How to Handle a Spouse's Pornography Addiction

·43 min·4 clips

A wife distances herself from her porn-addicted husband, and Mother Miriam declares she is 100% wrong.

The episode opens with Mother Miriam welcoming listeners on a Monday during Lent, encouraging perseverance in spiritual efforts. She mentions reading Crisis Magazine and shares an article by Joseph Pierce about Paul Thigpen, a prolific Catholic writer and convert who died recently at age 75. She details Thigpen's background, including his conversion from Protestantism, his education at Yale and Emory, and his many books, such as 'The Rapture Trap' and 'The Burden.' After a break, Mother Miriam returns to the article, highlighting tributes to Thigpen's kindness and his advocacy for the Georgia martyrs. She then shifts to listener interactions, starting with an anonymous email from a wife married for 10 years after living with her husband for 7 years, who reports discovering his pornography addiction repeatedly, including during her eighth pregnancy. Mother Miriam criticizes the wife for distancing herself and refusing intimacy, arguing this violates marriage vows and exacerbates the addiction. She compares the addiction to cancer, advises seeking Catholic online resources, and emphasizes love and support. Another email from Annie shares a story of God's mercy involving Rudolf Hoss and a Jesuit priest. A call from Ed supports Mother Miriam's advice on porn addiction. An email from John contrasts Protestant and Mormon warmth with Catholic reverence, prompting Mother Miriam to argue that silence in church is proper due to Christ's presence in the Eucharist. She recalls spying on a silent Latin Mass and stresses worship over fellowship. The episode concludes with a blessing for tomorrow.

As heard by us

A stern Catholic reflection on pornography, marriage, repentance, and choices made before the wedding.

Mother Miriam Live takes up pornography in marriage from a firmly Catholic point of view, anchored by an anonymous email from a woman married for ten years who says she found pornography on her husband's phone more than once, including in 2024 while pregnant with their eighth…

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Why you'd press play

You want Mother Miriam's Catholic, forceful answer to pornography in a marriage, framed by Lent's invitation to start again today.

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