In today’s Gospel, Jesus explains the importance of being with Him, compared to doing things for Him. Jesus told Martha, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.”
The better part was to be with Jesus. This reminds us of Eucharistic Adoration, where we are with Jesus and gaze upon Him in the Sacred Host and listen to Him.
People gaze upon things and listen to others through Phones, computers, I-pads, videos, movies, television. We listen or watch podcasts and hours of videos.
Some are spiritually good like, The Bible in a Year or the Catechism in a Year with Fr. Mike Schmitz. There is the EWTN, the Catholic cable television that can be watched live on the Internet. In Kansas, we have Divine Mercy radio, with many Catholic programs. Back in April, Divine Mercy Radio out of Hays and Salina asked me to do a live podcast on my book “The Miracles of the Rosary and the Rosary of Miracles.” At first I told them, no. But after prayer, I decided, I needed to go out of my comfort zone, to promote the Rosary. I was live on the radio and they later re-aired the program at 101.7 FM. The podcast can be found on YouTube.
There are spiritually good things to learn about our faith, but there are things that can harm our soul and our faith.
In March of every year, the diocese asks priests to preach on Safe Haven Sunday. Its a weekend where the priest preaches on helping parents to make their home a safe haven from technology evils. I dropped the ball. So this weekend, I am going to speak about it. Last year, we gave away booklets and information to read and suggested they talk to their children about the topic of pornography.
In the bulletin there are practical ways to help those who suffer from pornography. It can develop into an addiction, and be very difficult to stop.
The Church has many ways to help, but we need to be aggressive and truly want to stop the habit. How bad is this problem? The organization Covenant Eyes helps parents protect and monitor their children, said, “One study found that 90% of children ages 8 to 16 have viewed pornography online.” This shows the great need for parents to help their children avoid seriously sinful images that can affect their innocence and disturb their consciences. The phone, the internet, television, movies are all portals that can seriously harm children and cause them to sin.
We want our children to succeed in life. We watch over and help them with their school activities, academics, sports, art, music. We form our children to be good upright adults, who will provide for their own livelihood, future family and contribute to the common good of society. We help them to attend college or a vo-tech school or learn a specific trade or work. These are all very important, but their spiritual life is most important. Only Jesus can save us and bring us to heaven. Attending Mass, going Confession regularly, PSR, reading the Bible, praying the Rosary, fasting weekly, making Holy Hours before Jesus in Adoration are ways God can help us. Parents teach their children how to make good decisions for themselves and teach them how to pray, and teach them about the faith and morality. Children need to learn about developing a personal relationship with Jesus, by daily praying to Him, seeking His help and turning to Him for mercy and forgiveness. Jesus helps us to love others and do good things for others, including strangers.
The last time I was in an airport, I noticed almost everyone had their heads down gazing upon and listening to their phones. Perhaps they were communicating with friends and family, others playing video games, still others watching videos, checking out Facebook, tic tok, Instagram, and all the many social platforms.
When we gaze upon and listen to sites that can harm our soul, we are allowing the devil to influence us. Parents may be shocked to hear how easy it is for children to watch pornography, to play occult games that can cause demons to attack the child, the family and the home by viewing these things. They can watch satanic videos, play witchcraft, do Ouija board, tarot cards, all online. I met a young man who became possessed by playing tarot cards. Occult games can cause depression, transgender confusion, attractions to persons of the same gender, temptations to steal, cause anger, hatred, jealousy, isolation, and so many things that can negatively affect their spiritual life and mental health.
Men, YOU are the protectors of the family. You need to man-up and make sure your children are protected. There is hope with websites like Covenant Eyes and there are parental control apps. There is a website where you can use GPS to track your children anywhere in the world. It’s called www.FindMyKids.org. I will send out an email with this information on how to block 65 + inappropriate and dangerous websites.
https://findmykids.org/blog/en/list-of-websites-to-block
In the bulletin is a list of ways to overcome pornography habits and addiction. I encourage parents and especially fathers to discuss this with their sons. You can make copies and give to your friends.
It takes time to develop a habit and it takes time to get out of it. It takes perseverance and patience. The Lord understands you are trying your best, but keep falling. Don’t lose hope, rather immediately turn to Jesus. Don’t give up. Keep trusting in His mercy.
Here are some tips: Download the Covenant Eyes app., Fast regularly to control your pleasures. We should not allow the body to have what it wants, when it wants it. Before he became a priest, Fr. Don Calloway had a pornography addiction. He said if you pray 3 Rosaries a day, the Virgin Mary will help anyone pull out of the addiction. St. Anthony of Padua said to pray 3 Hail Marys a day in honor of Our Lady’s purity and asking Her for the gift of purity and will become more pure if you do. St. Padre Pio said everyone should confess once a week. Confession not only forgives sins, it also gives graces to prevent sin. If anyone falls into mortal sin, immediately go to Confession before receiving Holy Communion. In the bulletin, there are specific daily prayers you can pray in the bulletin. You can seek out an accountability partner, someone you know and trust, who can ask to watch over you. As soon as a temptation occurs immediately turn your mind on something else and pray the Hail Mary or Our Father audibly for your spouse or your family. Bless your home regularly, especially if someone in your home has viewed pornography and played occult games. Demons can stay in locations where sinful activities occur. Regularly bless rooms with Holy Water, display wall crucifixes and sacred images for protection.
Parents, there are adult predators, pretending to be a teen, and try convince them to do sinful things through phones. They blackmail them and threaten to tell others. I will send out an email about what happened in Eldorado, but something similar has happened within our own area.
It is wrong to gaze upon images of people through technology for false self-satisfaction and view others, not as loving and caring people, but rather objects of pleasure. Technology without personal relationships causes isolation and loneliness. Viewing pornography is false love. It’s fake love. Its the devil’s tool to break up marriages, to cause one to commit mortal sin, to become selfish. To break apart families. Jesus said, “...I say to you that whoever looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (Matthew 5:28)
But, with the help of Jesus and the means His Church has given us, we can pull out of sin. We should have relationships with real people in our life. How beautiful to see each person, who we know, and love, and talk to, walk with, hold hands, care for, and sacrifice our lives.
Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God.” (Matthew 5:8) If we have a pure heart, we will see God in each other, and view people with real feelings and in personal manner, created in God’s image and likeness. It takes manly courage to turn away from sin and to be faithful to one’s spouse, and faithful to God.
Finally, I would to encourage all families to daily pray the Rosary together, and bring your children to Eucharistic Adoration regularly. There they will be like Mary, and sit in silence at the feet of Jesus, gazing upon God who is the source of all love for His love is infinite and endures forever. For by doing so, you will have chosen the better part.
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