2.   PROCESS OF ESCALATION.  Another study points out the sequence of the
addiction as follows!   Curiosity leads to casual viewing of porn; then casual viewing leads to constant viewing.   Then escalation sets in! There is a desire for more graphic and explicit images. Finally desensitization, in which what
was considered repulsive, is considered normal. Finally, acting out!  All too frequently what is seen is carried
out in life.  If you like, what goes into
the eyes, filters into the brain, from the brain the emotions, from the
emotions the heart and from the heart into life.  Then actions form habits and habits form the
personality of the individual and finally his eternal destiny!  Reflect on this process!

3.   OBJECTIFY THE WOMAN.   The net result of addiction to pornography on a personal and human level is the degrading of the addict in the sense that he no longer is able to view the woman as a daughter of God, a temple of the
Holy Spirit, as a sister in Christ, or as a mother.  Rather the woman is simply an object to be
viewed, lusted after, exploited and used and then finally discarded, if you
like, like a used Coke a Cola bottle!  Pope John Paul II in his masterpiece on the Theology of the Body affirms
this. Either the woman is to be respected, loved and honored as God’s creation
or seen as an object to be lusted after and used as a means of selfish
gratification!

4.   ADULTERY OF THE MIND.  A married man who capitulates to the addiction
of pornography in reality commits adultery. How and why?  In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus clarifies
the extent of adultery going beyond the mere physical act of adultery, with
these words:  “You have heard it said, “You shall not commit adultery.  But I say to you, everyone who looks at a
woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.  If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it
out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than to
have your whole body thrown into Gehenna.” (Mt. 5:27-29).   Jesus could not be more clear in his
teaching on purity and adultery. Adultery extends from the physical reality
even to the yes and inner intentions of the heart.  Many marriages have been jeopardized,
weakened, wounded, damaged and even rent asunder due to the entrance of the
ravenous wolf of pornography into the home!   
For entrance into heaven Jesus gave us a Beatitude:  “Blessed are the pure of heart, they will see
God.” (Mt 5:8).

5.   WOUNDING OF INNOCENT CHILDREN.   The poet said it clearly, “No one is an island unto himself.”   Addiction of
pornography of the father, ruins  his relationship with his wife, ends in separation and eventual divorce and the innocent ones— the children—are the ones that suffer due to the separation!   The wolf is on the prey to ruthlessly destroy families!

6.   EXPULSION OF GOD!  Obviously the worse consequence of the seeking out of pornography, viewing, and eventual addiction is the expulsion of God from one’s life.   In the “Year of Faith” proclaimed by Pope Benedict XVI—from October 11, 2012 until Nov. 24th  2013, the Solemnity of Jesus Christ, the King of the Universe— the Holy Father insists on everybody seeking to acquire a
personal relationship with Jesus.  Jesus must be our Best Friend!  We cannot serve
God and Mammon (sin, pornography) at the same time!  Our God is a jealous God and will take second
place to nobody or anything.  Looked at objectively, to sacrifice the love and Friendship with Jesus for some base,
crass, sinful momentary pleasure— that of addiction to pornography– is the
height of absurdity!  Worse yet, Our Lady
of Fatima sadly asserted that most of the souls that are lost for all eternity
are lost due to sins against the virtue of purity—sins against the sixth and
ninth commandment.

2.   MEALS.  Bless your meals.  Call to mind
how many people in the world do not have enough to eat, how many children this
very day will die of hunger, how many like the Parable of Lazarus and the Rich
man long for the crust that falls from the table.  With us, we have too much and almost every
week toss in the garbage disposal the excess food! Be thankful and bless God
for all, especially the daily bread that comes from a loving and Providential
Father.

3.   MEDITATION OF THE BIBLE/THE WORD OF
GOD.   The Holy Father, the Councils, the
saints all insist that we must immerse ourselves deeper in the infinite riches
of the Word of God.  When we say the Our
Father, the Lord’s Prayer, we say, “Give us this day our DAILY BREAD….    This “Daily Bread”  has various interpretations. One
interpretation is the “Bread” of the word of God.   Being in the desert for forty days and forty
nights fasting, the devil tells Jesus to turn stones into bread and Jesus
responds:  “Man does not live on bread
alone but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.”  By this Jesus was teaching us that the
nourishment of our mind with the Word of God prevails over the filling of our
stomachs with physical sustenance.

4.   MASS AND HOLY COMMUNION.  Even more important than physical bread and
even the Word of God is the “Bread of life”, which means Holy Communion the
Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ.   While preaching in the synagogue of Capernaum,
Jesus states in unequivocal terms the utter necessity of this “Bread of
Life”.  We might even say it is a matter
of life and death. (Eternal life or eternal death).  Listen to the Master:  “I am the Bread of Life, whoever eats my Body
and drinks my blood will have eternal life and I will raise him up on the last
day.”   In other words if we want to live
eternally we must nourish our souls frequently on the Body and Blood of Our
Lord, the Holy Eucharist in Holy Communion in the context of Holy Mass!

5.   MERCY towards others.  Another condition to enter the Kingdom is
mercy.  If we want to be recipients of God’s mercy then we must be merciful to others. The prayer of the Our Father
could not be clearer: “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass
against us…  Jesus, of course is our model par excellence.  From the cross He
teaches us mercy two times:  “Father
forgive them for they do not know what they are doing…” and then to the
repentant thief Jesus says, “Amen I say to you, today you will be with me in
paradise…. Indeed the triumph of God’s mercy in the last moment!  In the Diary of Saint Faustina Jesus exhorts
all to do at least one act of mercy every day. It can be done in one of three
ways: 1) prayer for somebody, 2) kind words, 3) some kind deed.   Let us take serious Jesus’ words:  “Be merciful as your heavenly Father is merciful.”

6.   MANNERS IN CHURCH.   The Holy Father sadly reminds the modern
world that we have lost the sense of the sacred and the sense of mystery especially
in Church.  Moses took off his sandals before the burning bush. The prophet Isaiah’s lips were purified by a burning
coal. We must rediscover the holiness of our three times holy God especially in
Church where Jesus is truly present in the Blessed Sacrament.  “O Sacrament most holy O Sacrament divine,
all praise and all thanksgiving be every moment thine.”

7. MEEKNESS AND GENTLENESS OF HEART.  An authentic manifestation of holiness is reflected by meekness.  Meekness is not weakness but rather powerful emotion under control.  No better model have we than Jesus Himself who stated, “Come to me all of you who are weary and I will give your rest. Take my yoke upon you because I am meek and humble of heart,    because
my yoke is easy and my burden is light. (Mt 11:28-30).  Known for his gentle and meek spirit, St
Francis de Sales asserted:  “You can catch more flies with a teaspoon of honey then a barrel of vinegar.”   “Jesus meek and humble of heart make my heart like unto thine.”

8.   MASTER JESUS OUR HEAVENLY MODEL.  We all need models on which to pattern our lives. May Jesus be our Model.  He
Himself said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” Remember those wrist bands that were in fad a few years back with the letters  WWJD—-“What would Jesus do?”  Not a bad constant reminder in the midst of a pagan and materialistic world.  Money,
power, fame and pleasure are not our gods. Jesus is our MODEL!

9.   MISSION.   An authentic follower of Christ is a prophet, evangelizer as well as a missionary.  Pope Benedict XVI in his
apostolic letter reminds us insistently that in the year of faith we must experience a personal and deep relationship with Jesus as our true friend. But this treasure must be shared. Like Andrew who ran to tell Peter about Jesus, like the Samaritan woman at the well who ran to tell her compatriots that she found Jesus, like Our Lady who hastened to share Jesus with Elizabeth and the baby John the Baptist, so we must joyfully bring the good news— The Gospel– to the whole world.   Our Lord and Savior’s
last words in the Gospel of St Matthew are:  “Go out to all nations and teach them all I taught you and baptize them
in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. And behold I am with you always even until the end of the world. “(Mt 28) .

2.   CELL-PHONES.   Leave them at home or in the car. First, if you have one in your pocket
psychologically you are waiting for some message which distracts you from the Mass. Second, if it goes off you are totally distracted. Third, when it goes off everybody in the Church is distracted and that includes the priest-celebrant who acts in “Persona-Christi”—in the person of Christ.  No person nor message prevails over the Person and message of Jesus Christ.

3.   USELESS CHATTER.  In Church and especially in the context of Holy Mass there should be absolute silence.  The Church is the House of God and the house of prayer. Jesus once expressed great anger when His Father’s House was transformed into a marketplace, in which he made a whip and expelled those who were desecrating the  Temple.  Holy Mass is by far the greatest prayer in the whole universe at every Mass the angels stand in awe at the sublimity of God descending on the altar and entering into human hearts- a privilege that even the angels do not have!  Useless talking, chatter and joking around are totally out of place in the presence of His Majesty, Jesus the Lord and King.  Why is this evil? First, those who talk to others are rude to God because it is His House and it is to Him we should be speaking. Second, others who hear the talking are being disturbed and distracted from their prayers and
attention in Mass and will receive fewer graces. Lastly, the sense of sacred and mystery is lost when bombarded by a cacophony of noises!

4.  MODESTY.  Never forget as Christian-Catholics  our dignity. We are created in the image and likeness of God. Through Baptism we are temples of the Holy Spirit.  Upon receiving Holy Communion we become Living Tabernacles or Sanctuaries of the Eucharistic Lord. If that were not enough, St Paul defines the Christian as the “Ambassador of Christ”.  An Ambassador represents the President of the
country, the country in its totality as well as each individual citizen of that country.  Christians represent the Lord Jesus, King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  Worthy of note is the following: Christians/Catholics are not simply one hour a week at Mass on Sunday, but rather 24-7— meaning, 24 hours a day and 7 days a week, and 365 days a year.  Never can we change who we are, have an identity change.  We are called to follow Jesus always in word, deed and manner of dress.  What are the evils that flow from immodesty in dress? 
First, the woman lowers her own dignity as daughter of God. Second, she can easily be a source of temptation for the many men that are present in church. Men are very visual and due to the effects of Original sin, eyes wander and can easily stop and focus on the forbidden! Lastly, both Jesus and Mary are highly offended. For women the Blessed Virgin Mary must always be the model in all realms and aspects of life. Mary should be model in the way of speech, action, and dress.  A woman should express dignity and beauty but never degrade herself to being provocative to the point of being a source of temptation, scandal and sin!  Lord Jesus
save us from winning the “Millstone award” for immodesty in dress! 

5.   IRREVERENCE AT COMMUNION.  By far the most important moment in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is Holy Communion.  An all-important reminder: Holy Communion is truly the Body, Blood, Soul
and Divinity of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  The consecrated Host is really and truly the
Second Person of the Most Blessed Trinity. Therefore, He should be received
with the greatest reverence, respect and adoration— never in a sloppy, flippant,
mechanical or distracted manner.Hands should be folded reverently, before receiving Jesus a reverential bow towards the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.  When the priest/minister offers the Body of Christ a resounding AMEN should be pronounced, meaning that we truly believe—this is an act of
faith—that it is Jesus the Lord.  Furthermore, remember the three indispensable conditions to receive
Jesus worthily: 1) faith that the Host is really Jesus, 2) an hour of fasting before Holy Communion, 3) the soul being in the state of grace—meaning not having mortal sin one one’s conscience.  

2.   Read the teachings of the Pope.  Encyclicals, Apostolic letters, Apostolic
exhortations, discourses, Catechisms, discourses made during Papal visits.   The website “Zenit.com” is the official
website of the Vatican in which you can have quick and easy access to all of the teachings of the Vicar of Christ.

3.   Defend the Pope.  When the Pope is being unjustly attacked—
this is more common now than ever—make it a point to stand up for the Pope and to defend him.  If someone were to attack
your mother or father, I imagine you would be quick to the defense of those you
love most.

4.   Portrait of the Pope.   In my room as well as in my confessional I
have displayed in two prominent places the person of Blessed Pope John Paul
II.  This I do for two reasons.  First, for the simple reason that I honestly
love all the Popes, but especially the one who ordained me a priest and was
Pope during 26 years of my life. Second, to instill in people knowledge and
respect for the Pope.

2.   ANGELUS. Pray the Angelus three times a day: at 9:00. a.m., 12 noon, and 6:00
p.m.   This pious Marian practice of prayer helps us to sanctify the morning, the afternoon and the evening with the
memory of Mary’s role in the Incarnation of the Son of God and His Paschal Mystery,
Passion death and Resurrection of Jesus— the key moments and hinges of our
salvation .

3.   SALVE REGINA/HAIL HOLY QUEEN. A marvelous
prayer that we pray after the Rosary.  This calls to mind the wonderful truth that Mary is Our Heavenly Queen;
she is full of mercy, “Hail Holy Queen, mother of mercy, our life, our sweetness
and our hope”. Also in the midst of the battles of life and our sadnesses and
sorrows Mary is always there to help us. Incidentally read the GLORIES OF MARY,
written by the Doctor of the Church, St Alphonsus Maria Liguouri, which is
nothing less than a running and beautiful commentary, using Biblical passages,
sayings from the lives of the saints and application of colorful stories of the
power and presence of Mary.

4.   MEMORARE. This prayer attributed to St. Bernard of Clairvaux has been loved by
many for more than 1500 years.  During a
very dark period of his life in which he had almost given in to despair, St.
Francis de Sales knelt in the church of Our Lady of Victory, prayed the
Memorare to Our Lady, and immediately this cloud and cloak of despair disintegrated.  The young Francis conquered the temptation
went on to become a priest, Bishop, gifted writer, and saint. However, if it
were not through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the prayer the
Memorare, Francis may have never conquered the devil of despair in his life.

5.   SUB TUUM PRAESIDIUM. This is considered to be the oldest known prayer dedicated to Mary the Mother of God.
It was discovered in Egypt on a piece of papyrus dating back close to 250
a.d.   The prayer is short but dense in content.  “We fly to your patronage, O holy Mother of God; despise not our
petitions in our necessities, but deliver us always from all dangers, O
glorious and blessed Virgin.”  In the history of the Church, in the midst of the terrible torments and tempests
in which it seemed as if the Bark of Peter—the church—was about to capsize and
sink, it was through the intercession of Mary and the church confidently
invoking her that the Church was saved. Venerable Father Bruno Lanteri , founder of the Oblates of the Virgin Mary, noted that the great heresies of the church were conquered through the intercession of Mary, the “Conqueror of all the heresies”. It is she who crushes the head of the ugly serpent as was prophesied in the Proto-Evangelium.  “I will put enmity between you and the woman, between her offspring and yours. Her
heel will crush your head.” (Gen. 3:15).

6.   The LITANY OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY.   One of the best ways to honor a person is to highlight his/her virtues or beautiful attributes.  This being said, one of the most beautiful prayers that can be said to honor Mary is “The Litany of Mary”.  There are many, but the most famous is the “Litany of Loreto”.   This is simply a long  but beautiful prayer in which a string of poetic, Biblical phrases or sayings are composed honoring the many virtues of Mary. Many are taken from the Old Testament; others from the New Testament and still others from art and the treasury of the saints.  Traditionally the Litany has been prayed after the Holy Rosary, but can be prayed in any time or place.  Any time or place we lift up our hearts to honor Mary our heavenly Mother, causes her to rejoice.

7.   NOVENAS TO MARY.  The nature of a novena is simply to pray nine
days consecutively. The novena can be to a saint, before a specific Feast-day or Solemnity, like Christmas or Easter or even in preparation for the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.  However, in the Diary of St. Faustina Kowlaska, the saint frequently
would make a novena before Marian Solemnities, specifically the Assumption of Mary into Heaven and the Immaculate Conception.
How did St Faustina do it? Do not be shocked   now!
Faustina would pray 1000 Hail Marys every one of the days before the Marian feast.   Every Hail Mary, the Blessed Virgin would rejoice immensely.  Now this does not mean that every novena we do to honor Mary we must pray 1000 Hail Marys, but we could choose some Marian prayer. Why not pray the Holy Rosary in family or in church or with friends nine days in a row.

8.   NOVENA TO MARY FOR THE DEAD.  Following up on the idea of a novena, why not form a “Grieving group” in the church to pray nine days in a row the Holy Rosary for the deceased.  Apply this
Golden-Rule to yourself. I am sure that upon your death you would greatly desire a novena of Rosaries prayed for the sake of your immortal soul. Great “Fire-insurance” to say the least.  Mary
has great love for all but especially the poor suffering souls in Purgatory, but Mary is waiting for our prayers.

9.   MASS AND HOLY COMMUNION UNITED WITH MARY.   At the foot of the cross on Calvary stood Mary. (Stabat Mater).  Like a priest, Mary offered Jesus the spotless Victim to the Father for the salvation of the world.  Blessed Pope
John Paul II made this acute observation.  The “Yes” of Mary in the Annunciation can be compared to our “Amen” when
we receive Holy Communion in Mass.  Why the comparison? Simple! Mary’s “yes” to the Archangel Gabriel resulted in Jesus entering into the Immaculate Heart of Mary. In a parallel way, our “Amen” in the moment of Holy Communion results in a Eucharistic Incarnation of Jesus in our hearts and souls. Why not beg Mary
for the grace to make more fervent Holy Communions. Nobody ever received Jesus into her heart with greater faith hope and love then Mary.