There was great joy... Acts 8:8
I have given many reflections based upon the readings and am now going to shift my style of writing away from the readings and more to things that circulate in my world. I thoroughly intend to continue to write about things that move me spiritually and to write about the faith. At this time, it is more about the glory of God being worked through the people around me and the great work of the angels who have been entrusted for our care.
The Army is not an easy place to be a practicing Christian. This profession is even more difficult for a Catholic Christian. And yet, it is a profession I have voluntarily been a member of for 13 years. The military is the longest voluntary relationship I have had in my life. Being faithful here while deployed is a great spiritual battle and challenge, but one that is not impossible.
Despite contrary regulations, I have realized that the soldiers have an extreme amount of porn. I cannot possibly fathom the amount that floats around my platoon, let alone this base or even this country. The subject of masturbation is out of place in conversations back home, but it discussed like another topic. I am sure that it is brought up around me just to see how I respond. During Lent, I firmly recommitted myself to purity of heart and mind by not giving in to the temptation of the material around me. I didn't want to appear as though I were acting directly from a religious standpoint, even though I was. A quick web search through Covenant Eyes and learned a great deal about the prevalence of pornography with concrete statistics and numbers. The search also revealed that there is a 'reddit' web page that specifically encourages people to not view porn or masturbate.
The great joy for me is knowing that my moral life choices serve a greater purpose than self gratification. The great joy is also an experience of the Lord that invites me to want to love Jesus more every day and live in such a way that others want to love him too. When I look to the world and see Jesus, I am overwhelmed. When I think of my friends and our shared experiences founded in our faith, there was great joy.
I have given many reflections based upon the readings and am now going to shift my style of writing away from the readings and more to things that circulate in my world. I thoroughly intend to continue to write about things that move me spiritually and to write about the faith. At this time, it is more about the glory of God being worked through the people around me and the great work of the angels who have been entrusted for our care.
The Army is not an easy place to be a practicing Christian. This profession is even more difficult for a Catholic Christian. And yet, it is a profession I have voluntarily been a member of for 13 years. The military is the longest voluntary relationship I have had in my life. Being faithful here while deployed is a great spiritual battle and challenge, but one that is not impossible.
Despite contrary regulations, I have realized that the soldiers have an extreme amount of porn. I cannot possibly fathom the amount that floats around my platoon, let alone this base or even this country. The subject of masturbation is out of place in conversations back home, but it discussed like another topic. I am sure that it is brought up around me just to see how I respond. During Lent, I firmly recommitted myself to purity of heart and mind by not giving in to the temptation of the material around me. I didn't want to appear as though I were acting directly from a religious standpoint, even though I was. A quick web search through Covenant Eyes and learned a great deal about the prevalence of pornography with concrete statistics and numbers. The search also revealed that there is a 'reddit' web page that specifically encourages people to not view porn or masturbate.
The great joy for me is knowing that my moral life choices serve a greater purpose than self gratification. The great joy is also an experience of the Lord that invites me to want to love Jesus more every day and live in such a way that others want to love him too. When I look to the world and see Jesus, I am overwhelmed. When I think of my friends and our shared experiences founded in our faith, there was great joy.
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