ALL SOULS DAY

Posted on November 2, 2013 by paulcoholic

Today the Church celebrates the Commemoration of All of the Faithful Departed, also known as: ALL SOULS DAY.

While not necessarily on the list of things that most people keep in the forefront of their minds, death and the afterlife should be for us sober (or sobering up) alcoholics. For that very reason I started Sober Catholic’s sister blog, The Four Last Things.

For we who were on the pathway to an early death have been given a reprieve, having avoided it by no longer drinking. We can now take a look at it in a different light. We can nurture the hopeful expectation that when we finally die, we can be united with God and reunited with our loved ones who have gone on before us.

Today is their day; all those who have died and are amongst the blessed in Heaven, as well as those who died in a state of some sin. These souls cannot enter Heaven yet and so must undergo purification. Another reminder that “not drinking” is not enough; we must continually develop our spirituality and virtue by amending our lives and avoiding sin.

The Four Last Things has numerous blogposts as well as links in the sidebar where you can learn more about the Catholic (and Biblical) teachings on Purgatory.

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 can I repay the LORD for all the great good done for me?

Posted on March 28, 2013 by paulcoholic

The Responsorial Psalm for Holy Thursday’s Mass of the Lord’s Supper holds a wonderful prayer that can be used for an attitude of gratitude:

Psalm 116: 12-13; 15-17

How can I repay the LORD

for all the great good done for me?

I will raise the cup of salvation

and call on the name of the LORD.

Dear in the eyes of the LORD

is the death of his devoted.

LORD, I am your servant,

your servant, the child of your maidservant;

you have loosed my bonds.

I will offer a sacrifice of praise

and call on the name of the LORD.

I will pay my vows to the LORD

in the presence of all his people…

(Via USCCB.)

For truly, how can one “repay the LORD for all the great good done?” He has indeed “loosed my bonds” from the grip of alcohol. And forever and ever “I will offer a sacrifice of praise and call on the name of the LORD.”

Perhaps one can repay by carrying the Gospel message forward, as well as helping others realize the healing power of the Sacraments.

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!!)

Judging your Path along the Road of Happy Destiny

Posted on May 27, 2012 by paulcoholic

“Trudging the Road of Happy Destiny” is a phrase from AA’s “Big Book” and is referenced a lot in meetings. It basically means your program of recovery.

Today’s Second Reading from the Mass for Pentecost Sunday offers a quick guide as to how you’re doing. Read the following excerpt and judge yourself as to how well you are resisting the allure and temptation of your addiction

Gal 5:16-23 : “So then, I say: Walk in the spirit, and you will not fulfill the desires of the flesh.

For the flesh desires against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh. And since these are against one another, you may not do whatever you want.

But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

Now the works of the flesh are manifest; they are: fornication, lust, homosexuality, self-indulgence, the serving of idols, drug use, hostility, contentiousness, jealousy, wrath, quarrels, dissensions, divisions, envy, murder, inebriation, carousing, and similar things. About these things, I continue to preach to you, as I have preached to you: that those who act in this way shall not obtain the kingdom of God.

But the fruit of the Spirit is charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, forbearance,meekness, faith, modesty, abstinence, chastity. There is no law against such things.”

(Via Catholic Public Domain Version of the Sacred Bible.)

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!!)

Live Temperately, Justly, and Devoutly

Posted on December 25, 2011 by paulcoholic

The Second Reading at Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord (Christmas)
Mass at Midnight has bits of advice for life that has relevance for all, but especially for those of us who love a sober life rooted in Catholic spirituality (I italicized the parts I mean):

Letter to Titus: 2:11-14: “Beloved:
The grace of God has appeared, saving all
and training us to reject godless ways and worldly desires
and to live temperately, justly, and devoutly in this age,
as we await the blessed hope,
the appearance of the glory of our great God
and savior Jesus Christ,
who gave himself for us to deliver us from all lawlessness
and to cleanse for himself a people as his own,
eager to do what is good.
“

(Via USCCB.)

We should all “reject godless ways and worldly desires and to live temperately, justly, and devoutly in this age.” This is essential in order to live a sober and chaste life.

Pray daily, attend Mass Daily (if possible) and go to Confession frequently (at least once or twice a month. To say that you don’t need to go that often means you are deluding yourself.

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!!)

Who do you Serve?

Posted on March 13, 2011 by paulcoholic

In this excerpt from the Gospel for the Mass of the First Sunday of Lent Jesus makes two very important points:

Matthew 4:7-10: “…Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.’‘Then the devil took him up to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in their magnificence, and he said to him, ‘All these I shall give to you, if you will prostrate yourself and worship me.’At this, Jesus said to him, ‘Get away, Satan! It is written: ‘The Lord, your God, shall you worship and him alone shall you serve.”“

(Via USCCB.)

OK, so who do YOU serve? Do you serve the Lord and seek to accomplish His will here on Earth and in your life? Or do you subject Him to a test? Is there a battle of wills, yours versus His? Who do you think will win?

Humility is a major part of recovery, it is written into the Twelve Steps and is an essential part of any good Christian’s being.

What or Who is first in your life?

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!!)

Cherish no grudge

Posted on February 20, 2011 by paulcoholic

The First Reading from the Mass for today is an exhortation against holding resentments.

Leviticus 19:1-2,17-18: “The LORD said to Moses, ‘Speak to the whole Israelite community and tell them: Be holy, for I, the LORD, your God, am holy. ‘You shall not bear hatred for your brother or sister in your heart. Though you may have to reprove your fellow citizen, do not incur sin because of him. Take no revenge and cherish no grudge against any of your people. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.’”

(Via USCCB.)

As alcoholics and addicts we are told quite frequently about the dangers of holding onto resentments. They are dangerous to our continued sobriety and do not serve any useful purpose. They only hold us back in our spiritual development.

The Lord tells us something more, however. Holding a grudge prevents you from being holy. “Be holy, for I, the LORD, your God, am holy.”

We are made in the image and likeness of God, and it is our duty to “keep that image polished,” so to speak.

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!!)

Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes

Posted on February 11, 2011 by paulcoholic

Today, February 11th, is the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes

(Via EWTN.)

It is a day deeply connected with healing, as the waters in the grotto at Lourdes, France, has been the site of many healings of an unexplained, and therefore probably miraculous, nature. The EWTN link above has more information.

I have in the past had run a Novena but didn’t do that this year. If you click on this: Our Lady of Lourdes Search Results in Sober Catholic you will find a list of the blogposts with the nine days of prayer. Although novenas are typically started before the Feast day, there is no reason why you cannot start it on the day of the Feast.

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!!)

The Beatitudes

Posted on January 30, 2011 by paulcoholic

This is a re-post from an earlier date. The Gospel Reading for Mass today (Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time) is the Sermon on the Mount, in which Jesus teaches His disciples and the crowds gathered about the “Beatitudes”.

Be-attitudes

I may have more posts on these today (that’s my plan 😉 )

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!!)

Making room in the Inn

Posted on December 24, 2010 by paulcoholic

Advent, a time of waiting for the coming of Christ the Lord. How well do we receive Him into our lives? Is He welcome in all areas of it or do we compartmentalize (pigeon-hole) Him in convenient places?

There are many distractions, and we do not make sufficient room for Him in the inn that is our lives. He is pushed outdoors.

Some of these distractions are addictive. These addictions fill the “hole in the soul” that should be filled by Jesus and the Sacraments. Grace alone should suffice but we improperly seek it. We are misdirected in our gropings in the dark for Truth and Life. We don’t find them in the right places. We stray from the path marked out for us.

Jesus is ever-present in the Blessed Sacrament and ever-waiting for us to come to Him. We prepare our way to Him through prayer, meditation and examining our consciences. We offer up a contrite heart as a sacrifice to Him, so that we will be pleasing in His sight.

And then Jesus, upon being asked, enters our lives and fills our very being with the stuff we seek: healing, direction, life. Things we sought elsewhere and failed miserably because we were deceived.

Christmas is coming, with Jesus in the Manger. Are we prepared to welcome and receive Him?

(Blogger’s Note: This post is a part of the 2010 Catholic New Media Advent Calendar on Catholic Roundup For those new to Sober Catholic my usual source for inspiration is either the Sunday and Daily Mass Readings, or some commentary on the liturgical season. I then try to make it applicable to those recovering from alcoholism and other addictions. But, if you are in a conversion or a development of the interior life mindset, (or just love the Sacrament of Confession), you might find my ramblings useful. 🙂

My other blog, with it’s own post for the Calendar, is: The Four Last Things a blog on Death, Judgment, Heaven and Hell. Its first post explains it: The Four Last Things.

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!!)