Post published by thatsingleindividual#K-13
I just joined the Roman Catholic Fapstronauts. I've been wanting to share and explain my situation to fellow Catholics. I am a convert. I joined the church last year on the 31st of March, 2018. I do not regret my decision in doing so but I will admit, it has not been easy (and I feel like there's a lot of young converts like this out there). Despite my pride in being a Catholic, I have fallen away from my baptismal vows; I have been unfaithful. Despite the support I have, even from my 99% Protestant family (I'm the 1%), it has been a very lonely experience. Growing up in the Protestant Bible-Belt South, it is typical for a small town like mine to have only one Catholic church. Most of the people who go to the Catholic church are either people who moved here, Northerners, or they are converts like me. Nonetheless, I went to a church where I hardly know anyone. I am in Austria now as an exchange student and despite the country being totally Catholic, it does not help that much due to the further disconnection. I try to be a faithful Catholic, a faithful Knight of Columbus, and I really want to add into my identity here the term "Christian". I do not wish to be one of those that say "yeah, I'm a catholic but I'm rather bad at it" or someone who just nonchalantly shrugs their shoulders at admitting they are lapsed. I do not want to be that way! I want to be faithful! But like I've said, it's hard, especially on the lonely road. I do not want to say I'm addicted to pornography at this point. I used to be but now I want to say that the problems are more complexly spiritual/psychological; it has to do with disconnection and this is again, where I emphasize my problems in becoming a good Catholic Christian. I have joined the Catholic Fapstronauts on Nofap in order to connect with my Catholic Christian brothers and sisters in order to find some support, in order to obtain direction and love from those of you on here, especially you who can sympathize with my situation. There are at times where I do not seem to care and there are at times where I do what I do as if I didn't know any better, despite the fact that I do. I do! I know when I watch pornography, I am participating in a form of a prostitution, and am being deliberately unfaithful to Christ, my church, and my true self when I do these things. I have to remind myself that I am buying something cheap with a very heavy price on it.
But I want help and that is why I'm coming to you, my catholic brothers and sisters, so that you can support me in these tough times, and to seek encouragement for the sake of devotion. I'm lonely and I'm ignorant, and that makes a person definitely vulnerable enough to make him fall again and again. Please help me. Thank you and God bless.
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dudeface
Welcome aboard Single. This is a good place to be. I too am a convert from Protestantism. A good Calvinist for 10 years, now "I'm twice a papist and the cousin of the anti-christ."Anyway, I can sympathize, though we have a large Catholic community where I am, I only have a couple of Catholic friends. All of my extended family are protestants and don't quite understand the "Catholic thing".
As for the PMO thing. Start a journal here, make some friends and perhaps most important get a plan together. Again welcome aboard.
more_vert
Kale Yardstick
As a cradle Catholic, there are times in my life that I, too, disconnected from the faith. I’d make excuses. Sometimes I even doubted the faith. For me, those times never led to happiness, and so I would find myself back at Mass. My journey of ridding my life of porn would not be possible without me frequently asking for God’s grace in the sacraments. I feel very strong in my faith at this moment, and I have a few suggestions for you:
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Kale Yardstick
1. Go through the motions, even if you doubt or feel disconnected. Go to Mass on Sunday. Set aside time for prayer every morning. Make an examination of conscience every night.
more_vert
Kale Yardstick
2. Go to Confession. Do not receive the Holy Eucharist when conscience of grave sin, which includes PMO. There is great freedom in sharing your failings with a man who will absolve you from your sins by the Grace of God. And you will grow tired of confessing the same sins. But don’t stop going to confession. Stop sinning! Easier said than done, I know, but God’s mercy is very powerful.
more_vert
thatsingleindividual#K-13
So, you say you are a convert. If you don't mind me asking, was it hard for you because of your family, because you say they don't understand it. I didn't have a hard time in that sense. My family was supportive and I was rather surprised, but when I look back on it, and reflect on their character, it's completely understandable. It's like my grandfather has said one time when I was asking him about it: "There's good protestants and there's good Catholics and there's bad protestants and there's bad Catholics."
I thank you for your greetings.
I look forward to learning more about the Catholic faith with you guys.
more_vert
thatsingleindividual#K-13
I have been taking communion whilst still being in sin, and so I believe I need to stop. I shall continue to go to mass but I will stop receiving the Eucharist. However, with masturbation, I'm not sure I can do that. Porn is one thing but masturbation...it is just so embedded into me, that it is hard to quit, physically.
more_vert
dudeface
We all understand that it seems overwhelming. Most of us are still struggling to put these sins aside. 1st understand that God totally wants you to quit and he also knows how deeply ingrained the habit is. God gives grace to make up for our weaknesses. You used to be a protestant man, protestants are all about grace!! That doesnt change when you become a Catholic. What did change is you gained greater access to Gods grace via the Sacraments.
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dudeface
So here's what to do: go to confession. Confess both the porn and the masturbation. State how many times you have done so since your last confession. If you do that you are fit to receive. Take confession weekly if you need to. The key is, resolve to try and stop. Repentance is an act of the will, tell yourself you are going to stop and make a good will effort to do so. You will probably fail, but get back up, go back to confession and start try again.
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dudeface
As to your first question. I didn't get much actual pushback on my conversion. I argued a bit with one of my Reformed Baptist friends but other than that no one really cared that much. They just didn't understand. Even now, religion conversations are.... awkward. I do have one or two Catholic friends, but like yourself I live in the South. So I'm mostly in a sea of evangelical protestants.
more_vert
phantomstranger
I’m a cradle Catholic and have always striven to be a good one so I can’t identify with you as a convert, but I can in all the other regards, for despite being married for almost 25 years, my life is a very lonely one and has been most of my life. When I first discovered porn, I was excited, and when I masturbated for the first time a few years later, I was overwhelmed. I discovered almost right away that an orgasm is a great means of relieving loneliness, boredom, anxiety, and dr