Category Archives: Church

St. Dymphna, the Church and Mental Illness

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I chanced upon an interesting article on St. Dympha, traditionally the patron saint of the mentally ill: St. Dymphna: Out of the Shadows of Mental Illness

(Via Patheos.)

There are several parts to the article. The beginning details a man’s history with mental illness, his treatments and how he ultimately discovered the strength of the Catholic Church in helping to deal with it.

One quote: “In time, he found a way to manage his illness. He started a family and returned to the faith he had abandoned, finding new peace and unexpected strength in the Church… ‘Prayer, faith, the Church, the Eucharist: all those things kind of gave me a floor that I could stand on.'”

As a part of his reliance on the Church to help him with his illness, he discovered St. Dymphna. The rest of the article is an overview of St. Dymphna’s life and legends, followed with a testimony of his growing prayer life and developing faith.

St. Dymphna had been critical in his spiritual development. I highly recommend this piece.

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

Pentecost Prayers

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Today is Pentecost Sunday. The Church was born today, around 2,000 years ago when the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles and Mary.

Here are some prayers I received in an email sent to me:

Pentecost Prayer

Spirit of Christ, stir me;

Spirit of Christ, move me;

Spirit of Christ, fill me;

Spirit of Christ, seal me.

Consecrate in me Your Heart and Will, O Heavenly Father.

Create in me a fountain of virtues.

Seal my soul as Your own, that Your reflection in me may be a light for all to see.

Amen.

Prayer for the Outpouring of the Spirit

Holy Spirit,
we ask for an outpouring of your graces, blessings and gifts:

Upon those who do not believe, that they may believe;

Upon those who are doubtful or confused, that they may understand;

Upon those who are lukewarm or indifferent, that they may be transformed;

Upon those who are constantly living in the state of sin, that they may be converted;

Upon those who are weak, that they may be strengthened;

Upon those who are holy, that they may persevere.

Amen.

www.ewtn.com/devotionals/pentecost/pent1.htm

Prayer to the Holy Spirit

Breathe in me, O Holy Spirit, that my thoughts may all be holy.

Act in me, O Holy Spirit, that my work, too, may be holy.

Draw my heart, O Holy Spirit, that I love but what is holy.

Strengthen me, O Holy Spirit, to defend all that is holy.

Guard me, then, O Holy Spirit, that I always may be holy.

Amen.

(St. Augustine)

From Pope John Paul 2:

May the Holy Spirit,
the Spirit of Pentecost,
help you to clarify what is ambiguous,
to give warmth to what is indifferent,
to enlighten what is obscure,
to be before the world true and generous
witnesses of Christ’s love,
for “no one can live without love.”

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

How often do you pray and go to Church? Part 5 (Conclusion)

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In the previous four posts of this series I wrote about the things in the Catholic Faith that a Catholic can use to live a life that could be free of alcohol and drugs.

“Catholic” means universal. A catholic life derived from the Catholic Faith would mean using all of the resources of the Faith in guiding and ordering a life. This would include using it in your struggle to stay clean and sober. It would mean that Catholic Christianity molds and guides your thoughts and actions, and what strengthens you to get through each day. Everything that I mentioned in the previous 4 posts can help guide or order your day. Just as alcohol and drugs were used “back in the day” to get through things and how the addiction was the source and summit of life, so too can Catholicism be the new priority in life. And a free and liberated life, at that.

Here is a sample day (obviously a rough sketch of a possible Catholic life. But the notion is there. Some variant is possible for everyone):

You awaken. Instead of staring at the ceiling or wall resentful at having survived the night, or trying to remember what happened the last time you saw the day, you are pretty well refreshed from a good sleep. You thank the Lord for a good night, and seek His guidance for the day.

“Lord, not my will, but Yours be done.”

(Your morning routine is set, whatever it is concerning breakfast and morning beverage.) But now it is time to devote to God. You pray a Morning Offering and a few other set prayers, then reach for the Bible and start your daily lectio divina. This spiritual meditative exercise fortifies you, as the Word of God jump starts your mind. As like your first few daily shots of alcohol set a fire to you after your first waking moments back then, now it is Scripture that gives you a focus.

This meditation completed, your get your Divine Office and pray the first section, the “Office of Readings.”

You get ready for the day, and take your Breviary with you (either the book or your cell if it is on your mobile 🙂 ) You head for Daily Mass en route to work. Prior to Mass, while sitting in Church, you read the Morning Prayer section of the Breviary. Usually there may be a connection to the Daily Mass readings.

Mass begins… you listen intently to the prayers and responses and the Readings, and you do not recite things, you pray them. You understand the Mass. Jesus is here.

Off to work, the Lord still within you as you had received Communion. Your commute is long enough so that you have enough time to pray the Rosary while driving (or sitting in public transit.) You prefer this to the raucous noise of morning radio. You don’t want the world to intrude, just yet. You let your mind go over the Mysteries of the day for the Rosary, and you think about their meaning. You get to work. You go about your morning.

Lunchtime. Time for Daytime Prayer. You turn to the prayers for mid-day and read them in the Breviary. Perhaps you also read the Breviary during a morning break, or maybe just a selection from a pocket New Testament. Nevertheless, you now punctuate your workday with Scripture and prayer, rather than swigs from a concealed bottle containing vodka (vodka because it is “odorless and leaves no taste on your breath.” Yeah, right.) Prayer and the Word of God gives you the strength and courage to make it through work.

Time to leave, you go home. Dinner, and now Evening Prayer from the Breviary. The evening is ahead of you. Drinking is not on the agenda, the thought hasn’t even crossed your mind.

Anyway, as you prepare for bed, you review the day, as you will be doing an examination of conscience with the Breviary’s “Night Prayer.” You review and recall any sins of commission and omission.

Night Prayer said, you go to sleep.

“Into Your hands, Father, I commend my spirit.”

The point of this series and its Conclusion is to underscore that as much as one drank in the past, there is a prayerful and Scriptural counterpoint to that life. Catholic beliefs and religious practices, from Mass attendance to prayer to devotions such as the Rosary, can provide a consummate life that envelopes you. Your mind will be re-programmed to not require a drink to cope. While a 12 Step or some other recovery program can provide some tools to help you cope, these sometimes run the danger of preventing you from seeking the fullness of the Faith that Jesus established in Earth. They may be the “easier, softer way,” but as Jesus said the road to Heaven passes through the narrow gate. Things that distract you, that deflect your eyes from the prize, should be discarded or put into their proper place. Heaven is your goal on the “Road of Happy Destiny.” Scriptural passages studies and learned, examples from the lives of the Saints can give you the boost and support needed to counter the dark ways of the world, or at least assist you in maintaining a healthy balance and perspective.

Adding the study of the Catechism of the Catholic Church (“CCC”), and there is an excellent resource to “validate” your choices. I never even mentioned the CCC in this series, but it is the best companion to the Bible out there. Full of objective truth gleaned from Scripture and the writings of the Popes and Saints, the CCC helps “fortify” you in ways few things can, next to the Bible.

They can give you the tools needed for you to you react differently to things, whereas in the past you relied on alcohol, and now perhaps on meeting dependency and slogans, Scriptural passages and the CCC can be the “ammunition” to fire back at the stuff life throws at you.

Lessons learned from studying Truth.

This is freedom, this is liberation. Instead of being a slave to alcohol and drugs, you are your own person. True freedom isn’t in doing whatever you want, with little thought to the consequences to yourself or to others. True freedom lies in being the best person that you can be, the person God intended you to be. Your true self. That is what you should Recover.

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

How often do you pray and go to Church? Part 4

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In Part 3 of this series I discussed the Breviary and the Rosary. Now… the Bible!

The Bible is the Word of God. Jesus is the Word made human. The Bible is Jesus and Jesus is the Bible. The Old Testament pointed the way to Jesus, the New Testament revealed Him. To not study the Bible is to not study Jesus. St. Jerome, the Early Church Father who translated the Bible into Latin from the original Greek and Hebrew stated that “Ignorance of the Bible is ignorance of Christ.”

In the first 4 centuries of Christianity, the Bishops of the Western and Eastern branches of the Catholic Church put the Bible together. The Bible is a Catholic document.

There is a way to read the Bible that is enriching and if successful (meaning you are patient, persistent and persevering) will bring you much closer to God that most other forms of prayer. I have not been able to master it yet despite trying a few times. This method of reading the Bible is called “Lectio Divina.” It is a slow, prayerful, meditative reading of Sacred Scripture in which the Bible itself pulls you along, and thus you “hear” the Word of God speak to you, as in a whisper to your soul.

This is a classic online explanation/how-to of lectio divina:

Introduction to Lectio Divina

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

How often do you pray and go to Church? Part 3

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Continuing on from Part 2 on living a Catholic life through prayer and the Mass:

Beneath the Mass in importance is the “Liturgy of the Hours”, also known as the “Divine Office” or “Breviary.”

Depending upon the version used, it is said either 2-3 times a day for non-religious (people who aren’t priests, nuns, monks, etc) or up to seven times for the latter. It sanctifies (makes holy) the day through prayer. It consists mainly of Psalms and Canticles from the Bible, as well as short excerpts from Old and New Testament readings.

In saying the Divine Office you establish a prayerful rhythm to the day, always keeping in mind a spiritual and holy connection to God and also with all others who pray this. This helps you maintain a sense of perspective and balance during the day, keeping you from completely getting inundated with worldly nonsense.

So, how often did you drink back in the day? Morning, noon, and night? A few shots in the morning to fortify you? Maybe a few more throughout to keep you going? A few more to get you to sleep? The Divine Office has prayers for when you rise, another set to mark the beginning of the day, more for mid-morning, mid-day, the afternoon, nightfall and bedtime. Sounds like an old drinking schedule?

The printed form of the Office comes in 2 versions, a one volume book and four volume set. A one volume version titled “Christian Prayer” costs around $29-39 USD. This abbreviated version is intended for non-religious. (There is another one volume version titled “Benedictine Daily Prayer.” Costs somewhat more.) The “official” four volume set (for religious) costs about $129-149 USD. It is titled “The Liturgy of the Hours.” If either cost is prohibitive there are always online versions:

Universalis: “This is the link that is at the top of this blog, above the posts.”

Divine Office – Liturgy of the Hours – Breviary : “free audio MP3 and podcasts.”

Roman Breviary: “online and also in mobile format.”

Liturgy of the Hours Apostolate: “PDF and mobile formats.”

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

How often do you pray and go to Church? Part 2

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Yesterday I wrote Part 1 of this post. Today I hope to conclude this topic.

I concluded yesterday’s post with this question: “Now I ask the question, or rather reframe the question in the title, ‘How do you live the life of the Church?’

The life of the Church is marked by prayer and the liturgy. The Sacraments are Her lifeblood. How often do you explore and partake of them?”

The liturgy permeates the year. The Church has her own calendar, with its own seasons. These are independent of the physical seasons, perhaps symbolizing the eternal nature of the Church and how it sits astride creation. The Heavens and the Earth will pass away, but never the Church.

The Mass is the highest form of prayer on Earth. Nothing surpasses it. Jesus established it during the Last Supper. In fact the Mass is the presentation again of the Last Supper and the continuation of Christ’s suffering and death on Calvary. Note that this is NOT a re-sacrifice, but a continuation – across space and time. If you are at a Catholic Mass, you are as if you are at the Last Supper or at the foot of the Cross.

Most Catholic parishes offer Mass daily, or at least a number of times during the week. If due to work obligations one is unable to attend, Mass is online. But you can attend a Catholic Mass more that just once a week on Sundays. If you participate in 12 Step meetings, how often do you go to them? Well, then you can attend a Mass perhaps as often. If it is boring to you, or you get nothing out of it, what do you know about the Mass apart from what I said earlier? Pray the Mass, dwell on its meaning. Worth a lot more than a 12 Step meeting.

Online Masses:

EWTN Television Schedules

Via EWTN.

CatholicTV Schedule

Via CatholicTV.

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

How often do you pray and go to Church? Part 1

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Quite often in the 12 Step meetings that I attended years ago some newcomer would ask the question as to how many meetings they should attend. Some old timer would ask:

“Well, how often did you drink?”

The newcomer responded, “Every day.”

The oldster replied, “Then go to meetings every day. If you drank every day, then you can go to meetings every day.”

The idea is that as often as you flooded your mind with alcoholic and addictive thoughts, you can now flood your mind with 12 Step principles and meeting discussions and fellowship. As much time as you gave your drinking, you can give to your recovery.

OK, if you read this blog often enough and perhaps are even a member of Catholic Recovery, you somehow arrived at the notion that your Catholic Faith may have some hand in keeping you sober and clean. But can it provide the all the tools necessary to keep you sober?

For the intentions of this post, and follow-ups, I won’t touch upon the nature of the Church Jesus founded, nor any theology or other “high concepts.” Just the bare bones basics of the possibility that your life is not what it could be. There’s something missing. Sure, you attend your regular AA meetings, you talk to your sponsor, (or maybe are one yourself). You go to Sunday Mass and are generally “Catholic”. But there’s a hole and an emptiness. You feel that your life as you’re living it is something less than it can be.

So, like the title of this post suggests, “How often do you pray and go to Church?” It isn’t as easy a question as you might think. This is particularly true if your Catholic education stopped when you received the Sacrament of Reconciliation or graduated from high school. Basically, teenage years. Your concept of God probably stopped developing at that point. You figure that putting your hour of Church in once a week (or so), praying to Jesus or maybe Mary when you’re in a jam, is enough. But now you’re sensing that isn’t quite true.

Now I ask the question, or rather reframe the question in the title, “How do you live the life of the Church?”

The life of the Church is marked by prayer and the liturgy. The Sacraments are Her lifeblood. How often do you explore and partake of them?

I will continue this in Part 2.

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

What are Indulgences?

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Indulgences are among the more recognizable of Catholic Christian beliefs, like devotion to the Blessed Mother. They are often misunderstood, and have been a source of scandal to the Church in the past (a cause of the so-called Protestant “Reformation.”)

This is what the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) teaches:

1471: ” The doctrine and practice of indulgences in the Church are closely linked to the effects of the sacrament of Penance.

What is an indulgence?

‘An indulgence is a remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven, which the faithful Christian who is duly disposed gains under certain prescribed conditions through the action of the Church which, as the minister of redemption, dispenses and applies with authority the treasury of the satisfactions of Christ and the saints.

‘An indulgence is partial or plenary according as it removes either part or all of the temporal punishment due to sin.The faithful can gain indulgences for themselves or apply them to the dead.”

(Via USCCB.)

The connection to sin and the remission of guilt is described in the following paragraphs, along with the relationship to the dead, and why it is important to pray for them:

(The CCC continues:)

“The punishments of sin”:
1472
To understand this doctrine and practice of the Church, it is necessary to understand that sin has a double consequence. Grave sin deprives us of communion with God and therefore makes us incapable of eternal life, the privation of which is called the ‘eternal punishment’ of sin. On the other hand every sin, even venial, entails an unhealthy attachment to creatures, which must be purified either here on earth, or after death in the state called Purgatory. This purification frees one from what is called the ‘temporal punishment’ of sin. These two punishments must not be conceived of as a kind of vengeance inflicted by God from without, but as following from the very nature of sin. A conversion which proceeds from a fervent charity can attain the complete purification of the sinner in such a way that no punishment would remain.

1473
The forgiveness of sin and restoration of communion with God entail the remission of the eternal punishment of sin, but temporal punishment of sin remains. While patiently bearing sufferings and trials of all kinds and, when the day comes, serenely facing death, the Christian must strive to accept this temporal punishment of sin as a grace. He should strive by works of mercy and charity, as well as by prayer and the various practices of penance, to put off completely the ‘old man’ and to put on the ‘new man.

In the Communion of Saints

1474
The Christian who seeks to purify himself of his sin and to become holy with the help of God’s grace is not alone. ‘The life of each of God’s children is joined in Christ and through Christ in a wonderful way to the life of all the other Christian brethren in the supernatural unity of the Mystical Body of Christ, as in a single mystical person.

1475
In the communion of saints, ‘a perennial link of charity exists between the faithful who have already reached their heavenly home, those who are expiating their sins in purgatory and those who are still pilgrims on earth. Between them there is, too, an abundant exchange of all good things. In this wonderful exchange, the holiness of one profits others, well beyond the harm that the sin of one could cause others. Thus recourse to the communion of saints lets the contrite sinner be more promptly and efficaciously purified of the punishments for sin.

1476
We also call these spiritual goods of the communion of saints the Church’s treasury, which is ‘not the sum total of the material goods which have accumulated during the course of the centuries. On the contrary the ‘treasury of the Church’ is the infinite value, which can never be exhausted, which Christ’s merits have before God. They were offered so that the whole of mankind could be set free from sin and attain communion with the Father. In Christ, the Redeemer himself, the satisfactions and merits of his Redemption exist and find their efficacy.

1477
‘This treasury includes as well the prayers and good works of the Blessed Virgin Mary. They are truly immense, unfathomable, and even pristine in their value before God. In the treasury, too, are the prayers and good works of all the saints, all those who have followed in the footsteps of Christ the Lord and by his grace have made their lives holy and carried out the mission the Father entrusted to them. In this way they attained their own salvation and at the same time cooperated in saving their brothers in the unity of the Mystical Body.

Obtaining indulgence from God through the Church

1478
An indulgence is obtained through the Church who, by virtue of the power of binding and loosing granted her by Christ Jesus, intervenes in favor of individual Christians and opens for them the treasury of the merits of Christ and the saints to obtain from the Father of mercies the remission of the temporal punishments due for their sins. Thus the Church does not want simply to come to the aid of these Christians, but also to spur them to works of devotion, penance, and charity.

1479
Since the faithful departed now being purified are also members of the same communion of saints, one way we can help them is to obtain indulgences for them, so that the temporal punishments due for their sins may be remitted.”

(Via USCCB.)

The link to these in the online CCC has supporting Scriptural references.

This stuff is important to the recovering alcoholic and addict as we do have our sinful past to contend with. He we completely cleaned it up and atoned for it?

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

I was born guilty

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The Notes in the NAB version of this Bible state that this verse…:

Psalm 51:7: “True, I was born guilty, a sinner, even as my mother conceived me.”

(Via USCCB.)

…means that in no time was the penitent without sin. This, I think, refers to the Original Sin of Adam and Eve. A sin that we inherited as their descendants, from when they turned away from God at the temptation by Satan under the pretext that they can “be like God” and discern good from evil under the guidance of their own conscience.

What guides and form your conscience? Is it God, through the ministry and teachings of the Catholic Church? Or do you “keep your own conscience” and decide “for yourself” what is moral and right, perhaps depending upon the circumstances? This pretext is a false one, as everyone’s conscience is formed by something. Some people are just honest and humble and readily admit as to what guides their conscience. Others are delusional and feel (rather that think) that they are in control of their moral decision-making.

So, who or what does your thinking for you?

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

Approaching the Throne of Grace

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The Second Reading for the Mass of the 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time speaks to us of Jesus as our helper in our weakness:

Hebrews 4:14-16:“Brothers and sisters:
Since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens,
Jesus, the Son of God,
let us hold fast to our confession.
For we do not have a high priest
who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses,
but one who has similarly been tested in every way,
yet without sin.
So let us confidently approach the throne of grace
to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help.”

(Via USCCB.)

Jesus is not some mighty deity who reigns distantly from Heaven and judges us for our misdeeds. Although His divinity prevented Him from sinning, He experienced the temptations and sufferings that we experience. Perhaps His divinity made Him acutely aware of the pain temptation brings. He couldn’t sin to temporarily relieve the painful desire of temptation. Not that our succumbing to temptation to relieve the pain is any excuse for us.

Therefore, knowing full well that Jesus understands what we go through, because He’s been there,we can “confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help.” Grace is all you need to heal from your addiction. The sacraments are the primary instruments of God’s grace, and the sure means of receiving it.

Go to Confession soon and the attend Mass and receive the Eucharist. Go to Confession frequently, for as addicts and alcoholics we are a tough bunch to maintain our holiness.

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)