By Fr Armand de Malleray, FSSP
Christ suffered and died to atone for our sins, setting us free from the tyranny of Satan. We must take part in the battle against sin if we expect to receive the fruits of Our Lord’s Passion, Death, and Resurrection, following Him in Heaven after His glorious Ascension.
Let us therefore reflect on habitual sin, particularly sins of impurity. A sin is habitual when one commits it often. It can be any sin: for example, slander; drunkenness; missing Sunday Mass; contraception; etc. Such a sin is called habitual, from the word habit, if is often, easily and pleasurably committed. In other words, one falls into that particular sin repeatedly. A habitual sin is quite different then from a one-off sin, so to speak. It may happen that somebody falls into a sin, even a grave sin, being caught off-guard, or out of sudden weakness or other attenuating circumstance. In that case, the grave sin is not a habit. It is an accident. Of course, it must be confessed and avoided in the future. But the strategy against it is not the same as with a habitual sin.
The habitual sinner can fall into two traps: resignation, and denial.
Resignation – He thinks to himself, or she thinks to herself, “I have tried so many times to overcome this sin of wearing immodest clothes, of pornography, or of sexting, or of self-abuse, or of fornication, and every time I have fallen again despite praying and trying hard to resist the temptation. Maybe I am just too weak to overcome it. Maybe I should just accept the fact that I will never get out of it. That is just who I am.”
Denial – Resignation may lead to denial. The habitual sinner may adopt the lies of the world, of the flesh and the devil. He will come to think that immodesty in dress and pictures, impure actions, etc. are not that bad. He will claim that it depends on the intention. She will argue, “It is only with my boyfriend, so I am faithful.” Or, “Everybody does it, so it can’t be wrong.” He will add, “It is a natural need, and mentalities have changed a lot since Antiquity and the Middle-Ages.” Or, “New technologies of communication demand an update of moral standards. Things are more difficult nowadays with internet, smartphones, etc.” They may even suggest, “Surely not each of these actions is a mortal sin. Possibly most of them are not even sinful if no harm is intended, but merely fun, or even happiness.”
You see, first comes resignation; then comes denial.
Admittedly, not overnight does one break free from a habitual grave sin. God may grant such a miracle, but ordinarily it takes months, sometimes years. However, the point is that:
- all such actions are grave sins, no question about it.
- being healed from them all IS possible with the grace of God.
Three tips
Here are three tips to monitor the gradual improvement:
- One falls less often
- One falls with more reluctance
- One comes back to God quicker
Please read carefully. These three tips are not about instantaneous healing. Precisely. With habitual sins, the point is that one falls again, and again into them. To keep trying and to increase hope, we need to be humbly pragmatic. We must look at whatever aspect of our situation is an improvement from the past fall.
- One falls less often
It is bad if a man sins gravely thrice a day; but it is still better than when, a month earlier, he used to commit that same grave sin five times a day. - One falls with more reluctance
Last winter that woman used to justify the specific grave sin she committed every week. Last spring, she acknowledged to herself that it was wrong. Now she begs God to make her strong against it. She still falls, and often, but not complacently as before. This is an improvement. - One comes back to God quicker
Previously, these two young adults would remain in grave sin for several weeks before seeking absolution from a priest. They felt that since they were fallen, there was no urge for making peace with God. The devil persuaded them that it made no difference to anyone if they carried on sinning a little longer, now that they had lost divine grace anyway. But now, the same young people hurry out of mortal sin through a prompt act of perfect contrition. They sincerely ask for God’s forgiveness even at night when no confessional is open. They know that sincere regret and genuine will to avoid the proximate occasions of sin restore their souls to divine friendship even before receiving sacramental absolution, provided the latter is intended as soon as possible. They still fall, and gravely, but they spend no longer than a day outside of God’s grace, whereas before it was months or weeks.
Clearly each and every sin must be avoided at all costs. But ultimate success is more likely when monitoring improvement in the three areas described above. With the grace of God sought and received in the sacrament of penance; in devout Holy Communion; in earnest prayer and prudent mortification; in reading Holy Scripture and the lives of the saints; lastly through Catholic friendship and the support of our fellow-believers, one does get out such habitual grave sins.
Eventually, a time comes when one simply does not remember when one last committed this or that specific grave sin. Then with joy, one thanks God who has achieved such a transformation, with our collaboration, through the power of His Holy Church. Let us invoke St Joseph, protector of our purity and terror of demons; and the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Immaculate one who crushed the head of the demon. Let us ask for their intercession, especially for habitual sinners falling often in the same grave sins of impurity.
Article first published in Dowry No53, Spring 2022
Cover Image: Cross in the Mountains, picture by Huhues de Buyer-Mimeure (Unsplash License)