pornography, the most common mortal sin people fall into. And yet, I don't hear, at least in my experience, much practical "how to never masturbate" guides out there even among Catholic circles. If anyone is willing to illuminate me feel free, any resources books, or something. Presumably, there is someone out there who has not masturbated in years, whether married or not. I'm interested in exactly what they did to achieve this.
Why do you do it,? If it's porn... Don't watch porn. If it's women... And this is the tricky one, but I've done it.... Don't look at women's junk. Yes, you have to look at where you going... But if you see something worth looking at twice... Look away. That's the trick.
@@Kitiwake yes that is the trick my brother and I were talking about. I haven’t watched pornography in probably 3-4 years now, but I do find myself falling likely because I have a habit of just glancing at women and not realizing it. You don’t realize it but it can weigh in your subconscious and then when you fall, even if you haven’t watched anything explicit, your mind can use all that stimuli as “mental ammunition” we’ll call it which can lead to temptations for sure. I guess the only tricky thing with that is literally anything could be a turn on and some things you just happen to see unexpectedly; so you can get a bit neurotic trying to monitor it 24/7..:but I imagine that’s probably one solution for sure. I suppose, it’s like most things, if you really want to be chaste, you’ll find my way.
It’s complicated. I don’t think we can conquer this sin through or with our flesh. That just makes it a WORK. I believe this Brother is on the right track. All of us need to be educated on why this is WRONG. It is a disorder and we have been in darkness about it all our lives. Being ashamed, feeling guilty or beating our body into submission ultimately does nothing for us for very long. So, what can we do? One thing that might help is transparency and confession with a good, Christian Brother or sister (if you are female). All of us don’t want others to know that we masturbate, so we hide it. There is a funny saying that 99% of men masturbate and the other 1% are liars.🤣 Honesty with the right Brother or Sister in the Lord could be a place to start. That’s why I am here, I am looking for honesty,fellowship and guidance. Talking about it helps! I have so much more to say on the subject… Please feel free to message me any time. I would like to know your thoughts! God bless you.❤️
So what if you are single and don't have someone to express that "disciplined wildness" with? The church (likely wrongly) taught that in marriage there would be that relief of having sex whenever with your spouse which isn't always true, so there's gotta be a more productive solution, both to the issue of loneliness (which is what makes me abandon my discipline and seek that gratification) and in actually seeking that relief, because I find this bunch of theory that you speak pretty ineffective in actually helping.
Excellent! I wish we could clone you and put you in every church! This is a subject that has been mostly ignored and passed over and should never have been ignored. Thank you!
Thank you for this video and all your work. I have a question: When we say: the main function of eyes is to see, the function of ears is to listen/hear. So what's the main function of our genitalia? Clearly every sane person will answer "to create new life" . So doing something different with your genitalia is disorder. But what if someone says "ok, the main function of my ears is to listen/hear but I can also pierce(?) my ears, and I can paint my eyes and that's not a disorder but just another additional thing I can do to my ears/eyes. Same way I can also masturbate or whatever with my genitalia: it is not the main function but neither is a disorder, just something additional we can do. How can we answer to that? I hope you could help me. I am always having conversations with my friends about the problems and consequences of masturbation, sex outside marriage, etc. God bless.
You first, the Lord helps those...We all have but one essence, one storehouse of energy located at the base of the spine. This energy rises as our soul matures eventually trying to reach our crown. When we masturbate we deplete our essence and for a moments pleasure our soul once again does not ascend...................Falun Dafa
So, what if no one wants my gift?!!! You were right when you said it is a form of self-pity. And I know it's sin. But I just feel like, if no one else wants me this is the only thing I have. It sucks, but I don't know what to do about it. I mean, I think I could maybe manage the discipline part if I had any hope that there might be a relationship some day. But I'm almost 50, no one wants to marry me, and I went to three different communities of religious sisters and they didn't want me either. I have a LOT to give and am great at relationships in all other areas. But when it comes to making a vow to be there for life, no one wants that with me, not nuns or a man. I am very much alone in this area. And now I have to surrender this thing as well. I am trying but this heart break always gets in the way.
This was an incredibly brave thing to share and I applaud you for being so open about it. You're definitely not alone and it would be great if this specific angle on the issue would be addressed. I'm sure it is with your confessor and in spiritual direction, but it would be very nice if there was more open acknowledgement that, in the 21st Century, the chances for real Catholic marriages are not spectacular. To the other point, I understand why religious communities have the rules (pardon the pun) they do concerning late vocations; however, it can certainly feel like there's no real place for someone who is unmarried and over 35. The water gets deep on this and a host of things influence the situation, but I have to think that there are SO MANY people with the obstacles/frustrations your comment points to that communities would rethink their longstanding "policies." I wish that I had wisdom or comfort on this. If I did, I would be happy to share it. Three Aves for you, though, and a hearty echo that a real look into what you've mentioned above will be my contribution for now. Peace be with you and Maria!
@@Bryanpjc these words are so kind and generous. Just reading that someone understands a bit gives me courage. A couple of years ago God showed me that i should offer up this cross for priests who, though fully committed to the celibate aspect of their vocation, may find it hard to live without companionship. When I Do this it softens the pain a bit. I guess I haven't been faithful to it lately and need to go back to it. Thank you for your willingness to look into this situation as you said. I feel like we humans can get through anything if we know we are not alone so I'm very thankful for the mystical Body of Christ. Peace and blessings to you.
@@Bryanpjc on rereading I think that you meant you are hoping the issue will be looked at more carefully by people in general not specifically by you or I. I second that. I hope someday someone will help and give more focus to the lives of single people who often feel they don't have a vocation. Appreciate your.prayers and concern.
@@Bryanpjc Bryan, that was a very kind and compassionate response to Felicia's post. I TOTALLY relate to her situation. I am older than Felicia, and I have an otherwise fulfilling life. I am very involved in my parish and in outreach. I also tried several religious orders with the same result as Felicia's. Peace. I have a longstanding diagnosis of depression and asked a priest once about whether that means the severity of the sin is lessened, not for reasons of rationalization (as he suspected I was looking for a loophole, but for confessing a venial or mortal sin and the reception of the Eucharist. I had asked him what the meaning of the second paragraph of #2352 in the Catechism was and how to understand it because I struggle with the sin and have asked for grace and help from God through St. Joseph and Mary. I have been treated professionally for the depression with therapy and medication for more than 15 years. Anyway, grace and peace to you, Bryan, for your kind responses.
Oooohhh I felt that Felicia! Yes, it can be extremely tiring and frustrating listening to well intentioned moralizers, especially on the issue of sexuality, when most if not all haven't experienced the soul crushing loneliness you describe. It's all fine and dandy living the ideal until life crushes your spirit to such a point it makes you question the very existence of the ideal. However, the Truth is the Truth and we can only do our best to seek, find and live it! May God bless you with joy, peace and love (whatever form it may present itself in your life).
I can attest that, while masturbation satisfies the superficial, biological urge, it fosters isolation, callousness. Having a whole 'nother person there, with a whole 'nother body, mind, heart and soul, is more wholly fulfilling.
Thank you brother again for another very good wonderful message talk. Praise God everything you said is so true and righton . Amen. Praise the Lord its all very inspirational meaningful comforting helpful possitive and very encouraging to us all in the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.Thankyou keep up the good work in the Lord for helping us all. God bless you .Amen.
We all have but one essence, one storehouse of energy located at the base of the spine. This energy rises as our soul matures eventually trying to reach our crown. When we masturbate we deplete our essence and for a moments pleasure our soul once again does not ascend...................Falun Dafa
What if I know all this, what if I’ve come to know this only in the last few years, I’m happily married, 3 kids made intentionally in love, we are devoted to each other and the church, and I no longer look at pornography. Yet, I desire my wife, but she’s not interested. Not interested for months. Many, many months. Yet I desire her deeply. Only her. Then I slip up. Fall into sin. I confess and the cycle repeats. What then? Honestly?
It sucks when God gave you sexual desires but he doesn't always provide an outlet. Enduring that level of frustration for years and years gets very exhausting. Even in marriage it never goes away because by and large women have less desire than men (unless you get lucky and marry a nympho). There are many ways I just wish I had no desire or interest in sex at all because I just can't be satisfied. It's like always being hungry but you never know if another meal is in store for you. And having to fast for long periods of time gets extremely frustrating. It shouldn't be this way. I wish men and women would just give each other what they wanted in marriage. Why not?
Wow! Excellent video Christopher! Thank you! When a man stops “dancing with himself” through God grace, does this automatically lead to stopping in treating women or his wife as a means to end? Or what else can a man do to do reach this heavenly experience with his wife?
We all have but one essence, one storehouse of energy located at the base of the spine. This energy rises as our soul matures eventually trying to reach our crown. When we masturbate we deplete our essence and for a moments pleasure our soul once again does not ascend...................Falun Dafa
If there is a downshot to coupled sex, it's the fear of relying on someone else to satisfy our desires. When that person is not there, for whatever reason, either because they're simply unavailable due to being temporarily busy, or because they've betrayed us in infidelity, or because they've passed away, it hurts something fierce. The more intense the bond of love and pleasure, the more intense the pain of loss! The task, therefore, then becomes bravery, a willingness to endure pain, to achieve totally fulfilling pleasure.
While in the act, the Holy Spirit said loudly: “SELF FORNICATION”. (SEE: 1 Cor 6:18, 1 Cor 7:2, Gal 5:19-21, Eph 5:3, 1 Thes 4:3). May you FLEE as I did…
What irks me is Jesus made us in His image...He gratified Himself did He not? In Genesis God creates man and woman on the sixth day and says "it is good"...so my question is WHY did God create people to begin with??? There has to be more than just He spreads His love and wants us to love Him! What is the point of all of this? Or is it all one big experiment??
Thank you so much Christopher for sharing the beautiful message of Theology of the Body! I am really struggling with my purity at the moment. I was doing alright before lockdown, I used to go to Mass almost everyday. But now I feel that I am really struggling with my thoughts and actions. I feel very shameful of my thoughts, but it is so hard to resist thinking about impure things. Thank you for reminding me that my body is a temple of the Holy Spirit and that I was made for more. God bless you!
Ive been catholic for almost a year and still struggling. I ran across a channel called to more. Theres a monk that has a series of lessons and one of them was on this topic, it has some nuisance in his teachings that is really working for me. Only gave in 1 day last week! My whole life i was a Protestant, i never heard masterbation was sinful nor the vasectomy i got years ago. So much has changed
Welcome home, brother! You're on quite a journey. Keep going deeper in the the fullness and beauty of the Catholic Church, we're praying for you. If you'd be open to it, we recommend this book written by Christopher: shop.corproject.com/products/good-news-about-sex-and-marriage
@@TheologyoftheBodyInstitute Thanks for the recommendation! Ive been hearing the name christopher west for some time, just recently stumbled onto him, The tilma of Guadeloupe talk with matt fradds family. Excellent material and right where i need to be. I dont have any catholics in my life so im always wondering if there’s more i should be doing. Id kill to have a catholic in my family i could visit and see how they live the faith. Its 90% conceptual to me if im honest. Protestants have so little structure and catholics seem to have it in abundance
Fair and understandable. But father, I have a question. How do you make the urges, tensions in the body, and brain go away when you are nofap programs and stuff like that? I think everybody can agree that when feeling sexual desires, you almost feel like you are in shackles and more or less out of control. We need teachings that are practical and useful in every way, given how hard it has become, especially for us young men in the modern society.
Hello! Thank you for your honest question. These videos might help: ua-cam.com/video/vx_iMIqQPL4/v-deo.htmlsi=sbULlC7F0WBQpnvY ua-cam.com/video/ibgvvEm1Rok/v-deo.htmlsi=fKwggZ3gHmaRQ76V ua-cam.com/video/oMyK0A2hDUs/v-deo.htmlsi=aSYt1IqPLWKaSR-Q
I agree sex should be open to procreation, but my wife walked out of our 28 year 4 children marrage 20 years ago. I am not free to remarry,, as she is still alive. On the other hand, if we were still to-gether as she is now beyond child bearing years, procreation no longer applies. Idealy I should be living a celibate life style, but I never chose to be celibate, and Im not an angel or a saint.............yet. Running out of time,79 today. Sorry for my imperfection.
Saying that this is the "purpose of something" and then saying "because this is the purpose of something you can't do that with it" is... not sure I can find that right word for it but here's an illustration: Say you have a car optimised for the city, let's say an EV. It is advertised as "designed to be a runaround, doesn't cause pollution. It's has a range of 200km but the battery recharges quickly because it's small". It's like saying "you CANNOT use that EV in the country. It is ABSOLUTELY not allowed". But you can use it in the country. As long as you don't drive too far and get out of range of recharging stations and so on, there is nothing wrong with using it in the country. Also this argument of "sex is supposed to be a giving thing . You are giving pleasure to your partner". I've heard this used a lot. Again... really? So (I'm presuming you are married) do you mean to say there is NO TAKING AT ALL in marital sex? Never? So you have to not enjoy yourself at all? You must just make the other person enjoy themselves? Please don't tell me you only do that in your marriage. Come on, be real. It's give and take. Like most things. Again, this is like saying "by eating chocolate, I am am giving myself pleasure, therefore eating chocolate is selfish". OK no more eating chocolate. Talking of young people, this not just an itch, this is a RAGING desire. I remember when I was 18... it was insane. Medically, a mans body is designed to release semen on a regular basis. And if you don't, the desire builds up to mammoth proportions. It's no joke. This is just a fact. You can't deny it. To do that would be like saying "the sky is green" Is there anywhere in the bible that addresses this? YES. Leviticus 15. Emissions of semen are normal. The passage clearly separates out the case of man on his own and a couple. It's not a nocturnal emission. That is specified in another passage in Deuteronomy. It can only mean 1 thing. You are allowed to release yourself. That is BIBLICAL. It is not "disorder". It is God's design. That is black and white in the Word of God. Now am I saying porn is OK? No. As for the level of sexual thought involved in masturbation, I am not condoning anything. Must you do it with a blank mind? To be honest, I don't actually know the answers to those questions. But I do know you are allowed to release yourself. So I think single Christians should not feel condemned about it. It's nothing to worry about. And Leviticus 15 disproves all your grandiose theories.
Much love for your giving clarity the world doesn't offer but as not only a spiritually broker person but also monetarily I ask please make preparations for when you have finacially all you need and finally, much later hopefully, retire from ministry that your Full Courses with all the Glory therein be made free and available on the internet for everyone. It would be beyond shame if these gifts were not made available like that... if I am still alive I hope to be able to echo their truth fully. Amen.
This was a really good teaching. This is better than going to some churches that only want your money... Thank you. It was a really good point saying that men can not see women as objects to fulfil their desires. Nevertheless, some woman are okay on that because of how much they enjoy sex too and they also share fetishes and so on. Can you tell me where is the mistake in that situation? Lets say that in their other aspects of their lives they are okay...
could someone explain me what exactly is self-disciplined wildness ?? why wildness? the term reminds me of animalistic wildness and on other vid the author criticizes "doing IT like they do It on discovery channel" 🤔 I'm very confused 🥴
But you say that masturbation is a sin but some other religion say that is not so I don’t know who to believe I know foreshore that god will tell me the truth
So I actually agree with a lot of this video. The part that I do not agree with is calling masturbations a sin, I think that is evil. It is not scriptural. It comes from Augustine's belief that sex was evil (the guy who slept with prostitutes mind you). There is no scripture to even support calling masturbation a sin or instructions to not do it. If it were a sin, it would have been spoken of in the Torah or NT. The Torah was 100% aware of masturbation and never declared it a sin. Leviticus 15:16-18 even mentions emissions and puts in the same category as sex with a women, and it doesn't call either a sin. The dangers of masturbation is what we do with it (i.e. porn, lusting, ect). Kids get wet dreams and have overwhelming urges. I went through it, and I'm sure Jesus (made like us) had to deal with it too. Teaching them that they're dirty little sinners because of how God made them is wrong and evil. It is pharisaical legalism. Helping them to focus on how God wants us to use our sexuality is what we should be doing. Teaching them how to prepare themselves for their future spouses and how to give themselves fully to their spouse is good and very needed. I say this as a man who believes that in marriage we should give all of our sexuality to our spouse. Orgasm for women is way more complicated than it is for men. It is not a sin for my wife to use it in our relationship. Her sexuality belongs to me and mine to her. And I say all this as a person who has permanently given masturbation to God, as that is what He asked me to do. In my marriage relationship, my masturbation was a sin for many reasons. I didn't understand it then, but I do now. It prevented my wife and I from truly being one flesh and it led my mind to places it shouldn't. By giving it up/to God, I am fully dependent upon her in a way that I had never been before.
It’s complicated. I don’t think we can conquer this sin through or with our flesh. That just makes it a WORK. I believe this Brother is on the right track. All of us need to be educated on why this is WRONG. It is a disorder and we have been in darkness about it all our lives. Being ashamed, feeling guilty or beating our body into submission ultimately does nothing for us for very long. So, what can we do? One thing that might help is transparency and confession with a good, Christian Brother or sister (if you are female). All of us don’t want others to know that we masturbate, so we hide it. There is a funny saying that 99% of men masturbate and the other 1% are liars.🤣 Honesty with the right Brother or Sister in the Lord could be a place to start. That’s why I am here, I am looking for honesty,fellowship and guidance. Talking about it helps! I have so much more to say on the subject… Please feel free to message me any time. I would like to know your thoughts! God bless you.❤️
I never understood it. I tried to because I thought that is what "healthy" is. But it literally is a turn off. Feels stupid. So glad I've found my natural state of celibacy. It is for some. God bless and that God for you temple of your body.
Yea like I understand why the Church teaches what it does, but I do struggle to see why it's mortal, I don't think if a single person did it once in a week or something that it's particularly bad
That's not a sin. It happened to me when I stopped masturbating. Seminal emission is a normal function of the body, because our body needs to release those overstocked semen. The bible says if you had an emission, bath in running water and you'll be unclean till evening, doesn't matter if you're married or not. The word unclean here is not sin, but hygienal uncleanness. Seminal emission alone isn't sinful, it has nothing to do with your morality. The sin is lust and lasciviousness, whether you masturbate or not, sin begins in our heart and mind which are responsible with our morality. Don't be confused with lust and libido. If you desire a woman who's not your wife or any image of a naked body even yours, then it's lust. If you desire to tease someone or to be seen naked, then it's lasciviousness. But if you don't desire anything like that but an urge to release sexual stress, then it's just your libido and your overflowing semen needs to come out. Like the urge you feel when you don't poop for a long time. Seminal emissions are sinful if you refuse to give your wife a child (family planning is an exception), or if it's done with lust and lasciviousness (which these two alone are sin), or if you get addicted to the pleasure of releasing. It's the sin of uncontentment or gluttony, it's more like the sin of idolatry, not lust nor adultery nor sexual immorality (fornication in mind or actual).
Sadly - this is a common thing as a result of sexual abuse. Don't beat yourself up if that's you. God in His mercy will forgive you and understands. Just come to the Sacrament of Confession. I know all this cause I suffered through this. I pray that if you are in a similar situation that you also find a wonderful spiritual director and therapist as I have because I honestly would not be alive if I didn't have them. God sent them to me to help me heal
Good topic, especially for these days. Days where the nuclear family structure has been torn down to the ground purposely, where isolation is part of the plan and where females are programmed to work, not "rely on men" and be like their daddy instead. And days where men are prgrammmed to make females an object. I knew a girl who isolated herself her entire life and loved herself almost daily, admittedy so, and wanted zero to do with a real relationship, despite it being right in front of her face. Probaby the most selfish human being I have ever known.
By this line of reasoning, eating a candy bar is a sin - strictly a self-pleasuring act, not a nourishing one. Likewise with getting a foot rub. Feet are for walking, not for receiving pleasure. Played any sports lately? Sin! Those muscles are meant for working and serving, not for pleasure. The list goes on, of course, but will fall mostly on deaf ears here.
Yes, your message will fall on deaf ears here, and that is because religion itself is the problem. Non-believer ... "Do you know for certain that a god exists? Theologian ... "YES I DO? Non-believer ... Do you know what the god knows? Theologian ... "NO!. I do NOT! What God knows is beyond all human ability TO know." Non-believer ... "Then why are you pretending that you DO know?"
It also would help so much if you are married to someone who also loves our lord Jesus and shares the same view and needs. A perfect world that would be!. The outward energy and focus one has from not masturbating can help us and drive us to make more of an effort to keep reinventing our desire to be part of our spouse's sacred expression of sensuality and love. Perfect, our world is not. So we are left with the need to pray with everything we have to our lord Jesus to hold us up and to give us the gift of his spirit so we can resist that loveless abyss of doubt and lifelong stronghold that masturbation does have on our lives. I'm so mindful of being careful not to hurt anyone here. We are all sinners and are all broken. The love of our lord is always best. If we say, "YES!" to him then his love can truly move any mountain on our way to salvation.
I need an answer to the question: From the perspective of a non-married person, what happens when you stop scratching the itch... they say it's bad for prostate health. Also, does the desire subside and how long does that take?
The desire never really fades away. You have to ask God to transform it, to elevate it. To make you patient, to see how you can help and serve others, instead of using them. For me it took 2 to 3 months. What helped tremendously where these three things to bring to my mind when I am tempted: 1. Jesus paid so much for me. I am *his*. 2. If you start again, it is always good to stop - at any point. 3. God is with you, even when you relapse. He can and will forgive. Prayer is really important in all of this, and although I'm not perfect, I can definitely see the effect it has made on me. Hopefully some of this was helpful to you. God bless you. J. PS: I didn't seem to have Prostate problems so far. :)
@@intedominesperavi6036 I’m gunna be completely honest, I know everything I’m supposed to be doing and I’ve been about 4 weeks without relief. I’ve been wearing the brown scapular, praying the rosary and divine mercy chaplet daily, but it’s staring to get really hard to stay away from this itch. I’m a teenager and I know a lot of people around me do it basically every day and I know I’m not supposed to be like them but I’m really starting to trip up here, I know it’s supposed to be hard but I feel like I’m getting to the point where any excuse I could find ever would be enough to throw me back into it, even if there is no logical excuse
I'm non married, and very rarely scratch the itch. It doesnt go away, but the gaps between cravings grow longer and longer. The intensity actually goes up, but the will power to resist is increased as well. You have to ask God to transform your heart. I tried white knuckling for 10 years and made very little progress and stayed on a plateau for a long time
@@cjmartinez2754 That's okay. Thank you for your honesty. I'm 19. I turn 20 soon. It's still hard sometimes, especially in the morning (when Testosterone-levels are at their highest), or when I'm alone or bored. Start to stop thinking about masturbation as relief. The more I reflected upon it, it is more like Israel wanting to go back into slavery in Egypt, or Lot's wife turning back to Sodom and Gomorrah. There is no nostalgia, even if the enemy would want us to believe that. The most important thing is, that your inner life changes. If the discipline of a scapular, or the Rosary mean something to you, that is fine. But it is more important that you talk directly to God, that you ask him for healing. After all HE is the one that is strong in your weakness. When you pray, be honest (in the sense that you tell God how you *really* feel). You said, that you are not supposed to be like them, but who are you supposed to be like? What are people you admire? Did they also fall from time to time? How did they deal with it? Maybe next time after you pray, you start reading about David. He is so similar to us in so many ways. And finally, I want to assure you that even if you fall, there is nothing that is beyond God's forgiveness, mercy and love! Rest well tonight my friend. J.
@@intedominesperavi6036 wow dude that was incredible thank you for all your words, I’ll try my best to work on what you said. Your awesome and may god bless you
But how do we stop if we're not married? What do we do with this drive? Not to get inappropriate, but I've been battling this myself and...sperm eventually finds a way to release, if you don't release it yourself. And it's rather unpleasant and humiliating....
@Belén Ayelén Marlén Maulén I mean essentially it's just "Get married and have sex!" But that...isn't exactly the easiest for everyone, especially millennials who truly wanna live a traditional catholic life.
@@OrthoLou I have a similar feeling, and it gets a bit difficult to find the strength to carry on. we no longer live in a world where people socialize in the same room, and shared the same worldview. Making friends and finding someone to start a family with, particularly in a Christian context is very much near impossible. I suppose all of this IS meant to be an uphill struggle. It’s already pretty tough being this awkward, speaking for myself here. We’re eventually gonna have to look for one another IRL and live in the real world, man and woman: one flesh, and together in community, as the Lord Christ commanded. We can only keep hope and enthusiasm whatever happens, cultivate and look for virtue in the people you befriend, and ultimately trust God. After all, sex can only become like gruel when we accept the truth of an unimaginable joy that awaits in heaven. Keep fighting the urge because it might be part of our problem in loneliness and most importantly because it turns you away from God. Srry for the rant, felt inspired. 😁
Ok Mr. Tough Guy Now do a video on wives withholding $ex from their faithful husbands, because thats also unbiblical. Bet you wont because the church is petrified to death of women
Other videos that might be helpful to all those who are sincerely looking for healing:
ua-cam.com/video/vx_iMIqQPL4/v-deo.htmlsi=sbULlC7F0WBQpnvY
ua-cam.com/video/oMyK0A2hDUs/v-deo.htmlsi=aSYt1IqPLWKaSR-Q
ua-cam.com/video/ibgvvEm1Rok/v-deo.htmlsi=fKwggZ3gHmaRQ76V
Christopher, these Videos might not have a very wide reach in UA-cam-terms, but I want you to know, that they are deeply meaningful to me, and really go a long way, because they affected the way I go about my daily life, how I treat others, how I love my girlfriend.
Thank you very much.
J.
I can say the same! At a first look I was skeptical about the Theology of the Body but it is indeed very deep and meaningfull.
I'm so happy to hear that!
leave it to a so called Christian "Theologian" to make masturbation sound gay 😆
We all have but one essence, one storehouse of energy located at the base of the spine. This energy rises as our soul matures eventually trying to reach our crown. When we masturbate we deplete our essence and for a moments pleasure our soul once again does not ascend...................Falun Dafa
I'm a protestant, but this is the clearest, most helpful dialogue on the Christian sexual ethic I've heard since Lewis.
Me too but I love his perspective and completely agree
@@dawei227 have you listened to his conversation with Pints w Aquinas? They spend about 5 hours over 2 podcasts breaking this stuff down, and its soooo good.
@@harrisonrakhshani4706 I’ll check it out! Thanks! God bless you my friend.
Me too, and I’m fourth generation COGIC. However, I am Saved. ❤🙏🏻🔥
We all have but one essence, one storehouse of energy located at the base of the spine. This energy rises as our soul matures eventually trying to reach our crown. When we masturbate we deplete our essence and for a moments pleasure our soul once again does not ascend...................Falun Dafa
Thank God for your ministry, Christopher! So many, like myself, feel the inevitable shame and disorder that comes with masturbation, and it’s especially difficult when we’re so easily exposed to pornography (in some form or another) as young adolescents. Habits get formed around it and it even becomes an addiction, and a secret shame to contend with.
The way that you’ve developed this theology of the body has been immensely helpful in increasing my understanding for something which I instinctively (and even biblically) knew, but have had a difficult time confronting effectively.
Please keep up your great work, and pray for us who struggle against ourselves! May God bless all your endeavors, they’re so valuable.
We all have but one essence, one storehouse of energy located at the base of the spine. This energy rises as our soul matures eventually trying to reach our crown. When we masturbate we deplete our essence and for a moments pleasure our soul once again does not ascend...................Falun Dafa
I always find videos like this just after I stumble and fall. I too became addicted to this sin and even though I've turned to Christ and trust him I still struggle with this.
But believing in Christ and still committing such sin, what do you think of it?
Because I am also in such a condition: I believe in God but I can't just stop masturbating and I don't know what to do or what to think.
We all have but one essence, one storehouse of energy located at the base of the spine. This energy rises as our soul matures eventually trying to reach our crown. When we masturbate we deplete our essence and for a moments pleasure our soul once again does not ascend...................Falun Dafa
If your a man..seek a wife.
Thank you for your honesty. I am in a guys christian group that tries to combat this. This is what we say to those that confess and are honest.
That’s a lot and dangerous, kudos to your honesty
If not a wife or long term gf right now, get a Christian brother or Christian direct family member to help w app like Qustodio etc (blocks perversion your from theirs; will have to block Settings too)
Read one chapter of Gospels daily, pray one rosary daily and go to Adoration one hour a week bringing NT
Avoid highly questionable & shallow ‘divine mercy’ devotion (not infallible) Tricks some laity to skip AM prayers and gradually skip into Presumption
Real Jesus says Sin no more (especially mortal sin like pornography; masturbation often venial if releasing persistent urge)
This is such a beautiful and important message Christopher! Thanks so much for sharing your wisdom 🌺🙏🏾🕊
I have struggled with these sins of impurity for most of my life and have been trying to find and befriend more brothers in the Catholic Church who relate to me and also who would want to strive together to overcome these sins with God's grace and for the love and glory of God. To be honest I am tired of small talk with anyone in general and I want meaningful relationships that try their hardest with genuine intentionality to fight these sins and build their relationship with God. It has been very frustrating because I would think that my desire for the vocation of marriage with a future wife is worthless because of the severe exposure and repeated sinful acts I have fallen into. Even with priesthood I am somewhat open to it but for most of my life I always had a passionately objective and subjective desire for the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony. This really is just a heartfelt exposure of my heart but maybe this can reach others who have possibly felt the same.
God Bless you Christopher and for this ministry and May God Bless all of You!
Pray the rosary daily and go to mass often.
You will either quit being impure or you will quit the rosary.
Ditto brother. Ditto.
I struggle with this to brother and am striving to be free from it. Praying for us 🙏
We all have but one essence, one storehouse of energy located at the base of the spine. This energy rises as our soul matures eventually trying to reach our crown. When we masturbate we deplete our essence and for a moments pleasure our soul once again does not ascend...................Falun Dafa
You’re not alone
I have asked St. Joseph to help me be a proper man and I believe through his intercession that God has brought me to you. I devoured your interview with Matt Fradd. In it you talk about all of our organs having their own functions, and the genitals' function being generation. So I wondered why of all the organs the genitals can be so hard to master. I'm sure our culture of pornography and objectification has a lot to do with it, but people have been masturbating and fornicating all throughout history as far as I know. Well, then I thought, what if we haven't mastered our other organs as much as we think we have? The eyes are meant to see, but we look indiscriminately at everything. The ears are meant to hear, but we are not careful about what we listen to. The lungs are meant to breathe but do we breathe to properly nourish our bodies with oxygen or do we breathe quickly and shallowly in response to this stressful world of ours? I've noticed that the more I invite Christ into my life, the less tolerance I have for profanity, in images and especially in speech. When people use f-bombs like commas, I feel myself wilting inside. Anyway, those are some thoughts I wanted to share. Thank you for all that you do.
Great Response
@Bite Me I don't think there's anything faithful about those people. They may have the heritage but they don't have the practise.
@Bite Me whoever is responsible for making it. Let’s not get near their trash .
Who is St. Joseph, and where is he found in scripture? Please, please answer.
We all have but one essence, one storehouse of energy located at the base of the spine. This energy rises as our soul matures eventually trying to reach our crown. When we masturbate we deplete our essence and for a moments pleasure our soul once again does not ascend...................Falun Dafa
Thank you. Last summer (2022) i successfully stopped masturbating for many months until December. I fell into sin and have been struggling. Now that it is Lent i’m making it my goal to once and for all stop this addiction. Going back to the confessional. It’s still the first week of Lent, but i haven’t masturbated since the day before Ash Wednesday. And i would like to keep it that way. Thank you for these videos and the channel.
What's lent? Christ has never preached any thing like that nor did His disciples
@@vigneshiyer4334 this guy. Jesus also never said there was gonna be a bible compiled in the council of Rome that was canonized by the bishops, nor did he name the writers of the gospels, nor did he say which books were in the bible. but.. we still have a bible? weird, huh?
@@christophersalinas2722 No weird. He said go spread the good news. That's enough. Whatever was needed, those things were done by His disciples and followers. God has spoken and nobody can change that. His truth, His Word will spread and His sheeps will listen to His voice...
Printing, binding, creating insta group, whatsapp group are all secondary and not even important here.
@@christophersalinas2722 Agreed, we're not depended upon that council of Rome's conclusions as to cannonization. We can review the reasons and logic used to come up with their conclusions and confirm or reject them for ourselves. For instance, we know that the gospel of James is from the Gnostics, but Theology of the Body Institute reads as if it is official. We can look at the data ourselves. We can review the historical records and the various opinions of different church fathers.
I just want to know, have you stopped masturbating?
Please be sincere to me because I really want to know about myself too. I find it so difficult to stop it due to the situation I am into.
Thanks A Lot sir! You just don't make a video on UA-cam, but you are changing so many lives, including mine. You're a God given gift and a true servant of Jesus! God Bless You sir 💖 Greetings from Philippines
We all have but one essence, one storehouse of energy located at the base of the spine. This energy rises as our soul matures eventually trying to reach our crown. When we masturbate we deplete our essence and for a moments pleasure our soul once again does not ascend...................Falun Dafa
This is wonderful. Mr. West, thank you for examining these questions and being vulnerable to talk openly about your experience with these topics, with the goal of pointing us towards God. I struggled with this sin for a while and am gaining self-control as I surrender my desires to Christ. Masturbation is lifeless and a distortion of God’s design of the connecting and loving power of sex.
We all have but one essence, one storehouse of energy located at the base of the spine. This energy rises as our soul matures eventually trying to reach our crown. When we masturbate we deplete our essence and for a moments pleasure our soul once again does not ascend...................Falun Dafa
Thank you Christopher! I wish I could find a wise man like you one day. God bless!
Search for God in him
@@antoniomoyalamen
I am that rare find, ask me anything and I will do my very best. We all have but one essence, one storehouse of energy located at the base of the spine. This energy rises as our soul matures eventually trying to reach our crown. When we masturbate we deplete our essence and for a moments pleasure our soul once again does not ascend...................Falun Dafa
I didn't know Billy Idol's song was about that! Great video!
Another song I've heard is about masturbation is Blister in the Sun by Violent Femmes
@@1ccortez what?? i was THIS day old when i learned that!! never knew it but now the words make sense LOL
@@1ccortez teenage kicks by the undertones and round round by the sugarbabes too !!
“White wedding” is worse.
@@nilslindqvist8825 why what’s that about
Great video and well relayed. It's a interesting thought and appreciate hearing it explained in this way. Of course, dependent on situation life can feel numbing if one has loved someone and not looking at them as an object but do have a passion for only them to be rejected on a constant basis. As a married man, this presents a feeling of rejection and a burning passion that cannot be resolved. Overtime the weariness of this can take its toll. Finding release (without indulging in visuals) but of the thought of there own wife becomes the action taken and unfortunately don't have any alternative as forcing oneself on the other is never the answer. No matter how romantic or patient it still ends the same...untouched. Sadly the mental toll that can take makes life of anxiety and the sense of being unloved because as a man the physical act is necessary in a marriage (of course without pushing that expectation or forcing) and what's left is releasing as there's no other option because there is no answer in finding that with another person or lusting through pictures or videos. 7 years and counting...the battle I face everyday after trying to give it to the Lord I feel at this point has no answer until the day I move on to my eternal home. I do appreciate your video as many will be helped.
So, so, so true... thank you for sharing it with us Christopher! You are amazing and God is amazing!🙏
Throwing sexuality back on myself, what a great person you are
Always helpful when I see these videos on this channel. Thank you for discussing sexuality in a clear and concise manner.
Yes it is a sin and I have fall in It. God may have mercy on me
Well, when you’re destined to be alone, what are you gonna do? When you just get ghosted all the time, it’s hard to find any motivation at all.
No one will reply your question. You know why ? Simly because not a single one of us can answare this question !
@@Pantheraonca28maybe I’m wrong here you learn too cook your own means clean the house and relieve yourself
I struggle, Pray for me ❤
Praying!
I struggle too. 🌽 and self pleasing. You are not a failure. He loves you. You are not a disappointment to him.❤❤
Watch hell testimonies
This is a very good video that outlines from a natural law perspective why masturbation is intrinsically disordered in every circumstance. Perhaps this question is a bit more pragmatic, but for a single male who is currently not seeking out a relationship right now, for various reasons, what are the best PRACTICAL steps one can take to, putting it bluntly, never masturbate EVERY again? This has often troubled me because while I agree with the Church's teaching that masturbation is illogical, absurd, and sinful...it's also a mortal sin. And, I would add, probably next to pornography, the most common mortal sin people fall into. And yet, I don't hear, at least in my experience, much practical "how to never masturbate" guides out there even among Catholic circles. If anyone is willing to illuminate me feel free, any resources books, or something. Presumably, there is someone out there who has not masturbated in years, whether married or not. I'm interested in exactly what they did to achieve this.
Why do you do it,?
If it's porn... Don't watch porn.
If it's women... And this is the tricky one, but I've done it.... Don't look at women's junk.
Yes, you have to look at where you going... But if you see something worth looking at twice... Look away.
That's the trick.
@@Kitiwake yes that is the trick my brother and I were talking about. I haven’t watched pornography in probably 3-4 years now, but I do find myself falling likely because I have a habit of just glancing at women and not realizing it. You don’t realize it but it can weigh in your subconscious and then when you fall, even if you haven’t watched anything explicit, your mind can use all that stimuli as “mental ammunition” we’ll call it which can lead to temptations for sure. I guess the only tricky thing with that is literally anything could be a turn on and some things you just happen to see unexpectedly; so you can get a bit neurotic trying to monitor it 24/7..:but I imagine that’s probably one solution for sure. I suppose, it’s like most things, if you really want to be chaste, you’ll find my way.
It’s complicated.
I don’t think we can conquer this sin through or with our flesh.
That just makes it a WORK.
I believe this Brother is on the right track.
All of us need to be educated on why this is WRONG.
It is a disorder and we have been in darkness about it all our lives.
Being ashamed, feeling guilty or beating our body into submission ultimately does nothing for us for very long.
So, what can we do?
One thing that might help is transparency and confession with a good, Christian Brother or sister (if you are female).
All of us don’t want others to know that we masturbate, so we hide it.
There is a funny saying that 99% of men masturbate and the other 1% are liars.🤣
Honesty with the right Brother or Sister in the Lord could be a place to start.
That’s why I am here, I am looking for honesty,fellowship and guidance.
Talking about it helps!
I have so much more to say on the subject…
Please feel free to message me any time.
I would like to know your thoughts!
God bless you.❤️
Your last post was 7 months ago.
Any progress?
So what if you are single and don't have someone to express that "disciplined wildness" with? The church (likely wrongly) taught that in marriage there would be that relief of having sex whenever with your spouse which isn't always true, so there's gotta be a more productive solution, both to the issue of loneliness (which is what makes me abandon my discipline and seek that gratification) and in actually seeking that relief, because I find this bunch of theory that you speak pretty ineffective in actually helping.
Excellent!
I wish we could clone you and put you in every church!
This is a subject that has been mostly ignored and passed over and should never have been ignored.
Thank you!
Thank you for your videos! I found them this morning and they're changing my life. May God bless you!
Thank you for this video and all your work.
I have a question:
When we say: the main function of eyes is to see, the function of ears is to listen/hear. So what's the main function of our genitalia? Clearly every sane person will answer "to create new life" . So doing something different with your genitalia is disorder. But what if someone says "ok, the main function of my ears is to listen/hear but I can also pierce(?) my ears, and I can paint my eyes and that's not a disorder but just another additional thing I can do to my ears/eyes. Same way I can also masturbate or whatever with my genitalia: it is not the main function but neither is a disorder, just something additional we can do.
How can we answer to that?
I hope you could help me. I am always having conversations with my friends about the problems and consequences of masturbation, sex outside marriage, etc.
God bless.
Thank you. You're an important mentor and your content found me.
Please pray for me,
i've struggled with this for as long as i can remember.
Praying!
You first, the Lord helps those...We all have but one essence, one storehouse of energy located at the base of the spine. This energy rises as our soul matures eventually trying to reach our crown. When we masturbate we deplete our essence and for a moments pleasure our soul once again does not ascend...................Falun Dafa
So, what if no one wants my gift?!!! You were right when you said it is a form of self-pity. And I know it's sin. But I just feel like, if no one else wants me this is the only thing I have. It sucks, but I don't know what to do about it. I mean, I think I could maybe manage the discipline part if I had any hope that there might be a relationship some day. But I'm almost 50, no one wants to marry me, and I went to three different communities of religious sisters and they didn't want me either. I have a LOT to give and am great at relationships in all other areas. But when it comes to making a vow to be there for life, no one wants that with me, not nuns or a man. I am very much alone in this area. And now I have to surrender this thing as well. I am trying but this heart break always gets in the way.
This was an incredibly brave thing to share and I applaud you for being so open about it. You're definitely not alone and it would be great if this specific angle on the issue would be addressed. I'm sure it is with your confessor and in spiritual direction, but it would be very nice if there was more open acknowledgement that, in the 21st Century, the chances for real Catholic marriages are not spectacular. To the other point, I understand why religious communities have the rules (pardon the pun) they do concerning late vocations; however, it can certainly feel like there's no real place for someone who is unmarried and over 35. The water gets deep on this and a host of things influence the situation, but I have to think that there are SO MANY people with the obstacles/frustrations your comment points to that communities would rethink their longstanding "policies." I wish that I had wisdom or comfort on this. If I did, I would be happy to share it. Three Aves for you, though, and a hearty echo that a real look into what you've mentioned above will be my contribution for now. Peace be with you and Maria!
@@Bryanpjc these words are so kind and generous. Just reading that someone understands a bit gives me courage. A couple of years ago God showed me that i should offer up this cross for priests who, though fully committed to the celibate aspect of their vocation, may find it hard to live without companionship. When I Do this it softens the pain a bit. I guess I haven't been faithful to it lately and need to go back to it. Thank you for your willingness to look into this situation as you said. I feel like we humans can get through anything if we know we are not alone so I'm very thankful for the mystical Body of Christ. Peace and blessings to you.
@@Bryanpjc on rereading I think that you meant you are hoping the issue will be looked at more carefully by people in general not specifically by you or I. I second that. I hope someday someone will help and give more focus to the lives of single people who often feel they don't have a vocation. Appreciate your.prayers and concern.
@@Bryanpjc Bryan, that was a very kind and compassionate response to Felicia's post. I TOTALLY relate to her situation. I am older than Felicia, and I have an otherwise fulfilling life. I am very involved in my parish and in outreach. I also tried several religious orders with the same result as Felicia's. Peace. I have a longstanding diagnosis of depression and asked a priest once about whether that means the severity of the sin is lessened, not for reasons of rationalization (as he suspected I was looking for a loophole, but for confessing a venial or mortal sin and the reception of the Eucharist. I had asked him what the meaning of the second paragraph of #2352 in the Catechism was and how to understand it because I struggle with the sin and have asked for grace and help from God through St. Joseph and Mary. I have been treated professionally for the depression with therapy and medication for more than 15 years.
Anyway, grace and peace to you, Bryan, for your kind responses.
Oooohhh I felt that Felicia! Yes, it can be extremely tiring and frustrating listening to well intentioned moralizers, especially on the issue of sexuality, when most if not all haven't experienced the soul crushing loneliness you describe. It's all fine and dandy living the ideal until life crushes your spirit to such a point it makes you question the very existence of the ideal.
However, the Truth is the Truth and we can only do our best to seek, find and live it!
May God bless you with joy, peace and love (whatever form it may present itself in your life).
I can attest that, while masturbation satisfies the superficial, biological urge, it fosters isolation, callousness. Having a whole 'nother person there, with a whole 'nother body, mind, heart and soul, is more wholly fulfilling.
Thank you brother again for another very good wonderful message talk. Praise God everything you said is so true and righton . Amen. Praise the Lord its all very inspirational meaningful comforting helpful possitive and very encouraging to us all in the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.Thankyou keep up the good work in the Lord for helping us all. God bless you .Amen.
It’s honestly hard considering it’s been in my life since adolescence and it’s so widely accepted
The battle is worth it, you were made for greatness!
@@TheologyoftheBodyInstituteamen, my ongoing quest
This is brilliant! Great teaching!
We all have but one essence, one storehouse of energy located at the base of the spine. This energy rises as our soul matures eventually trying to reach our crown. When we masturbate we deplete our essence and for a moments pleasure our soul once again does not ascend...................Falun Dafa
What if I know all this, what if I’ve come to know this only in the last few years, I’m happily married, 3 kids made intentionally in love, we are devoted to each other and the church, and I no longer look at pornography. Yet, I desire my wife, but she’s not interested. Not interested for months. Many, many months. Yet I desire her deeply. Only her. Then I slip up. Fall into sin. I confess and the cycle repeats. What then? Honestly?
it’s like jesus was speaking to me through you… god knows how much i needed this ❤ 🙏🏻
Praise God! Keep fighting the good fight.
9:18 fear of abandoning myself to the other? What about men who can't attract a partner?
Yup no body has an answer you may not be a hear turner but the flashlight is still there lol
Excellent video, Christopher!
Commenting to force UA-cam to spread the Gospel.
God Bless you Christopher West!!
Was waiting for this
I love to hear you teaching
Thank you, Tarcisio
It sucks when God gave you sexual desires but he doesn't always provide an outlet. Enduring that level of frustration for years and years gets very exhausting. Even in marriage it never goes away because by and large women have less desire than men (unless you get lucky and marry a nympho). There are many ways I just wish I had no desire or interest in sex at all because I just can't be satisfied. It's like always being hungry but you never know if another meal is in store for you. And having to fast for long periods of time gets extremely frustrating. It shouldn't be this way. I wish men and women would just give each other what they wanted in marriage. Why not?
I thought that song was really about dancing by yourself 😭😭
🙏 thank you for this beautiful teaching
We're glad it was helpful! If you'd like to go even deeper checking out www.tobforfree.com/
Wow! Excellent video Christopher! Thank you! When a man stops “dancing with himself” through God grace, does this automatically lead to stopping in treating women or his wife as a means to end? Or what else can a man do to do reach this heavenly experience with his wife?
Yes, it's a Domino Effect
It means he control himself to not use women as a means to end
I don't know how to quit. Pray for me.
We all have but one essence, one storehouse of energy located at the base of the spine. This energy rises as our soul matures eventually trying to reach our crown. When we masturbate we deplete our essence and for a moments pleasure our soul once again does not ascend...................Falun Dafa
Please pray for me with this struggle 😢
The glory is worth the fight. Count on our prayers!
Amen at 6:40. This video is eye opening thank you a ton it still resonates 3 years later timeless. :)
We're glad it's hepful! God bless you.
If there is a downshot to coupled sex, it's the fear of relying on someone else to satisfy our desires. When that person is not there, for whatever reason, either because they're simply unavailable due to being temporarily busy, or because they've betrayed us in infidelity, or because they've passed away, it hurts something fierce. The more intense the bond of love and pleasure, the more intense the pain of loss! The task, therefore, then becomes bravery, a willingness to endure pain, to achieve totally fulfilling pleasure.
Amen to this! 🕊️❤️🙏
Three days clean
Keep fighting the good fight, Michael!
@@TheologyoftheBodyInstitute thanks it’s 5 days now
While in the act, the Holy Spirit said loudly: “SELF FORNICATION”. (SEE: 1 Cor 6:18, 1 Cor 7:2, Gal 5:19-21, Eph 5:3, 1 Thes 4:3). May you FLEE as I did…
What irks me is Jesus made us in His image...He gratified Himself did He not? In Genesis God creates man and woman on the sixth day and says "it is good"...so my question is WHY did God create people to begin with??? There has to be more than just He spreads His love and wants us to love Him! What is the point of all of this? Or is it all one big experiment??
Thank you so much Christopher for sharing the beautiful message of Theology of the Body! I am really struggling with my purity at the moment. I was doing alright before lockdown, I used to go to Mass almost everyday. But now I feel that I am really struggling with my thoughts and actions. I feel very shameful of my thoughts, but it is so hard to resist thinking about impure things. Thank you for reminding me that my body is a temple of the Holy Spirit and that I was made for more. God bless you!
None of your word gymnastics has been stated in the bible.
Ive been catholic for almost a year and still struggling. I ran across a channel called to more. Theres a monk that has a series of lessons and one of them was on this topic, it has some nuisance in his teachings that is really working for me. Only gave in 1 day last week! My whole life i was a Protestant, i never heard masterbation was sinful nor the vasectomy i got years ago. So much has changed
Welcome home, brother! You're on quite a journey. Keep going deeper in the the fullness and beauty of the Catholic Church, we're praying for you. If you'd be open to it, we recommend this book written by Christopher: shop.corproject.com/products/good-news-about-sex-and-marriage
@@TheologyoftheBodyInstitute Thanks for the recommendation! Ive been hearing the name christopher west for some time, just recently stumbled onto him, The tilma of Guadeloupe talk with matt fradds family. Excellent material and right where i need to be. I dont have any catholics in my life so im always wondering if there’s more i should be doing. Id kill to have a catholic in my family i could visit and see how they live the faith. Its 90% conceptual to me if im honest. Protestants have so little structure and catholics seem to have it in abundance
Such beautiful expounding☆
God bless you heaps☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
Thank you brother
You're welcome! Keep fighting the good fight.
Great video!
1 Samuel 16:7
Jeremiah 17:9-10
Fair and understandable. But father, I have a question.
How do you make the urges, tensions in the body, and brain go away when you are nofap programs and stuff like that?
I think everybody can agree that when feeling sexual desires, you almost feel like you are in shackles and more or less out of control.
We need teachings that are practical and useful in every way, given how hard it has become, especially for us young men in the modern society.
Hello! Thank you for your honest question. These videos might help:
ua-cam.com/video/vx_iMIqQPL4/v-deo.htmlsi=sbULlC7F0WBQpnvY
ua-cam.com/video/ibgvvEm1Rok/v-deo.htmlsi=fKwggZ3gHmaRQ76V
ua-cam.com/video/oMyK0A2hDUs/v-deo.htmlsi=aSYt1IqPLWKaSR-Q
Amazing. The best explanation for why masturbation is wrong. Thank you
Beautiful insight. Thank you.
Every man’s battle
I agree sex should be open to procreation, but my wife walked out of our 28 year 4 children marrage 20 years ago. I am not free to remarry,, as she is still alive. On the other hand, if we were still to-gether as she is now beyond child bearing years, procreation no longer applies. Idealy I should be living a celibate life style, but I never chose to be celibate, and Im not an angel or a saint.............yet. Running out of time,79 today. Sorry for my imperfection.
You accomplished your task to create children .
however stress trauma and anxiety people can benefit from masturbation or edging..bcoz its a way to connect with body
Saying that this is the "purpose of something" and then saying "because this is the purpose of something you can't do that with it" is... not sure I can find that right word for it but here's an illustration:
Say you have a car optimised for the city, let's say an EV. It is advertised as "designed to be a runaround, doesn't cause pollution. It's has a range of 200km but the battery recharges quickly because it's small". It's like saying "you CANNOT use that EV in the country. It is ABSOLUTELY not allowed". But you can use it in the country. As long as you don't drive too far and get out of range of recharging stations and so on, there is nothing wrong with using it in the country.
Also this argument of "sex is supposed to be a giving thing . You are giving pleasure to your partner". I've heard this used a lot. Again... really? So (I'm presuming you are married) do you mean to say there is NO TAKING AT ALL in marital sex? Never? So you have to not enjoy yourself at all? You must just make the other person enjoy themselves? Please don't tell me you only do that in your marriage. Come on, be real. It's give and take. Like most things. Again, this is like saying "by eating chocolate, I am am giving myself pleasure, therefore eating chocolate is selfish". OK no more eating chocolate.
Talking of young people, this not just an itch, this is a RAGING desire. I remember when I was 18... it was insane. Medically, a mans body is designed to release semen on a regular basis. And if you don't, the desire builds up to mammoth proportions. It's no joke. This is just a fact. You can't deny it. To do that would be like saying "the sky is green"
Is there anywhere in the bible that addresses this?
YES.
Leviticus 15. Emissions of semen are normal. The passage clearly separates out the case of man on his own and a couple. It's not a nocturnal emission. That is specified in another passage in Deuteronomy. It can only mean 1 thing.
You are allowed to release yourself. That is BIBLICAL. It is not "disorder". It is God's design. That is black and white in the Word of God.
Now am I saying porn is OK? No. As for the level of sexual thought involved in masturbation, I am not condoning anything. Must you do it with a blank mind? To be honest, I don't actually know the answers to those questions.
But I do know you are allowed to release yourself. So I think single Christians should not feel condemned about it. It's nothing to worry about.
And Leviticus 15 disproves all your grandiose theories.
Much love for your giving clarity the world doesn't offer but as not only a spiritually broker person but also monetarily I ask please make preparations for when you have finacially all you need and finally, much later hopefully, retire from ministry that your Full Courses with all the Glory therein be made free and available on the internet for everyone. It would be beyond shame if these gifts were not made available like that... if I am still alive I hope to be able to echo their truth fully. Amen.
This was a really good teaching. This is better than going to some churches that only want your money... Thank you.
It was a really good point saying that men can not see women as objects to fulfil their desires. Nevertheless, some woman are okay on that because of how much they enjoy sex too and they also share fetishes and so on. Can you tell me where is the mistake in that situation? Lets say that in their other aspects of their lives they are okay...
I defo need a wife smh easier said than done in today's times.
I had no idea that Billy Idol song was about that!
Oh fuck oh fuck I don’t want this for my future wife don’t want to treat her like an object instead of a person 😱
Podrian colocar subtítulos en español a sus vídeos por favor
Beautiful!
What can we say when the body itself ejaculates? Is the body response also a disorientation?
could someone explain me what exactly is self-disciplined wildness ?? why wildness? the term reminds me of animalistic wildness and on other vid the author criticizes "doing IT like they do It on discovery channel" 🤔 I'm very confused 🥴
But you say that masturbation is a sin but some other religion say that is not so I don’t know who to believe I know foreshore that god will tell me the truth
Straight up
So I actually agree with a lot of this video. The part that I do not agree with is calling masturbations a sin, I think that is evil. It is not scriptural. It comes from Augustine's belief that sex was evil (the guy who slept with prostitutes mind you). There is no scripture to even support calling masturbation a sin or instructions to not do it. If it were a sin, it would have been spoken of in the Torah or NT. The Torah was 100% aware of masturbation and never declared it a sin. Leviticus 15:16-18 even mentions emissions and puts in the same category as sex with a women, and it doesn't call either a sin.
The dangers of masturbation is what we do with it (i.e. porn, lusting, ect). Kids get wet dreams and have overwhelming urges. I went through it, and I'm sure Jesus (made like us) had to deal with it too. Teaching them that they're dirty little sinners because of how God made them is wrong and evil. It is pharisaical legalism. Helping them to focus on how God wants us to use our sexuality is what we should be doing. Teaching them how to prepare themselves for their future spouses and how to give themselves fully to their spouse is good and very needed.
I say this as a man who believes that in marriage we should give all of our sexuality to our spouse. Orgasm for women is way more complicated than it is for men. It is not a sin for my wife to use it in our relationship. Her sexuality belongs to me and mine to her. And I say all this as a person who has permanently given masturbation to God, as that is what He asked me to do. In my marriage relationship, my masturbation was a sin for many reasons. I didn't understand it then, but I do now. It prevented my wife and I from truly being one flesh and it led my mind to places it shouldn't. By giving it up/to God, I am fully dependent upon her in a way that I had never been before.
It’s complicated.
I don’t think we can conquer this sin through or with our flesh.
That just makes it a WORK.
I believe this Brother is on the right track.
All of us need to be educated on why this is WRONG.
It is a disorder and we have been in darkness about it all our lives.
Being ashamed, feeling guilty or beating our body into submission ultimately does nothing for us for very long.
So, what can we do?
One thing that might help is transparency and confession with a good, Christian Brother or sister (if you are female).
All of us don’t want others to know that we masturbate, so we hide it.
There is a funny saying that 99% of men masturbate and the other 1% are liars.🤣
Honesty with the right Brother or Sister in the Lord could be a place to start.
That’s why I am here, I am looking for honesty,fellowship and guidance.
Talking about it helps!
I have so much more to say on the subject…
Please feel free to message me any time.
I would like to know your thoughts!
God bless you.❤️
Awesome video, very helpful!
But man my itch is really bad physical motivation always defeats spiritual motivation
Thank you for this video!!!!
I never understood it. I tried to because I thought that is what "healthy" is. But it literally is a turn off. Feels stupid.
So glad I've found my natural state of celibacy. It is for some.
God bless and that God for you temple of your body.
But what if your single 😭😭😭😭😭
Me too😭😭😭I'm single
Yea like I understand why the Church teaches what it does, but I do struggle to see why it's mortal, I don't think if a single person did it once in a week or something that it's particularly bad
Thank you sir
You’re so welcome!
I started to fall back into this dirty habbit watching "benefits" of masturbation on youtube like some weirdo and lying to myself is it good
Thank you for your comment! Here's a video on that particular angle if you're interested: ua-cam.com/video/Wl5-bqs5pjw/v-deo.html
Short answer : yes. It's called "solitary sin" for a reason.
Says no scripture ever...
What about wet dreams, or adjusting yourself and a discharge happens?
That's not a sin. It happened to me when I stopped masturbating. Seminal emission is a normal function of the body, because our body needs to release those overstocked semen. The bible says if you had an emission, bath in running water and you'll be unclean till evening, doesn't matter if you're married or not. The word unclean here is not sin, but hygienal uncleanness. Seminal emission alone isn't sinful, it has nothing to do with your morality. The sin is lust and lasciviousness, whether you masturbate or not, sin begins in our heart and mind which are responsible with our morality. Don't be confused with lust and libido. If you desire a woman who's not your wife or any image of a naked body even yours, then it's lust. If you desire to tease someone or to be seen naked, then it's lasciviousness. But if you don't desire anything like that but an urge to release sexual stress, then it's just your libido and your overflowing semen needs to come out. Like the urge you feel when you don't poop for a long time. Seminal emissions are sinful if you refuse to give your wife a child (family planning is an exception), or if it's done with lust and lasciviousness (which these two alone are sin), or if you get addicted to the pleasure of releasing. It's the sin of uncontentment or gluttony, it's more like the sin of idolatry, not lust nor adultery nor sexual immorality (fornication in mind or actual).
Masturbation is Cleansing not Sinning.. Gift by GOD .. for all Human. Especially Christian.. 😔
Sadly - this is a common thing as a result of sexual abuse. Don't beat yourself up if that's you. God in His mercy will forgive you and understands. Just come to the Sacrament of Confession. I know all this cause I suffered through this. I pray that if you are in a similar situation that you also find a wonderful spiritual director and therapist as I have because I honestly would not be alive if I didn't have them. God sent them to me to help me heal
Good topic, especially for these days. Days where the nuclear family structure has been torn down to the ground purposely, where isolation is part of the plan and where females are programmed to work, not "rely on men" and be like their daddy instead. And days where men are prgrammmed to make females an object. I knew a girl who isolated herself her entire life and loved herself almost daily, admittedy so, and wanted zero to do with a real relationship, despite it being right in front of her face. Probaby the most selfish human being I have ever known.
Thank you 💖
Great video Christopher. Your teachings help me profoundly in my relationship with my girlfriend
Hallelujah Jesus ❤❤❤❤❤
Beautiful, thank you
By this line of reasoning, eating a candy bar is a sin - strictly a self-pleasuring act, not a nourishing one. Likewise with getting a foot rub. Feet are for walking, not for receiving pleasure. Played any sports lately? Sin! Those muscles are meant for working and serving, not for pleasure. The list goes on, of course, but will fall mostly on deaf ears here.
Yes, your message will fall on deaf ears here, and that is because religion itself is the problem.
Non-believer ... "Do you know for certain that a god exists?
Theologian ... "YES I DO?
Non-believer ... Do you know what the god knows?
Theologian ... "NO!. I do NOT! What God knows is beyond all human ability TO know."
Non-believer ... "Then why are you pretending that you DO know?"
Anyone else just watch this for laugh?
It also would help so much if you are married to someone who also loves our lord Jesus and shares the same view and needs. A perfect world that would be!. The outward energy and focus one has from not masturbating can help us and drive us to make more of an effort to keep reinventing our desire to be part of our spouse's sacred expression of sensuality and love. Perfect, our world is not. So we are left with the need to pray with everything we have to our lord Jesus to hold us up and to give us the gift of his spirit so we can resist that loveless abyss of doubt and lifelong stronghold that masturbation does have on our lives.
I'm so mindful of being careful not to hurt anyone here. We are all sinners and are all broken. The love of our lord is always best. If we say, "YES!" to him then his love can truly move any mountain on our way to salvation.
I need an answer to the question: From the perspective of a non-married person, what happens when you stop scratching the itch... they say it's bad for prostate health. Also, does the desire subside and how long does that take?
The desire never really fades away. You have to ask God to transform it, to elevate it. To make you patient, to see how you can help and serve others, instead of using them.
For me it took 2 to 3 months.
What helped tremendously where these three things to bring to my mind when I am tempted: 1. Jesus paid so much for me. I am *his*. 2. If you start again, it is always good to stop - at any point. 3. God is with you, even when you relapse. He can and will forgive.
Prayer is really important in all of this, and although I'm not perfect, I can definitely see the effect it has made on me.
Hopefully some of this was helpful to you.
God bless you.
J.
PS: I didn't seem to have Prostate problems so far. :)
@@intedominesperavi6036 I’m gunna be completely honest, I know everything I’m supposed to be doing and I’ve been about 4 weeks without relief. I’ve been wearing the brown scapular, praying the rosary and divine mercy chaplet daily, but it’s staring to get really hard to stay away from this itch. I’m a teenager and I know a lot of people around me do it basically every day and I know I’m not supposed to be like them but I’m really starting to trip up here, I know it’s supposed to be hard but I feel like I’m getting to the point where any excuse I could find ever would be enough to throw me back into it, even if there is no logical excuse
I'm non married, and very rarely scratch the itch. It doesnt go away, but the gaps between cravings grow longer and longer. The intensity actually goes up, but the will power to resist is increased as well. You have to ask God to transform your heart. I tried white knuckling for 10 years and made very little progress and stayed on a plateau for a long time
@@cjmartinez2754 That's okay. Thank you for your honesty. I'm 19. I turn 20 soon. It's still hard sometimes, especially in the morning (when Testosterone-levels are at their highest), or when I'm alone or bored.
Start to stop thinking about masturbation as relief. The more I reflected upon it, it is more like Israel wanting to go back into slavery in Egypt, or Lot's wife turning back to Sodom and Gomorrah. There is no nostalgia, even if the enemy would want us to believe that.
The most important thing is, that your inner life changes. If the discipline of a scapular, or the Rosary mean something to you, that is fine. But it is more important that you talk directly to God, that you ask him for healing. After all HE is the one that is strong in your weakness.
When you pray, be honest (in the sense that you tell God how you *really* feel).
You said, that you are not supposed to be like them, but who are you supposed to be like? What are people you admire? Did they also fall from time to time? How did they deal with it?
Maybe next time after you pray, you start reading about David. He is so similar to us in so many ways.
And finally, I want to assure you that even if you fall, there is nothing that is beyond God's forgiveness, mercy and love!
Rest well tonight my friend.
J.
@@intedominesperavi6036 wow dude that was incredible thank you for all your words, I’ll try my best to work on what you said. Your awesome and may god bless you
But how do we stop if we're not married? What do we do with this drive? Not to get inappropriate, but I've been battling this myself and...sperm eventually finds a way to release, if you don't release it yourself. And it's rather unpleasant and humiliating....
@Belén Ayelén Marlén Maulén I mean essentially it's just "Get married and have sex!" But that...isn't exactly the easiest for everyone, especially millennials who truly wanna live a traditional catholic life.
@@OrthoLou I have a similar feeling, and it gets a bit difficult to find the strength to carry on. we no longer live in a world where people socialize in the same room, and shared the same worldview. Making friends and finding someone to start a family with, particularly in a Christian context is very much near impossible. I suppose all of this IS meant to be an uphill struggle. It’s already pretty tough being this awkward, speaking for myself here. We’re eventually gonna have to look for one another IRL and live in the real world, man and woman: one flesh, and together in community, as the Lord Christ commanded.
We can only keep hope and enthusiasm whatever happens, cultivate and look for virtue in the people you befriend, and ultimately trust God. After all, sex can only become like gruel when we accept the truth of an unimaginable joy that awaits in heaven. Keep fighting the urge because it might be part of our problem in loneliness and most importantly because it turns you away from God.
Srry for the rant, felt inspired. 😁
Ok Mr. Tough Guy
Now do a video on wives withholding $ex from their faithful husbands, because thats also unbiblical. Bet you wont because the church is petrified to death of women