20th Sunday of Ordinary Time, C August 17, 2025
Fr. Alexander Albert St. Mary Magdalen, Abbeville
“Fight fire with fire.” One tactic for fighting a wildfire is to deprive it of fuel by burning the areas in front of it. Fire can’t burn what’s already been burned. That tactic is enlightening when we consider Jesus’s pyromaniac proclamation, “I have come to set the earth on fire and how I wish it were already blazing!” Is the reason it’s not blazing perhaps because the world has already been burned?
Of course, the fire Jesus speaks of is a metaphor for the fire of love. More specifically, it is the fire of divine love, agape, self-giving and sacrificial love that seeks the salvation of souls and the glory of God above all else. Do you know what fuel that kind of fire needs? The fuel of human hearts. So, to deprive God of that fuel, the devil and the fallen world strive to burn our hearts with a much worse kind of fire first.
I must have been 9 or 10 years old when I first saw something made by that fire. Before high speed internet and before smartphones, sharing pictures typically involved a floppy disk or a physical copy. Cliché as it sounds, I found it under the bed in a relative’s room. 30 years later, my memory of it has faded some, but it’s still in there. That’s the power that that kind of fire has over a child’s mind.
Not that it’s just images or that adults are much better off. The bad fire I’m talking about is lust. It’s a result of Original Sin, it’s that inclination to take the desire for life-giving union and twist it in the wrong direction, make it a recreational activity, a mere “itch” to scratch, often at the expense of another human being. I often allude to it, but now is the time to address it head on, to explain why I’ve invited the whole parish to observe St. Michael’s Lent for the intention of chastity.
Some may say this topic is divisive. So be it. Jesus warns us that he will bring division even into the family. Think about those situations where one family member accepts Christ’s teaching while another embraces a more… “progressive” view of their desires and identity. Again and again and again and again and again the world rails against the Church for being “backward” and “behind the times” on the “pelvic issues.” How often are Catholics accused of being “unwelcoming” when they speak Jesus Christ’s own words about God’s design for our bodies?
Don’t get me wrong. Some Christians are absolute jerks about this, using our moral teaching as an excuse to be downright cruel. I’m sorry for that. But let’s be real, which extreme is the more common problem in today’s world? Is not every form of media totally saturated with perversion and deviancy? Even if you think the pendulum is swinging back the other way, take note of just how deep this problem runs.
“Why are you so worried about this, Father?” Because it nearly cost me my vocation and my life! Little Alex 30 years ago didn’t just get one look and walk away unburned. That was the beginning of a long battle. If it weren’t for the miraculous intervention of Mary herself, it could have led me to choices that would have made this impossible. By God’s grace, I didn’t make those choices. So, I’m here today to say that lust is poisoning you and your children. Over 100 years ago, Our Lady of Fatima warned that sins against chastity were the most common reason people end up in hell. You think that’s gotten better?!
We just celebrated Mary’s Assumption, reminding us that even our bodies are destined for eternal glory in heaven. All of our teaching on chastity and purity comes not from shame or hatred of the body or rejection of beauty. It comes from this profound sense of our bodily destiny. Chastity is not about restriction, it is true freedom. Sins of the flesh don’t merely “bother God” like he’s a squeamish prude. Lust enslaves us, reducing us to animals and literally changing the way the brain works. Lust distorts how we see ourselves. Left unchecked, it blinds us to spiritual realities, causes division between our own souls and bodies, and it makes sacrificial, self-giving love nearly impossible. A heart consumed by lust does not easily catch fire with God’s love.
When children are continuously exposed to this stuff, it results in all kinds of mental and physical disorders. Depression, anxiety, gender dysphoria, eating disorders. Somewhare ironically, it can even contribute to ED in young men. When adults continuously engage with it, it prevents them from maturing in self-giving love. It warps their perspective on motherhood and fatherhood. It undermines their marriages. It makes them more likely to abuse the people they love.
I’m not just talking about boys and men and online videos. Yes, we should block those websites, avoid those videos, and delete those files. But know this! Women and girls are getting pulled into this too. Most Christians agree the videos are wrong, but far too many people give a pass to so-called “romance” novels. You know that word that ends with “-ography?” Well, “-ography” in Greek means “writing!” The original “adult content” was written. Explicit descriptions of certain action is not “romance,” it’s smut. It is also just as sinful as videos – mortally sinful. Tragically, the emotional attachments created by a complex fictional story could make the written form worse than the videos. And the stuff some of these books introduce to children… appalling.
If you didn’t know before, now you do. If you’re reading such things it. Stop right now. Throw it away. Burn it. Start second guessing those “booktok” and “bookstagram” recommendations. And for the love of God, check on what your children are watching and reading! Most children see much more than you think at a much younger age than you think. Please do not give children unrestricted access to the internet! To do so is a mortal dereliction of parental duty.
This stuff – whether it’s written, in pictures, in audio, in videos, or even just in our imaginations – it’s addictive and destructive. All sin enslaves us, but sins of the flesh especially so. Lust is so human and so common and so understandable that’s it’s easy to give it a pass. Don’t.
That’s the bad news. Here’s the good news. Freedom is possible. No matter how far you’ve gone, how deep in the muck you are, God’s mercy can set you free. I’ve seen it done. I’ve met so many who have received that grace. Do not be afraid! Do not lose hope! As you probably already know, however, it’s not as simple as a quick prayer asking for mercy. It takes real conversion. That’s why I called for parish-wide prayer and fasting. There are a lot of Christians fighting for us and with us! But it’s going to take some work and humility on our part. What kind of work? Well, I’ve put hyperlinks in this homily for when it’s posted. We’ve added several resources to the parish website under the “parish life” section. In the meantime, here’s four things to get started:
Number 1, perseverance and hope. Do not give up. God will never stop forgiving if you don’t stop asking. Even if you fight until the day you die, on that day you’ll win. But if you persevere in turning to God, you’ll almost certainly be set free before then. Do not give up!
Number 2, be patient with yourself. Lust rewires the brain. Neuroplasticity is real and your brain can be rewired again even later in life, but it takes time. Even that first image in my mind is fading and most others are completely gone. It takes time, be patient with yourself.
Number 3, be ruthless with your environment. Block apps and browsers and websites, get rid of extra devices, put internet access in places where other people can see you. If you consistently fall in the same time and place, change that environment. Be ruthless with it.
Number 4, do not go it alone. No one, no one escapes from lust by themselves. In the first reading, Jeremiah is stuck in a muddy cistern and he could not free himself no matter how hard he tried or prayed. It took four other men to lift him out. Talk to someone. Yes, it’s shameful, but there are a lot of people struggling with the same thing. Prudently broach the subject with the right people and you’ll probably find them relieved to know they aren’t the only ones. Seek therapy, find a mentor, get a buddy, join a group, do a twelve step program.
If this isn’t your struggle, praise God! But it is the struggle of your brothers and sisters. Help them! As the letter to the Hebrews puts it, “since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us and persevere in running the race that lies before us while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus.” Run that race with me. It’s not too late to join St. Michael’s Lent.
We fight fire with fire because you can’t burn something that’s already been burned. Divine love could prevent you from being burned by lust. But if your heart is burned by lust first, do not fear. The idea that what’s already burned cannot be set on fire is only partly true. If thrown into the sun, even ashes would be consumed and transformed. Just so, if you just bring your lust-charred heart close enough to the Son of God, even that can be set alight. Draw closer to him, then, for so long as you still live, it’s not too late to receive God’s mercy, to be set free, and by the power of the cross to be set ablaze with divine love.