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Joseph,
It is truly a sin because the sin is not in wasting semen, so to speak, but in divorcing the sexual act from its procreative and unitive context. Any act that is of its nature fundamentally unfruitful is immoral. Sex is intended as an act of total self-giving to another person (including one's fertility). Contrary to that, masturbation is a total act of selfishness.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church, the chief teaching document of the Church, in paragraph 2352 remarks:
"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."
To form an equitable judgment about the subjects' moral responsibility and to guide pastoral action, one must take into account the affective immaturity, force of acquired habit, conditions of anxiety, or other psychological or social factors that can lessen, if not even reduce to a minimum, moral culpability." |
The battle for chastity, especially for unmarried men, is a real battle, but there is much sanctification to be won by engaging in it and striving to prevail. There is always the Sacrament of Reconciliation to give us the grace to conduct ourselves with chastity and overcome the flesh. As many times as you fall, get up again, and you will be saved. This is a wonderful opportunity to learn to rely on God and grow in holiness, for without Him, we can do nothing, and the quicker we learn this, the better off we'll be. You're going to have to fight this fight eventually, whether now or in Purgatory, so you may as well do it when it's easier and involves less suffering.
Eric |
