I told a traditional Catholic friend that there is nothing to celebrate about his life and that he was certainly no "icon" as the media has claimed, and I was shocked to hear the response, that Hefner was a part of our growing up, and we should remember him for how he affected our early years.
The Sermons of St. Alphonsus ON IMPURITY
St. Remigius writes that, if children be excepted, the number of adults that are saved is few, on account of the sins of the flesh. In
conformity with this doctrine, it was revealed to a holy soul, that as pride has filled hell with devils, so impurity fills it with men. St. Isidore assigns the reason. He says that there is no vice which so much enslaves men to
the devil as impurity. Hence, St. Augustine says, that with regard to this sin,”the combat is common and the victory rare." Hence it is that on account of this sin hell is filled with souls. These are two great remedies prayer, and the flight of dangerous occasions. Prayer, says St. Gregory of Nyssa, is the safeguard of chastity. And before him, Solomon, speaking of himself, said the same. "And as I knew that I could not otherwise be continent, except God gave it... I went to the Lord, and besought him." (Wis. viii. 21.) Thus, it is impossible for us to conquer this vice without God’s assistance. Hence, as soon as temptation against chastity presents itself, the remedy is, to turn instantly to God for help, and to repeat several times the most holy names of Jesus and Mary, which have a
special virtue to banish bad thoughts of that kind. I have said immediately, without listening to, or beginning to argue with the
temptation. When a bad thought occurs to the mind, it is necessary to shake it off instantly, as you would a spark that flies from the fire, and instantly to invoke aid from Jesus and Mary. As to the flight of dangerous
occasions, St. Philip Neri used to say that cowards that is, they who fly from the occasions gain the victory. Hence you must, in the first place, keep a restraint on the eyes, and must abstain from looking at young
females. Otherwise, says St. Thomas, you can scarcely avoid the sin. Hence Job said: ”I made a covenant with my eyes, that I would not so much as think upon a virgin" (xxxi. 1). He was afraid to look at a virgin; because
from looks it is easy to pass to desires, and from desires to acts. St. Francis de Sales used to say, that to look at a woman does not do so much evil as to look at her a second time. If the devil has not gained a victory the first,
he will gain the second time. And if it be necessary to abstain from looking at females, it is much more necessary to avoid conversation with them. "Tarry not among women." (Eccl. xlii. 12.) We should be persuaded that, in avoiding occasions of this sin, no caution can be too great. Hence we must be always fearful, and fly from them. ”A wise man feareth and declineth from evil; a fool is confident." (Prov. xiv. 16.) A wise man is timid, and flies away; a fool is confident, and falls.
Topic: Death of a world class pornographer (Read 2374 times)