In today’s society, people seem to respond to sexual desires as if nothing is at stake. People are becoming impulsive. They cannot control their urges anymore. Being “horny”, as they say, should always be satisfied by sexual pleasures without second thinking if it is a sin or not.
In this blog, we will discuss sexual urge and how Catholics should respond to it.
Horny
Before we dig deep into our topic, let’s define first what horny is.
Horny is an informal term for feeling or arousing sexual excitement.
It means a person who is horny is excited to have sex.
Sex is for marriage only
We feel this excitement because of sexual urges.
Sexual urge is not bad in itself. It is not wrong to feel wanting sex. It is just natural.
But, note that the Catholic Church is consistent with Her teaching that sexual love between man and woman is reserved for marriage.
“God created mankind in his image; in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them and God said to them: Be fertile and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and all the living things that crawl on the earth.”
Genesis 1:27-28
Therefore, any sexual reaction to these urges outside marriage is a sin.
Lust
When feeling sexual excitement, the response to it could be a sin or not.
If this urge results in sexual intercourse between married couples, then there is no sin unless they use contraception.
But, if this result in masturbation and fornication, then there lies the problem.
Masturbation and fornication are lustful sins.
CCC 2351 “Lust is disordered desire for or inordinate enjoyment of sexual pleasure. Sexual pleasure is morally disordered when sought for itself, isolated from its procreative and unitive purposes.“
This perfectly points to masturbation and fornication.
CCC 2352 “By masturbation is to be understood the deliberate stimulation of the genital organs in order to derive sexual pleasure. Both the Magisterium of the Church, in the course of a constant tradition, and the moral sense of the faithful have been in no doubt and have firmly maintained that masturbation is an intrinsically and gravely disordered action. The deliberate use of the sexual faculty, for whatever reason, outside of marriage is essentially contrary to its purpose. For here sexual pleasure is sought outside of the sexual relationship which is demanded by the moral order and in which the total meaning of mutual self-giving and human procreation in the context of true love is achieved.”
CCC 2353 Fornication is carnal union between an unmarried man and an unmarried woman. It is gravely contrary to the dignity of persons and of human sexuality which is naturally ordered to the good of spouses and the generation and education of children. Moreover, it is a grave scandal when there is corruption of the young.
In masturbation, sexual pleasure is obtained for oneself. While, in fornication, although, there could be procreation, there is an immoral union between the two individuals involved.
Remember that in Catholicism, pleasure is good only when it is a benefit of behaving based on the natural design of our Creator. Otherwise, this pleasure can be sinful.
Sexual Thoughts
One of the triggers of this sexual urge is sexual thoughts.
These thoughts could be from different sources.
This could be from the movie watched. Maybe from withdrawal caused by pornographic addiction. Or it could be intrusive thoughts– these are unwanted thoughts that unexpectedly enter one’s head. These are usually disturbing and impure, having these is normal for those with religious Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (Scrupulosity) but, the moment they get into their minds does not mean they sin because there is actually no intention in the first place.
To know more about religious OCD, you might want to check this.
Whatever the source, one should acknowledge it and resolve it.
Diversion
One way to decline sexual urge is a diversion.
This is something I learned over time.
As a single guy, and as a human, there are still sexual urges from time to time. There are still instances when sexual thoughts bother me.
But I’d say, this is manageable.
Take it from someone who has OCD. It must be hard for me, us. But, since I can manage it, you can too.
One diversion I use is praying.
I learned this from the priests I got to talk with.
I always receive the advice of calling on our Mother to help me when temptation seems hard to bear.
That’s why, I pray the Rosary daily, attend Mass regularly and have a devotion weekly.
Praying helps a lot. It will refocus your attention on what matters, helping you to reject sexual thoughts.
Another diversion I learned is doing activities.
When there are sexual urges, you just need to distract yourself by doing activities.
It could be cleaning the house, studying, or meeting your friends. You can do anything as long as it diverts your attention.
In my case, writing really is my go-to activity.
Resources
If you are struggling with sexual urges because of pornography addiction, here are some of the resources you can check.
You can also check these books discussing chastity.
In addition, you can ask the Office for Family Life of your Parish to help you get a counselor.
Having a Spiritual Director is also advisable for accountability.
Being Horny is not a Sin
So to answer the question.
Is being horny a sin?
No. Being horny is not a sin but your response to it could be. When you are aroused and seek sexual pleasure by masturbating or having sex outside marriage, then it is a sin.
Conclusion
Having a sexual desire is innate to humans. That said, it is not a reason to rationalize lustful sins because of this. We have free will to act on the urges. But remember that our response should always be what God wants.
Whenever there is a sexual temptation, let’s acknowledge it. Pray and divert the attention.
As baptized Catholics, we are called to live a life of chastity.
Therefore, regardless of how society tries to normalize lustful acts. Regardless of how strong sexual urges are, we must take a stand and set an example for others. A pure Catholic.
May we call on our Lady when we are tempted.
Loving Mother, pray for us.
Captain Catholic
“Fornication is carnal union between an unmarried man and an unmarried woman. It is gravely contrary to the dignity of persons and of human sexuality which is naturally ordered to the good of spouses and the generation and education of children. Moreover, it is a grave scandal when there is corruption of the young”.
Unmarried man, um, priest? Corrupted young, the little molested boys? I’m so confused. Are the rules different for those lucky enough to be part of the Catholic hierarchy?
nicoleandrewmata
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