"Brethren, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Let us have no self-conceit, no provoking of one another, no envy of one another. Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Look to yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ." In Paul's letter to the Galatians we are reminded that we have been liberated from the life of self indulgence by crucified with Christ. The secular world who does not live by Christ crucified bombards us with images to entice us into the seductive world of pleasure. We are bombarded on television, the internet, and print media. What would have easily been considered pornographic just a decade or two ago is now an ad in your local newspaper. Internet pornography is a multi-billion dollar industry. The damage to lives is far reaching and we have at our disposal countless means to these evils. This Lent in our actions of self denial, first and foremost do not participate in this seduction, help those you know who are engaged in it, and speak out against it, even if it is just something like immodest dress, and finally pray for an end to it. When morality becomes a "relative thing" and the temptations surround us daily, and the world says it is ok, we may feel we are fighting a losing battle, but fight we must and not get discouraged.
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