If You Struggle with Lust...

Lust hath these three companions: the first, blindness of understanding; the second, hardness of heart; the third, want of grace.

Saint Basil

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Our Lady revealed at Fatima that more souls go to Hell for sins of the flesh than for any other sin. Of course, this could mean gluttony, too (and She likely meant both lust and gluttony), but today we will consider the former.

Saint Vianney tells us that of all the sins the apostles had not one was guilty of lust. That this is the one sin Our Lord would not surround Himself with. There another reason for this, too, but before we mention that it is worth first addressing where lust comes from.

Lust comes from fantasy.

So many believe that to overcome lust, a soul must engage in bodily mortification—fasting, scourges, cold temperatures, hard floors—but the saints teach us (including the great Thomas Aquinas) that the antidote to lust is not mortification but truth. How this makes perfect sense…The base feelings that occur in the body only come because the mind has first nurtured some thought. Not a truthful thought, which has the fruit of drawing the soul to God, but rather some lie, some fantasy born of wishful thinking, of pride (Saint Vincent de Paul even defines pride as nothing other than a lie—which we might call fantasy). 

As we consider this, it is no surprise that the saints, who always filled their minds with holy things (with truth), became as angels and were, in a sense, detached from these base desires. In this world of great struggle and loneliness, so many cope by escaping into fantasy, but this explains why so many then struggle with the sixth commandment…

It also makes sense why none of the apostles had lust: because they were in the constant presence of Truth Himself. God would not allow wicked fantasies and the apostles could have no hope of entering into it, for God was before them, could see and know all that was passing through their minds and heart, and would not have let the sinful fantasies grow— nor would they have tried. Our Lord was so beautiful, so gentle, so impressive in every way that they could only be occupied with Him; they possessed no desire to escape, for reality was sweeter.

We see just how powerful truth is against this lust, for even in the life of Saint Augustine we see that he struggled greatly until he possessed the truth. After his conversion, he would be freed and enlightened in such a way that few have been blessed to the same degree. These divine enlightenments forever lived in his mind so that lustful thoughts could no longer gain entrance.

Saint Mary Magdalene is another example. A poor soul that, upon encountering Truth, spent the rest of her life fasting and in meditation, no longer a lustful. She was so occupied with God that it has been said the angels would descend to greet her seven times a day…such was her purity—and all to the credit and glory of Truth.

Sweet Truth! 

Now, this is not to say that bodily mortifications are not helpful. For some souls they are particularly necessary to break the fantasies which fuel lust, acting as a reality check. As we know, some people fantasize more than others and find it harder to abandon the habit; but few can disagree that a cold bucket of water in the face won’t fix that! At least, temporarily eliminate the lustful feelings long enough for the soul to regain its senses, so that it can distract itself with holy thoughts instead.

How important it is to share this information with those who are struggling; that such souls must work to fill their minds with holy things—no idleness allowed, no fantasy. We must remember that God is in reality and if we are brave enough to live in reality we will find He is better than any imagination we might try to manufacture ourselves. Did not Saint Augustine, in his own way, declare this?

To fall in love with God is the greatest romance; to seek Him the greatest adventure; to find Him the greatest human achievement. -Saint Augustine

How important it is to read the writings of the saints. This can be a substitute for mental prayer, especially for those who struggle to contemplate ideas or scenes. Let the soul struggling with lust read holy books (written by saints, that is) and let them not despise the thin ones, for they often contain the greatest graces. They will find new perspectives, new ideas that help them embrace reality and win against the daily struggles of life. They will forget the fantasies of old and thirst for truth. Then, they shall be as angels.

It is also essential that we guard our eyes. We ought never to look at the opposite sex for more than two seconds, as a safe rule, for the body (proven by studies) is working against us in matters of the sixth commandment and tries to form attachments subconsciously if we hold a gaze longer than two seconds (three seconds, for most people, is already a sign of infatuation). By the time a man, for instance, is aware of his attachment to a woman who is not his wife (because he was not guarding his eyes and keeping custody of his mind), he tries to justify her presence in his life because he’s too emotionally attached to let her go—hence the famous line we so often hear, “she’s just a friend.” This is called compartmentalization and how often that statement proves untrue, leading to more terrible things.

The Church has repeated these warnings from the very beginning: 1) to guard your eyes and 2) to keep custody of the mind. Let us keep these in the forefront of our minds, never forgetting them. They will protect us from all sins, not just lust. And speaking of the second warning, to keep custody of the mind, let us remember that this is much easier done if we intentionally seek good things to fill it, in the first place, like holy books or the prayer to Saint Michael, rather than playing defense by pushing bad thoughts away yet having no plan as to what we will think about, otherwise.

For additional help to overcome this terrible vice, which is considered the fastest means to tarnish a soul and the most difficult to eradicate, let us pray the seven sorrows rosary. The rosary, specifically, has the promise to heal a soul from its obsessions when the soul meditates well on its mysteries.

How needed this is in the world!

Those with anxieties, lust, anger…whatever the obsession may be, how good to know Heaven has given us a remedy. A strong remedy, at that.

Reflect on these things, Pilgrim. Do not let them go, but rather pray that you remember them. Thank the Holy Family for giving you such extraordinary graces—it will lead to more if you are grateful.

Please recommend the seven sorrows rosary to those you may know who need it, and consider praying it for those who can't or won't pray it for themselves.

In this way, we will not only protect our own souls, but aid in the salvation of others. What greater work can we do than that?

Holy Jesus, Sweet Jesus, Loving Jesus....