In 2021, Pope Francis released a decree, Traditionis Custodes, which put restrictions on the celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass. Traditional Catholics worldwide were heartbroken. Under Pope Benedict XVI, greater freedom was allowed for the celebration of the beautiful ancient liturgy and new Latin Mass communities sprung up worldwide.

Now that progress has slowed and even reversed in certain cities. While some Traditional Catholics are still blessed to have a Traditional Latin Mass community nearby, many others don’t.

How are we to respond to Pope Francis’ decree?

Hold your anger in check.
Charity must reign supreme. If you let your anger consume you, you’re at risk of crossing dangerous boundaries. We see this with certain individuals and groups whose anger has brought them to the brink of schism.

We’re not saying anger is never warranted. But, so often, it does us more harm than good. As our friend Joseph Pearce said, “The only person I trust to turn over the tables in the temple is Jesus Christ.” If we lose charity, we’re on the wrong side even if we’re saying the right things.

Recently, I interviewed Mike Pantille, and we got to talking about overcoming pornography. During our conversation, he brought up something that I bet a lot of people haven’t heard before: the role a good diet plays in fighting temptation. It’s one of those ideas that might not be on everyone’s radar, but it’s worth digging into. So, let’s break it down and see how eating well can actually help in the battle against pornography.

The Dopamine Connection

Let’s start with your brain’s reward system, which runs on a chemical called dopamine. Dopamine is responsible for that feeling of pleasure and satisfaction you get when you experience something enjoyable, like eating tasty food or looking at stimulating content. The problem is, when you constantly overindulge—whether it’s with junk food or pornography—you’re spiking your dopamine levels, which puts your brain in a cycle of chasing that next quick hit.

When you’re eating poorly, your dopamine system is constantly overstimulated, and this leaves you more vulnerable to other impulsive behaviors. If your brain is already wired to crave instant pleasure from your diet, it’s more likely to seek the same thing from pornography. On the flip side, a healthy diet helps stabilize your dopamine response. You’re not flooding your brain with highs and lows, so those impulsive urges become less intense and easier to manage.

Mood Stability is Key

What we put into our bodies affects how we feel, and your mood is a big factor when it comes to dealing with temptation. If you’re eating poorly, you’re more likely to experience mood swings, irritability, and even anxiety—all things that can drive you toward unhealthy coping mechanisms. When stress hits or you’re feeling down, that’s often when the temptation to turn to pornography creeps in.

A balanced diet helps regulate your mood, making it easier to handle life’s ups and downs without falling into old habits. When you’re emotionally stable, you’re better equipped to face challenges head-on, instead of reaching for quick fixes like pornography.

We all love shopping for something — yes, even you fellas! It may be clothes, books, outdoor gear, whatever.

In fact, our culture has gotten to the point where we’ve turned everything into a shopping experience.

Dating apps present you with hundreds of potential significant others, allowing you to filter the results according to your (mostly trivial) tastes. The rise in virtual work has led to “state shopping”: the ability to choose which state you live and work from home in.

Even our holiest act of worship, the liturgy, hasn’t escaped this trend. Many people join parishes and suffer from buyer's remorse when the priest’s homily consists of little more than throwing a beach ball to the congregation to symbolize how “connected” we all are. They decide to search around for another parish, often discovering the Traditional Latin Mass or Byzantine Divine Liturgy.

It’s a common story these days. But should we be shopping for a liturgy that suits us or stay where we are?

Here are some thoughts to help you decide.

It’s okay to leave your current parish.
If you want to change parishes to grow spiritually and have better options nearby, you shouldn't feel obliged to stay where the people are irreverent, the homilies are sloppy, and the music is unbecoming.