The Browser of Our Hearts
I found a recent free software program that I hope folks will find helpful in their pursuit of holiness despite frequent use of the internet. As most honest Christian men will attest, they have had struggles with the sin of adultery..... per the internet that is. Most of us in a moment of weakness have been tempted to click on an inappropriate website. This is mortal sin and puts our souls at great peril if it goes unconfessed and unrepented of. Without the Sacrament of Confession in my life, I found that I often fell into the pattern of presumptuous sinning, knowing God would forgive me by saying a quick prayer and then promptly going forward and sinning again. I have been given much grace in the confessional and the ability to avoid sin has been strangely enhanced by frequent visits to Jesus in the confessional.
But back to the main point of the blog today, X3watch is a software program that sends the history of your internet browsing to an "accountability partner." Someone you trust who is spiritually looking out for your best interests. For a married person, the spouse is probably the best one to assist in the battle for purity. I think a computer browser these days will reveal more about a person than most anything else. Our interests, passions, strange musings all show up on the "history" on our browser. (Those vintage musical instrument websites are a dead giveaway where my heart has been lately.)
Jesus said, where your treasure is, there will your heart be. I say that in modern times, "where your browser is there will your heart be."
By looking at our browser, or letting someone else see it, we will open a window to the things we hold most dear that consume our time and interest.
I have installed this program on all the computers in the house and my wife is my accountability partner. I only wish that I would have more fear of the Holy Spirit looking at my browser history than my wife! Would that we all develop a true contrition that would make us obey Christ and seek purity, not out of fear of getting caught or the embarrassment of having to confess it, but of grieving the "Holy Spirit, the Browser of Our Hearts."
To download the free software: X3watch.com
Fo more help in the battle for purity, check out Ken Henderson's True Knights
"Oh My Jesus, Lover of chastity,
Mary, Mother most pure,
and Joseph, chaste guardian of the Virgin,
to you I come at this hour,
begging you to plead with God for me.
I earnestly wish to be pure in thought,
word and deed in imitation of your own holy purity.
Obtain for me, then,
a deep sense of modesty
which will be reflected in my external conduct.
Protect my eyes, the windows of my soul,
from anything that might dim the lustre of a heart
that must mirror only Christlike purity.
And when the "Bread of Angels" becomes the "Bread of life" for me
in my heart at Holy Communion,
seal it forever against the suggestions of sinful pleasures.
Heart of Jesus, Fount of all purity,
have mercy on us. "
posted by Russ Rentler, M.D. | 5:30 PM
7 Comments:
I found a version for Mac. Now I'll have to find an accountability buddy.
Being a faithful Catholic is the answer.
Our priest's do not recommend to tell your spouse you're tempted to commit adultery and/or you have committed adultery. That would harm the relationship.
RATHER:
`Go to Marriage Retreats that encourage marriage is a Sacrament.
`Go to "an approved" wise Spiritual Director for help to replace vices with virtues.
`Go to daily Mass.
`Go to Eucharistic Adoration.
`Go to Benediction.
`Go to frequent Confession.
All of the Sacraments prepare our souls to receive the Most Holy Eucharist, in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass in purity. We can be holy.
To force the enemy to flee:
`Penance. Penance. Penance.
`Use Holy water.
`Turn off the TV.
`Pray the Rosary! (wwwlittlemary.us)
`Call on the Saints.
`Call on the holy souls in purgatory.
St. Michael the Archangel. Defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him we humbly pray. O Prince of the heavenly hosts, by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan and all evil spirits, who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.
God bless you.
Cyndi
Here's the Catholic Catechism on Pornography:
Pornography consists in removing real or simulated sexual acts from the intimacy of the partners, in order to display them deliberately to third parties. It offends against chastity because it perverts the conjugal act, the intimate giving of spouses to each other. It does grave injury to the dignity of its participants (actors, vendors, the public), since each one becomes an object of base pleasure and illicit profit for others. It immerses all who are involved in the illusion of a fantasy world. It is a grave offense. Civil authorities should prevent the production and distribution of pornographic materials. CCC #2354
Chastity includes an apprenticeship in self-mastery which is a training in human freedom. The alternative is clear: either man governs his passions and finds peace, or he lets himself be dominated by them and becomes unhappy. "Man's dignity therefore requires him to act out of conscious and free choice, as moved and drawn in a personal way from within, and not by blind impulses in himself or by mere external constraint. Man gains such dignity when, ridding himself of all slavery to the passions, he presses forward to his goal by freely choosing what is good and, by his diligence and skill, effectively secures for himself the means suited to this end." CCC #2339
Whoever wants to remain faithful to his baptismal promises and resist temptations will want to adopt the means for doing so: self-knowledge … obedience to God's commandments, exercise of the moral virtues, and fidelity to prayer. CCC #2340
Self-mastery is a long and exacting work. One can never consider it acquired once and for all. It presupposes renewed effort at all stages of life. The effort required can be more intense in certain periods, such as when the personality is being formed during childhood and adolescence. CCC #2342
Chastity has laws of growth which progress through stages marked by imperfection and too often by sin. "Man ... day by day builds himself up through his many free decisions; and so he knows, loves, and accomplishes moral good by stages of growth."[Familiaris Consortio 34] CCC #2343
Yes I saw they offered the MAC version on their site St. JimBob. For me, I feel a spouse is the best accountability partner for she is the one who has the most to gain as well as the most to lose in this battle.(next to you). But the main issue is that we as men who desire to live a godly life will allow someone into our "browser" so to speak.
I wish the answer to this sin was as easy as being a faithful Catholic but the number of faithful Catholics who have websites and testimonies regarding this issue makes me think the answer doesn't come that easy.
I am encouraged by the number of Catholic organizations and websites out there that are encouraging men in this not-often spoken battle, even in the church.
Pure Love Club by Jason Evert
Dads.org by Steve Wood, PornNomore.com are excellent sites.
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As the wife and mother of a 17 and 20 year old, I know first hand what this struggle is like. The day the internet arrived in our home, was the day I became the household net-nanny. Do I like this role? Do I want this role? Do I even understand what makes men struggle with this? NO! Yet, that is the role our sex-saturated society has thrust us as faithful Catholic/Christian wives and mothers into. We are the guardians of our homes. If my husband or sons come to me and ask "Will you be my accountability partner?" instead of nagging about how they should have gone to Mass more, I am going to give them a hug and say "Of course!" The reality is men struggle with impure thoughts like women struggle with (forgive my stereotypes, gossip, envy, vanity...).
So thank you TJ and Jim Bob for being so honest. I do not condemn you. I praise you for your courage to face this struggle and humble yourselves before God and an accountabillity partner to combat satan with the weapon of friendship!
As women, we must learn not to take this struggle personally, but to help our husbands and children battle this scourge in whatever we can and most especially in any way they ask us to without condemnation or nagging but with prayer and humility. May God help us in this battle for purity.
TB -- Sanctity comes gradually, as you probably very well know. The answer may not appear to come as easily as being a faithful Catholic.
I am firmly persuaded that frequently receiving the Most Holy Sacraments is the answer to overcoming all habitual sin. The Answer Begins and Ends in the Most Holy Eucharist (selah!)
Our priest was publicly teaching us the benefits of receiving the Sacraments. He suggested that we receive them frequently (not by being coerced, not by being nagged, not by being manipulated, never against what we want to do.)
It is wiser to name your temptations and the number of times you've sinned in confession VS telling your spouse all of this information. It could do more harm to the relationship," he kindly suggested.
We were invited to come to confession more frequently if we are addicted to pornography, adultery, lust, etc. In confession, in order for the priest to maximumly help the soul, he wants to know what type of pornography we're addicted to. Soft pornography? Hard pornography? How often do we look at pornography? What occasion leads to the temptation of pornography?
Do not be afraid to say you are in darkness. Do not be afraid to say I am in sin. When you confess your darkness, Jesus will be your light. Your redemption and resurrection will come.
God bless you.
Cyndi
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