A Collection of Articles Concerning Lust & Self-Abuse (Masturbation)
This is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:
That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour;
Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God. (1 Thessalonians 4:3-5)
The Orthodox Psychologist: A Column from Orthodox Tradition
The phenomenon of onanism,
or self-abuse, taken by many contemporary psychologists and even Churchmen,
unfortunately, to be a natural appetency, is something which we have only reluctantly
addressed in this column in the past (see Orthodox
Tradition, Vol. IX, No. 1 [1992], pp. 30-31).
It is a subject which demands not only careful study but tremendous pastoral
discretion, especially with regard to adolescents. This is partly because the
scientific rigor of medical and academic psychology has, in the last decade
or so, largely been set aside for the inane pronouncements of pop psychology;
such superficial ideas as co-dependence, bizarre therapies, and the supposedly
more enlightened models and therapies of holistic and New Age philosophies have
erased away much of the traditional study of human behavior.
The concerns of even so
ostensibly liberated a figure as Sigmund Freud (at least with regard to his
thoughts on human sexuality) about the negative psychic effects of self-abuse
have been tossed aside as symptomatic of the superstitious and medieval
attitudes of antiquated cranks. And as a result, even Orthodox Pastors have
come to speak of this sexual anomaly, once more, as a natural proclivity.
(In this respect, one modernist Priest in America was heard to say in a seminary
class, several years ago, that we shouldnt make too much of the narrow-minded
ideas of some of the Fathers about the innocent aspects of human sexual behavior.)
In the name of correcting some of the admittedly curious theories about onanism
that held forth in eighteenth-century medicine, psychologists, psychiatrists,
and clergymen have too often abandoned all sobriety with regard to this abusive
habit, succumbing at times to a do-what-feels-right philosophy that is opposed
both to Christian teaching—Scripture and the Churchs Canons consider self-abuse
a serious sin—and the more circumspect theories of normal sexual development
that prevailed when psychology was still a science and when normal was a word
understood by all.
With the ascendency of
the trashy morals and questionable cultural values that have entered into
American life from television situation comedies, assaulting even those of
us who do not—and will not—watch them, the question of onanism is of little
import to most Americans today. In a society which enjoys armpits and half-nude
bodies paraded across its newspapers, magazines, and television sets, not to
mention open advertisements everywhere for personal products that even a decade
ago were sold on the back shelves of pharmacies, onanism has even become the
subject of humor. Not only is it considered normal, rather than abnormal and
psychically and spiritually harmful, but a recent issue of a magazine for teenagers,
according to a recent CNN report, ranked it among one of the significant pastimes
of American youth: a harmless preoccupation! What in my generation was either
unknown to young people, or at least an issue not at all to be mentioned outside
confession, is now the subject of casual conversation. Added to the degraded
state of the psychological sciences and the abandonment of their pastoral responsibilities
by the clergy, the prevailing amoral culture in America and in the West serves
simply to reinforce the idea, and this especially among youth, that self-abuse
is not, as the Church and more responsible counsellors teach, a retreat into
sin and destructive fantasy. Consequently, even Christians come to believe that
this sexual sin has no consequences for the soul and for the psyche.
In an attempt to offer
some sober guidance on this subject to our readers, I would like to recount
two stories that were told to me by my spiritual Father, Metropolitan Cyprian—an
accomplished spiritual therapist—, one told to him by a spiritual son and the
other from a spiritual book that he read some time ago. I have used both stories
to counsel and to enlighten a number of young people who have come to me for
advice. They are about real people, neither of whom is now living (the stories
therefore constitute no violation whatsoever of any individuals privacy), and
offer us a vivid picture of the spiritual consequences of onanism: indeed, a
very clear and effective corrective to all that we have said above about contemporary
attitudes towards sexual self-abuse. May these stories help to enlighten many
about the true consequences of this sin and thus save them from both spiritual
and psychological harm.
Archbishop Chrysostomos
+ + +
A young man once related the following to me. As a teenager, he was interested in sports, especially
wrestling. At about fifteen, a teammate introduced him to the sin of self-abuse.
Out of shame, he did not confess the sin. One day, a month later, he was wrestling
at home, on the living room floor, with his older brother. Inadvertently, his
brother, who was very hefty, fell on his chest with such force that he could
not breathe and literally died. In this state, he observed his own body, the
shock of his brother and his mother, who had rushed in to help him, and his
soul, accompanied by his Guardian Angel, as it ascended above his house, high
over the city where he lived, and finally into the heavens. He then found himself
in a long, dark tunnel, at the end of which he saw a light and Paradise. As
he entered into this light, he saw the Theotokos, who asked his Guardian
Angel why he was there. The Angel then related to her the details of the boys
death. At this, the Theotokos turned to him and said, Your mother has
prayed fervently to me for your return, and my Son has granted her request.
The boy, overwhelmed by the beauty of Paradise, begged to remain. The Mother
of God, however, replied: No. For the sake of your mother, you must return.
But hear me: You must confess the sin that you committed a month ago. This is
a frightful sin, and unless you confess it to a Priest, behold what will happen
to you. At these words, the Theotokos asked the Archangel Michael to
escort him to a precipice that overlooked the torments of Hell. The view was
so frightening that the boy almost fainted. Afterwards, he re-traced his path
through the dark tunnel, down through the heavens, over the city in which he
lived, over his house, and then into the room where his family was gathered
over his dead body. Then, feeling a tremendous pressure on his body, his soul
returned to its place and he opened his eyes. He then related to his family
all that had happened to him. His grieving mother, on hearing all that he told
them, gave thanks to the Theotokos for her intervention with Christ on
the boys behalf, and, weeping uncontrollably, embraced and warmly kissed him.
+ + +
Another teenage boy also fell to the sin of self-abuse and, again out of shame, failed to confess it
to his spiritual Father. It so happened that he contracted a fatal disease and
was dying. His family sent word to the boys Confessor about his condition,
but were unable to find him before the boy died. At the time of his death, the
young man's soul was seized by two horrible demons, which began to drag him
to a place of terrible torment. In the meantime, the boys spiritual Father
arrived at his home and found the grieving family. If you had come earlier,
they cried, you might have prevented his death. Please, please bring him back.
The Priest began to pray and, lo, a miracle occurred. The boy indeed returned
to life. He immediately cried out to his Confessor, You have saved me. And
he then began to relate to him his terrible encounter with the demonic forces
that, just before his revival, were on the verge of casting him into Hell. Not
knowing of the boys sin, the Priest asked of him, How could this have happened
to you? Why would these demons claim your soul? The boy then confessed his
misdeed. Do you sincerely repent of this, my son, the Priest asked. Yes,
the youth replied. Are you sure? the Priest asked once more. The boy replied,
O yes, Father! The Priest then continued: And do you want to go to Heaven?
You mean I can be with my Christ right now? the boy exclaimed. His spiritual
Father assured him that he could. Then I wish to die, the boy said, crossing
his arms on his chest. The Priest made the sign of the Cross on the boy, and
the youth, closing his eyes, blissfully reposed.
From Orthodox Tradition, Vol. XIV, No. 4 (1997), pp. 10-12.
About the editors of The Orthodox Psychologist. Dr. Thomas Brecht is a psychologist in private
practice with the Alabama Psychiatric Services and a member of the Association
of Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy. The Most Rev. Dr. Chrysostomos has taught
psychology at Princeton University, where he received his doctorate, the University
of California, Ashland University, and the Theological Institute of the University
of Uppsala, Sweden.
+ + +
The following article was written for
this column in 1989 by Archbishop Chrysostomos. A number
of readers have asked that it be reprinted, owing to its instructive content
and because of the paucity of writing on this important issue by traditional
Orthodox thinkers.
I have long hesitated to
undertake the task of approaching the intimate problem of human sexuality from
an Orthodox point of view. In normal circumstances, this subject is personal,
a matter of confessional guidance, and something not to be addressed in mixed
company or in a public forum. But the circumstances of the society in which
we live are anything but normal. Not only are sexual matters openly discussed
in the least appropriate arenas, but a wholesale perversion of the nature of
human sexuality reigns in modern society. Clergymen, then, cannot remain silent—even
those of us in the monastic ranks.
In addressing various matters
of human sexuality, I bring with me into this area of study two things: first,
the teachings of the Orthodox Church, to the extent that I understand them after
several decades of reading in the Fathers; and second, my background as a psychologist,
which includes some years of study and research in the area of psychosexual
development. Certainly there may be others better qualified to write on these
matters, but the necessities which I feel as a pastor of the flock prompt me
to speak out in a time of need, putting aside my admitted limitations in knowledge
and expertise.
One troublesome problem
that pastors and Church counsellors confront these days is that of self-pollution
(or masturbation), a problem which one Church Father in particular, St. Nicodemos
of the Holy Mountain, has considered at length. His comments and the teachings
of the Church have been largely hidden under the cover of modern theories which
pastors have unfortunately gleaned from heterodox (and even un-Christian) sources.
Moreover, the natural embarrassment that a pious Christian feels in discussing
a matter such as this has served to allow misunderstanding and wrong teachings
to proliferate, such that Churchmen have become remiss in teaching young people
the true position of the Church with regard to this very serious matter.
Sexuality is part of our
fallen nature. It is evil only to the extent that we misuse it—misuse that most
certainly begins with the curiosity that young people develop at the age of
puberty. At the age of sexual self-discovery, the problem of self-pollution
is, whether we like to admit it or not, a rather universal one. Pastors have
always realized this and have exercised care to deal with adolescents who fall
to this sin with patience and careful guidance. With time, these youngsters
can be led to understand its nature, to put an end to it before it becomes a
habit, and to understand that the sexual urge, like any other, is subject to
control.
While normal, healthy instances
of adolescent purity do exist (despite the prevailing attitude that this is
abnormal), the practice of self-pollution often does become more or less habitual
through the younger years. Self-control is not something easily achieved by
young people in the confused, first few years of sexual maturity. This is an
unfortunate fact, but a fact; and here, again, we must guide young people with
understanding and patience. But our guidance must focus on the fact that this
activity is wrong, must be corrected, and certainly is not a matter of what
today's social mors call "natural instincts." Habits cannot be overcome
if we believe them to good or innocent. We must know that they are bad and detrimental,
before we are prompted to control them. And it is this important perspective
that the Church must restore. Self-pollution is not, as many Orthodox pastors
today claim, a small matter or something incidental. It is a sin, and a serious
one when it is habitual.
St. Nicodemos calls this
sin a snare and points out that, according to other Fathers, those who are caught
in its net have great difficulty extricating themselves and thus imperil their
souls. (See Pedalion, Athens, 1982, pp. 704-705.) Indeed, the eighth
canon of St. John the Faster assigns to a layman who falls to this sin, in addition
to exclusion from Holy Communion, one hundred prostrations daily for forty days,
along with a diet of nothing but bread and water. St. John's tenth Canon imposes
a suspension of one year on any Priest who falls to self-abuse and, should he
continue in such a sin two or three times, deposition. Moreover, St. Paul's
famous and unequivocal statement in I Corinthians 6:9-10, that those who practice
sodomy and who are "effeminate" cannot inherit "the kingdom of
God," St. Nicodemos observes, can also be interpreted to apply to those
who practice self-abuse: a sin which "damages" the soul (ibid.).
Aside from attributing
to self-pollution various negative physical effects, St. Nicodemos rightly stresses
that this sin opens the mind and soul to demonic influence. It is a path to
self-seduction and the complete distortion of the meaning of human sexuality
and, of course, the pure image to which the human being seeks to be restored
in the spiritual life.
There are today few physicians
who would attribute to self-abuse the negative physical effects mentioned by
the Fathers of the Church. However, this is not on the basis of careful research,
but stems from their acceptance of prevailing theories. The Fathers based their
observations on data from pious physicians who carefully monitored their patient's
moral lives and the consequent effects on their physical health. Such things
are not done today. Therefore, the observations upon which the Fathers base
their conclusions are often called into question. Nonetheless, the Fathers base
themselves on empirical data, modern physicians on untested theory. Moreover,
there is ample support by inference for what the Fathers and what Christian
physicians in the past so firmly believed.
Today we know that there
is a close link between the mind and the body and that, to be sure, the Fathers
were correct in linking the health of the body to that of the soul. Therefore,
while we may not have contemporary empirical studies to support the claims of
the Fathers with regard to the negative effects of self-abuse, we can certainly
affirm that the theory upon which they based their views—that one's moral life,
a matter of the mind and soul, has consequences for the physical health of the
organism—is valid. Furthermore, those of us trained in more traditional psychology
are perfectly aware that masturbation has profound effects on the psyche and,
thus, ultimately on the physical body. (Even Freud, whose revolutionary view
of human sexuality is at times less than healthy and edifying, advised his daughter
and other patients to avoid self-abuse.)
Self-abuse has two very
serious psychological effects. Firstly, it focuses human sexuality away from
the interpersonal dimension and thus distorts its natural goal: procreation—which
in turn involves two people, a man and a woman. In so doing, it individualizes
human sexuality and turns one entirely to himself. This narcissism can be unhealthy
for the psyche, leading to selfishness, a lack of concern for others, and, in
fact, sexual dysfunction. And to the extent that this practice focuses one on
the self, it is perfectly possible that it leads one to the abnormality of fixation
on those of them same sex. This in turn can lead to homosexuality. Thus, it
is perhaps no accident that, at a time when society and even clergymen teach
that self-abuse is normal, homosexuality (or bisexuality) is at least more open,
if not more prevalent in the human population.
The other negative consequence
of self-abuse is that it fosters delusions and fantasy. Human sexuality is bridled.
Sexual passions are, indeed, quite quickly satisfied (for which reason they
are reasonably easily controlled). Thus, whatever the fantasy one may have,
in actuality sexual behavior is bounded on all sides by physical limits. Moreover,
normal sexuality, involving both a man and woman, also rests on the personal,
loving relationship of two people, which tends to transform passionate fantasy
into a form of intimacy and into a union which is both decent and capable of
sanctification (within the bonds of the Mystery of marriage). When the reality
of an interpersonal relationship is absent, fantasy allows one to do whatever
he wishes. And this acting-out, should it ever become real, can lead to poor
and even violent relationships.
A mind which is turned
in on itself, an individual who can live within the world of the passions without
taking into account the reality of interaction with others, will ultimately
come to a state of serious imbalance. And this imbalance will not only affect
his or her physical health, as we have suggested, but will invite the action
of negative psychic powers: demons. An individual who lives in proper harmony
with those around him and who either controls the sexual impulse or expresses
it in a marital context is healthy. His health keeps him watchful against evil
and helps him develop as an individual and as a Christian. One who lacks such
balance, whose mind has been twisted by the tyranny of the passions, is prey
to things demonic. And so it is, of course, that the Fathers speak of self-abuse
as a demonic ruse.
Absolute sexual purity
is the result of mental health. It is normal. Sexual indulgence is abnormal.
This is what we must stress to our young people. If the imbalance that accompanies
adolescence leads to certain falls, young people must be guided away from these
falls. They must know that sexual health actually resides in a life of absolute
purity (ruling out self-abuse, of course) or marriage, in which the passions
are modified by a Mystery of the Church and, at the same time, by the natural
uprightness that accompanies physical acts carried out in an atmosphere of mutual
love and respect. Self-abuse is not normal, but abnormal. And if great guilt
attaches to it, this is not the result of the Church calling this sin abnormal;
rather, it is the result of that which naturally proceeds forth from something
which perverts the mind, body, and soul. It is as natural as the guilt which
one feels at taking another life, whether intentionally or not, and helps us
to understand the serious abnormality of what is today called an "unimportant
and natural thing."
Bishop [now Archbishop] Chrysostomos
+ + +
LETTER 4. THE PASSIONS
Conversing with Fr. Macarius, I
happened to tell him that living in society, it happens that for no particular
reason some girl will strike one's fancy. One word follows another, and one
becomes so attached to her that afterwards one finds it necessary, out of fear
of jealousy, to hide it from one's wife. Even at prayer and in the church of
God, one is always thinking of her. Of course, with the passage of time this
attachment passes all by itself and is forgotten, but still....
"Yes," said Fr. Macarius
with a sigh, "to you people of high society, such frivolity seems nothing,
insignificant. But all the same, a terrible evil is hidden in it, causing an
abyss of troubles and misfortunes and robbing your spiritual treasury. The Savior
plainly says, Everyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed
adultery with her in his heart (Matt. 5:28). You see—you only looked lustfully,
and the sin has already been committed and the commandment of God broken. Even
from a worldly point of view, how many bitter sorrows are caused by such predilections!
Here, as I see it, you are now living happily and peacefully with your family.
You love your wife and she loves you. You are candid with her, and have in her
a friend who participates wholeheartedly in your sorrows and joys. But as soon
as the thought of faithlessness enters your heart, the tempter will seize upon
it right away and draw you with such strength that it will already be difficult
for you to stop yourself and return to your sacred duty. From here it is not
very far to a fall, and, if you commit it, everything is upset. In your wife,
if she is faithful to you, you will have an enemy instead of a friend; you will
begin to feel hatred towards her instead of love. instead of comfort, you will
see in her a hindrance to the satisfaction of your crude and inhuman passion,
and you will not even notice that you have become a lawless enemy to your lawful
spouse. What a bitter future there is in such a life! But that is just here—what
will happen beyond the grave? Terrible... It is a fearful thing to fall
into the hands of the Living God" (Heb. 10:31).
"Instruct me, then, Father,"
I said, "how to protect myself from the terrible temptation of passions
in general, and from tempting thoughts while praying at home or even in church."
"The beginning of all these
temptations," the Elder responded, "Is pride. A man imagines that
he is living piously, not judging his own sinfulness at all, but sometimes even
judging others—then, the Lord allows the enemy to lay snares for him. Be attentive
to your own way of life, check your conscience, and you will always come, however
unwillingly, to the conviction that you have not yet fulfilled even one of the
Lord's commandments as a Christian should. Reasoning in this way, you will clearly
see your spiritual weaknesses, which cause fleshly falls. In order to deliver
yourself from these falls, you must acquire humility. As far as the sinful thoughts
at church or while praying at home are concerned, since they are not caused
by you, but by the enemy, you don't have to be troubled. Try not to dwell on
these thoughts, but turn to God instead with the prayer: 'Lord Jesus Christ,
Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner!' Here is an example for you: when parents
take their little children out for a walk, they usually let the children go
ahead, not letting them out of their sight. Suddenly, from out of some corner,
a dog runs out and jumps at the children. What do they do? They rush right over
to their parents, crying 'Papa! Mama!' With childish simplicity and pure faith,
they expect their parents to help them. The same goes for you on the path of
your temporal life. If our tempter, the devil, even starts laying snares for
you, don't be disturbed, and do not even think of getting through it on your
own, but with childlike simplicity hurry to the heavenly Father with the cry,
'Lord, I am Thy creation, have mercy on me!' Finally, I'll tell you that, in
my opinion, it is hard to protect oneself from worldly temptations while living
in big cities. How can a man who is still spiritually weak hold his ground against
the temptations of the contemporary world? Take note that high society consists
in part of people with other beliefs, and in part of Christians who, although
Orthodox, have been so seduced by the customs of the world in their weakness,
that they are Orthodox in name only, while in reality they have drifted far
from true Orthodoxy. It's hard to fight the passions, but it is incomparably
more difficult to withstand continuous temptations. Finally, luxury, the pursuit
of fashion, the goals of this way of life—all of this is so expensive that no
financial means would suffice to satisfy all the demands of high society.
"You have said yourself that
your financial affairs are in disarray, but as you live longer in the village
your financial situation will improve. Yes, and not only that! The human soul,
as an immortal being, cannot remain in the same condition—it is either improving
or deteriorating. It is no wonder that, by living a quiet country life, and
of course with the help of God, your spiritual state should improve at least
a little."
From Elder Macarius
of Optina, by Fr. Leonid Kavelin (Platina, CA: St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood
Press, 1995), pp. 342-344. This was Letter 4 in a series of letters to a young,
wealthy, married landowner in 19th-century Russian high society.
+ + +
ON THE DEMON OF UNCHASTITY AND THE DESIRE OF THE FLESH
Our second struggle is against the
demon of unchastity and the desire of the flesh, a desire which begins to trouble
man from the time of his youth. This harsh struggle has to be fought in both
soul and body, and not simply in the soul, as is the case with other faults.
We therefore have to fight it on two fronts.
Bodily fasting alone is not enough
to bring about perfect self-restraint and true purity; it must be accompanied
by contrition of heart, intense prayer to God, frequent meditation on the Scriptures,
toil and manual labour. These are able to check the restless impulses of the
soul and to recall it from its shameful fantasies. Humility of soul helps
more than everything else, however, and without it no one can overcome unchastity
or any other sin. In the first place, then, we must take the utmost care to
guard the heart from base thoughts, for, according to the Lord, out of the
heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, unchastity and so on (Matt.
15:19).
We are told to fast not only to
mortify our body, but also to keep our intellect watchful, so that it will
not be obscured because of the amount of food we have eaten and thus be unable
to guard its thoughts. We must not therefore expend all our effort in bodily
fasting; we must also give attention to our thoughts and to spiritual meditation,
since otherwise we will not be able to advance to the heights of true purity
and chastity. As our Lord has said, we should cleanse first the inside of the
cup and plate, so that their outside may also be clean (Matt. 23:26).
If we are really eager, as the Apostle
puts it, to struggle lawfully and to be crowned (2 Tim: 2:5) for overcoming
the impure spirit of unchastity, we should not trust in our own strength and
ascetic practice, but in the help of our Master, God. No one ceases to be attacked
by this demon until he truly believes that he will be healed and reach the heights
of purity not through his own effort and labour, but through the aid and protection
of God. For such a victory is beyond man's natural powers. Indeed, he who has
trampled down the pleasures and provocations of the flesh is in a certain sense
outside the body. Thus, no one can soar to this high and heavenly prize of holiness
on his own wings and learn to imitate the angels, unless the grace of God leads
him upwards from this earthly mire. No virtue makes flesh-bound man so like
a spiritual angel as does self-restraint, for it enables those still living
on earth to become, as the Apostle says, citizens of heaven (cf. Phil. 3:20).
A sign that we have acquired this virtue perfectly is that our soul ignores
those images which the defiled fantasy produces during sleep; for even if
the production of such images is not a sin, nevertheless it is a sign that the
soul is ill and has not been freed from passion. We should therefore regard
the defiled fantasies that arise in us during sleep as the proof of previous
indolence and weakness still existing in us, since the emission which takes
place while we are relaxed in sleep reveals the sickness that lies hidden in
our souls. Because of this the Doctor of our souls has also placed the remedy
in the hidden regions of the soul, recognizing that the cause of our sickness
lies there when He says: Whoever looks at a woman with lust has already committed
adultery with her in his heart (Matt. 5:28). He seeks to correct not so much
our inquisitive and unchaste eyes as the soul which has its seat within and
makes bad use of the eyes which God gave it for good purposes. That is why the
Book of Proverbs in its wisdom does not say: Guard your eyes with all diligence
but Guard your heart with all diligence (Prov. 4:23), imposing the remedy
of diligence in the first instance upon that which makes use of the eyes for
whatever purpose it desires.
The way to keep guard over our heart
is immediately to expel from the mind every demon-inspired recollection of
women even of mother or sister or any other devout woman—lest by dwelling
on it for too long the mind is thrown headlong by the deceiver into debased
and pernicious thoughts. The commandment given by God to the first man, Adam,
told him to keep watch over the head of the serpent (cf. Gen. 3:15. LXX), that
is, over the first inklings of the pernicious thoughts by means of which the
serpent tries to creep into our souls. If we do not admit the serpents head,
which is the
provocation of the thought, we will not admit the rest of its
body—that is, the assent to the sensual pleasure which the thought suggests—and
so debase the mind towards the illicit act itself.
As it is written, we should early
in the morning destroy all the wicked of the earth (Ps. 101:8), distinguishing
in the light of divine knowledge our sinful thoughts and then eradicating them
completely from the earth—our hearts—in accordance with the teaching of the
Lord. While the children of Babylon—by which I mean our wicked thoughts—are
still young, we should dash them to the ground and crush them against the rock,
which is Christ (cf. Ps. 137:9; I Cor. 10:4). If these thoughts grow stronger
because we assent to them, we will not be able to overcome them without much
pain and labour.
It is good to remember the sayings
of the Fathers as well as the passages from Holy Scripture cited above. For
example, St Basil, Bishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia, said: I have not known
a woman and yet I am not a virgin. He recognized that the gift of virginity
is achieved not so much by abstaining from intercourse with woman as by holiness
and purity of soul, which in its turn is achieved through fear of God. The
Fathers also say that we cannot fully acquire the virtue of purity unless we
have first acquired real humility of heart. And we will not be granted true
spiritual knowledge so long as the passion of unchastity lies hidden in the
depths of our souls.
To bring this section of our treatise
to a close, let us recall one of the Apostles sayings which further illustrates
his teaching on how to acquire self-restraint. He says: Pursue peace with all
men and the holiness without which no one will see the Lord (Heb. 12:14). It
is clear that he is talking about self-restraint from what follows: Lest there
be any unchaste or profane person, such as Esau (Heb. 12:16). The more heavenly
and angelic the degree of holiness, the heavier are the enemies attacks to
which it is subjected. We should therefore try to achieve not only bodily control,
but also contrition of heart with frequent prayers of repentance, so that with
the dew of the Holy Spirit we may extinguish the furnace of our flesh, kindled
daily by the king of Babylon with the bellows of desire (cf. Dan. 3:19). In
addition, a great weapon has been given us in the form of sacred vigils; for
just as the watch we keep over our thoughts by day brings us holiness at night,
so vigil at night brings purity to the soul by day.
From The Philokalia, Volume
1, pp. 75-77. This is excerpted from the treatise On the Eight Vices, written
by St. John Cassian (all italics mine). Although The Philokalia as a
whole is typically viewed as advanced reading that is unsuitable for most
lay people, this treatise is especially valuable for anyone trying to live a
pious spiritual life, either in the world or in a monastery. St. John's writings
on lust were not translated in the classic 38-volume church fathers set that is
so widely available. His writings on lust and fornication can be found, however,
in the translations of his Institutes
and Conferences by
Boniface Ramsey.
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Relevant Passages from Holy Scripture that are Worth Memorizing to Combat These Passions
"For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality, that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God." (1 Thess. 4:3-5)
"Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul." (1 Peter 2:11)
"Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust...But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts." (Romans 13:13-14)
"But fornication, and all uncleanness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; neither filthinessFor it is a shame to [even] speak of those things which are done of them in secret", let alone do them. (Eph. 5:3, 12)
"For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live." (Roman 8:13)
"But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell." (St. Matthew 5:28-29)
For "He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me." (St. John 14:21).
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The Prayer of St. Justina Against Lust
The maiden was accustomed to offer up prayer to the Lord every night; and when at the third hour of the night she had arisen to pray to God, she suddenly felt in her body as it were a strong wind, an evil tempest of carnal desires, the burning of the flames of Gehenna. She was beset by this assault and inner storm for a long time: the youth Aglaias came to her mind, and wicked thoughts arose in her. She felt her blood boiling in her as in a kettle, and the maiden was amazed and ashamed of herself for considering that which she had always regarded as vile. The wise Justina perceived that it was the devil who had stirred up this struggle within her, and straightway she took up the weapon of the sign of the Cross. She hastened to God in fervent prayer and cried out to Christ her Bridegroom from the depths of her heart, saying,
"O Lord Jesus Christ, my God, lo, mine enemies have risen up against me and have prepared a snare for my feet! My soul is brought low, but I have remembered Thy name in the night and am made glad. When they compassed me round about, I have fled unto Thee, hoping that mine adversary might not rejoice over me, for Thou knowest, O Lord my God, that I am Thy [servant]. For Thee have I kept the purity of my body, and to Thee have I entrusted my soul; wherefore, preserve Thou Thy lamb, O good Shepherd. Do not permit the beast which seeketh to devour me to consume me, and grant me to prevail over the evil desires of my flesh."
Having prayed thus for a long time, the holy virgin put the enemy to shame. Overcome by her prayer, he fled from her in humiliation, and calm returned to Justinas body and heart. The flame of desire was quenched, the conflict within her ceased, her boiling blood was calmed, and she chanted a hymn of victory, giving glory to God....
"We cannot", [the devil] said, "bear to look upon the sign of the Cross but must flee from it, for like fire it burns us and drives us far away."
From the Lives of Sts. Cyprian and Justina, The Great Collection of the Lives of Saints, October, p. 32, 34. Those suffering from carnal passions would do well to read the "Prayers for Purity" from the Book of Needs (Euchologion).
St. Nectarios Press sells these prayers as a small book. A shorter version is also available.
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