One day, while sitting on a hill overlooking the Sea of Galilee, Jesus said: “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eye is sound, your whole body will be filled with light; but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be in darkness. And if the light in you is darkness, how great will the darkness be!” (Mt. 6:22-23). In our modern age, one of the biggest scourges is the sin of pornography. Both men and women can get addicted to these moving images that demean the dignity of human beings into that of animals. It teaches people to use others as “objects”–in this case, a means of selfish, lustful gratification. St. John Paul II once wrote that in the act of intimacy, husband and wife celebrate the mutual gift of self which they have made to each other in the marriage covenant. Anything less than this is an abuse of the gift. As I often tell the penitent in the Sacrament of Confession, pornography is like drinking rat poison. Even a little bit is not good for you. The images often remain with you to haunt you. Don’t let your eye let in what is bad and distorting. As Jesus warned, it will plunge your whole body into darkness. Instead, take up your favorite hobby, do a kind deed for someone you love, or go for a run / walk. If necessary, put porn blockers on your devices so that you are not tempted. The website of the US Catholic bishops (USCCB) has helpful links to resources for people caught in these traps. Search the site for “Help for Those Struggling with Pornography”. Don’t let the darkness be in you. Instead, let there be only light! – – – Fr. Jim