Author Topic: Custody of the eyes (Read 1638 times)

Spork · « **on:** July 01, 2011, 01:31:01 PM »

This thread may be in the wrong place. If so, my apologies to the site owner.

Anyway, my question is to the men of the forum on custody of the eyes. How do you battle this unceasing threat to your immortal souls? I find that my nature is normal and that as a fallen creature, I am prone to sin. While I have resolved to conquer my lusts, I seemingly find myself in situations where I balance precariously on the fence from venial to mortal, and I do not like it. I have prayed, prayed, and prayed for strength in these matters; I am fasting and denying myself sweets and seasoned food and beer. I have also come to the realization that there are some things that i need to change in my life as well. I have come far in my journey back to Catholicism, yet there is still more to go as I battle this world. I have confessed this sin weekly and feel that I am failing. I have listened to sermons on the consent to sin and the 'second-look'. There are many times when I know I should not look(peripheral curiousity) and I look anyway. This fills me with dread. Just last night while watching a movie I glanced to see how much of an actress was exposed. mind you all, I did not intended to sin in the glance, but consciously I knew I was running the risk of vioating the 6th and 9th. But I looked anyway and almost instantaneously steered out. So, do any other members here deal with this incredible temptation such as I have explained?

Thank you all and God Bless.

Spork

parentsfortruth · « **Reply #1 on:** July 01, 2011, 01:38:55 PM »

Turn off the TV.

Do spiritual reading.

Meditate and pray.

To have custody of the eyes, you have to stay out of the occasion of sin. When you eliminate those things which bring you into the occasion of sin, it's a lot easier to combat the problem.

This is a very hard thing to break away from if you're problem is looking at things on the internet, et cetera, but you can overcome it with prayer, and spiritual reading.

If watching films puts you in the occasion of sin, then you gotta stop watching them.

If being online gives you a temptation to go to pornographic sites, then you have to get offline.

"If your eye offends you, pluck it out."

That's basically it.

herbert · « **Reply #2 on:** July 01, 2011, 01:42:14 PM »

why the 6th and 9th?

LordPhan · « **Reply #3 on:** July 01, 2011, 01:42:21 PM »

Quote from: Spork

This thread may be in the wrong place. If so, my apologies to the site owner.

Anyway, my question is to the men of the forum on custody of the eyes. How do you battle this unceasing threat to your immortal souls? I find that my nature is normal and that as a fallen creature, I am prone to sin. While I have resolved to conquer my lusts, I seemingly find myself in situations where I balance precariously on the fence from venial to mortal, and I do not like it. I have prayed, prayed, and prayed for strength in these matters; I am fasting and denying myself sweets and seasoned food and beer. I have also come to the realization that there are some things that i need to change in my life as well. I have come far in my journey back to Catholicism, yet there is still more to go as I battle this world. I have confessed this sin weekly and feel that I am failing. I have listened to sermons on the consent to sin and the 'second-look'. There are many times when I know I should not look(peripheral curiousity) and I look anyway. This fills me with dread. Just last night while watching a movie I glanced to see how much of an actress was exposed. mind you all, I did not intended to sin in the glance, but consciously I knew I was running the risk of vioating the 6th and 9th. But I looked anyway and almost instantaneously steered out. So, do any other members here deal with this incredible temptation such as I have explained?

Thank you all and God Bless.

Spork

Stop watching modern movies. Before V2 the church militant would put an embargo on an entire movie theatre or tv station if they showed even ONE immodest movie. They would not just embargo the one movie but the whole theatre.

I myself do not have cable, I do occasionally watch older shows on DVD's and some older movies and have even noticed modernisms in those.

It's tough living in our times that's for sure. Good Luck.

LordPhan · « **Reply #4 on:** July 01, 2011, 01:45:38 PM »

Quote from: herbert

why the 6th and 9th?

Adultery and Coveting

Spork · « **Reply #5 on:** July 01, 2011, 01:52:04 PM »

There is a TV in the home, but we do not have cable or antennae. I have conquered my addiction to pornography for three years running now and would never conceive of offending our Lord in that way ever again. Me and teh Mrs. Spork usually fastfoward raunchy scenes and/or turn away. We are pretty poor so out entertainment usually consists of a netflix movie on the weekends. Thank you all for the advice and help.

herbert · « **Reply #6 on:** July 01, 2011, 01:52:34 PM »

Quote from: LordPhan

Quote from: herbert
why the 6th and 9th?

Adultery and Coveting

ahh i was looking at different numbering and thought he was tempted to kill and bear false witness

Daegus · « **Reply #7 on:** July 01, 2011, 02:05:12 PM »

Custody of the eyes is something I have a problem with.. I wonder if modern women hate me so much that they can't dress properly. Then again, I wonder if modern men are the same way, insofar as I see someone dressed like a vagabond or a ghetto loser I get tempted to think very poorly of them. Taking the bus is a pain, when most people don't know how to dress. Fortunately for me though, I very recently got my (temporary, though the real one's coming in the mail!) driver's license. At the same time, I'll have to wait for a while to even get a car in the first place :..

Anyways, the devil tries to work on you through both men and women you know.. More-so women than men however.. Being a teenager and trying to overcome this is incredibly difficult. It's so very annoying to be home alone, with nothing to do, access to cable and internet, etc. Being a teen your hormones are always raging, and even focusing your energy on other tasks doesn't always assuage certain feelings.

It's also sad how I don't even have to go out of my way to find porn, nor do I really even have to look for it. I could be searching the internet for something very innocent, and then "BAM!", it's right there in your face. It's sad how you actually have to go through hoops and hurdles to AVOID seeing something that should be difficult to see in the first place.

I think you have some good advice in this thread. Pray for me and I'll pray for you.

Spork · « **Reply #8 on:** July 01, 2011, 02:29:41 PM »

Deal Daegas. I wish I had your virtues at your age. I suggest running or weight lifting. Helps me to.

gladius_veritatis · « **Reply #9 on:** July 01, 2011, 02:33:29 PM »

IMO, one of the keys to guarding the eyes, or any other faculty, is to begin each day alone with God. By being more inwardly focussed, we are less likely to be unduly distracted/attracted by things outside ourselves. When we are disordered, we seek to draw the attention of other creatures and are far more likely to give creatures much more attention than is right. If left unchecked, we end up giving creatures part or all of the special, principal place in our hearts that is for God alone.

When we get snared by something outside ourselves, it is usually because we are not sufficiently recollected. In order to be sufficiently recollected each day, the wisest course is to begin each day well -- i.e., meditating, talking to God, etc. This is all the more important if we have to spend much time in the public places of this crazy world.

Modern life is FULL of things designed to distract us and keep us 'living' on the surface in everything. That is not where real life is found, lived, or increased.

Spend time alone with God, Spork. He will return your investment ten-fold. Godspeed :)

gladius_veritatis · « **Reply #10 on:** July 01, 2011, 02:39:59 PM »

Quote from: Spork

I have confessed this sin weekly and feel that I am failing.

Ten miles into the woods, ten miles out. Keep plodding, thanking God that He keeps you coming back, and trust in His power and ardent desire to see you free :)

Quote

So, do any other members here deal with this incredible temptation such as I have explained?

Does a one-legged duck swim in a circle?

Keep fighting. You have not lost this battle until and unless you leave the battlefield. The life of man upon earth is a warfare; the principal enemy looks us in the mirror every morning.

Spork · « **Reply #11 on:** July 01, 2011, 04:30:19 PM »

Thank you, GLadius. I really like your avatar.

gladius_veritatis · « **Reply #12 on:** July 01, 2011, 04:44:36 PM »

My pleasure :)

FWIW, my avatar is just my family crest. My last name, Shea/O'Shea/Shee/O'Shee, is Irish, but somehow my crest has the fleur-de-lis.

Keep up the good fight...you'll be alright and remember that, so long as you do your part, God cannot fail to do His part...

Daegus · « **Reply #13 on:** July 01, 2011, 05:08:44 PM »

While you might be having custody of the eye problems, I'm having problems tempering my hormones... The feeling won't seem to go away no matter what I do and I feel tormented. I hate when this happens... This is also usually the same time when I fall, but this time I am trying to resist and it is certainly not easy..

You're luckier than I to be past your teenage years. The hormones turns this battle into a full scale war that you'll lose unless you pull through to the bitter end.

Spork · « **Reply #14 on:** July 01, 2011, 05:23:16 PM »

Quote from: Daegus

While you might be having custody of the eye problems, I'm having problems tempering my hormones... The feeling won't seem to go away no matter what I do and I feel tormented. I hate when this happens... This is also usually the same time when I fall, but this time I am trying to resist and it is certainly not easy..

You're luckier than I to be past your teenage years. The hormones turns this battle into a full scale war that you'll lose unless you pull through to the bitter end.

Weights, run. Weights, run. Weights, run. Dig deep, gut it out, burn the lungs and muscles. Starve them of oxygen and you'll temper yourself.