Category Archives: Lent

Lent begins today!

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From the Second Reading of today’s Mass for Ash Wednesday:

2 Corinthians 6:1-2 “Working together, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. For he says: In an acceptable time I heard you,and on the day of salvation I helped you. Behold, now is a very acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”

Courtesy: USCCB.

It is often said that Lent is a time of repentance and being penitent. But I also think it is also for renewal, for we are preparing for the suffering, death and Resurrection of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on Good Friday and Easter Sunday.

Why “renewal?” For we are sinners and Jesus died for our sins. And so we use this time to repent of them, to make serious and sincere attempts to amend our lives. In essence, we end up being “renewed.”

So, now is the “acceptable time,” repent of your sins.

Mark 1:15: “For the time has been fulfilled and the kingdom of God has drawn near. Repent and believe in the Gospel.”

via Catholic Public Domain Version of the Sacred Bible.

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!!)

Second Lent” is upon us again!

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“Second Lent” is upon us again!”

For the past few years I have been announcing what I like to call “Second Lent,” an highly unadvertised and unannounced additional penitential period that the Church offers. It begins on the Feast of the Transfiguration (August 6th) and end on the Feast of the Exaltation (or Triumph) of the Cross on September 15th.

The link in the first sentence takes you to an earlier blogpost that talks about it more; that post itself has links about ANOTHER penitential period that is a Franciscan devotion, known as “St. Michael’s Lent.”

I love the Church. She gives us so many opportunities to find our way down the narrow path.

So, as always, if your regular Lent wasn’t satisfying, you have TWO opportunities coming to make up for it!

I plan to blog a lot through Psalm 119. Not sure how successful I’ll be, but that is the plan.

 

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!!)

The Seven Penitential Psalms and the Songs of the Suffering Servant

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The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has an excellent resource on their website for the final day of Lent, as well as for Good Friday meditations. The Seven Penitential Psalms and the Songs of the Suffering Servant are taken from their New American Bible translation.

I frequently use these in preparation for when I really need to make a good Act of Contrition; I say them all though in succession. They do take a lot out of me. Nevertheless they are very efficacious in helping me get in the right “frame of mind,” and increase my willingness to go through with the Sacrament of Confession.

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!!)

Growing in holiness during Lent

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Lent began today. Traditionally, people give up stuff for Lent as a sign of repentance. That’s nice but it may be a downer, especially if it isn’t combined with something that may help you grow in holiness. Giving up something to achieve something is tough. Ask an athlete, especially an Olympian or a champion.

Another option to giving up something is to take up something. Adding something to help you achieve something, like holiness, may be easier. Increase your virtue. This link: Virtues and Vices has a list of the seven deadly vices and the virtues that can help you overcome them.

Serve and volunteer.

Increase your prayer life. Read Sacred Scripture, daily. Attend Daily Mass, if possible. If not, then maybe catch it online at a more convenient time.

And then perhaps maybe someday you can deprive yourself of something, because with the increased holiness, you’re more apt to select a deprivation and combine it with growing in holiness. This can merit itself at other times of the year when you suffer, now you know better how to “offer it up.” 😉

Joel: 2:13:

“Rend your hearts, not your garments,

and return to the LORD, your God,

For he is gracious and merciful,

slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love,

and relenting in punishment.”

(Via USCCB.)

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!!)

August: A Month for TWO Lenten disciplines

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Today is August 6th, the Feast of the Transfiguration of Our Lord. It also marks the beginning of what I call “Second Chance Lent.” The Transfiguration is when Jesus went up Mt. Tabor with three of His disciples and revealed Himself in His Glorified Body and also conferred with Moses and Elijah concerning His upcoming Passion. Forty days after today is the Feast of the Triumph of the Cross (or Exaltation of the Cross). Jesus’ “Triumph” was the original Good Friday, the Exaltation is another reminder by the Church of the central importance the Cross has. Without the Cross, there is no Resurrection.

For us alcoholics, there’s no recovery without the painful path of learning not to drink and how to handle sobriety.

I wrote about “Second Chance Lent” right here:

“Second Chance Lent” is Coming Up!

In the middle of the month, a Franciscan tradition starts, known as “St. Michael’s Lent.” More about that here:

St. Michael’s Lent

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!!)

Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics now available IN PRINT EDiTION

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As of today, my new ebook Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics is now available IN PRINT edition for those who either cannot use the ebook version, or who prefer books in the traditional paper format.

Please click on the link in the first paragraph, and that will take you to the CreateSpace eStore.

The book should also be available in the Amazon.com store within a week or so.

Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics for Kindle is also available through Amazon at their Kindle Store at the link in this sentence.

As before, it can still be purchased through the publisher’s site: Smashwords.

It is also available through Apple’s
iTunes store for the iPad and also through BARNES & NOBLE for their “NOOK” reader and app.

Two additional ebookstores are:

Kobobooks and Diesel eBooks.

Also be kindly aware: we are now in the season of Lent, and it makes a great gift: Lent and a gift opportunity!!!

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!!)

Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics now on Amazon through the Kindle Store

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Just an update that my new ebook, the Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics is NOW AVAILABLE through Amazon at their Kindle Store!

Just follow that link in the first sentence and you can purchase the book for your Kindle device or Kindle app for the Mac or PC.

It is still available for purchase through other venues, and if you go to this link: Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics is now available in lots of ebookstores you can see the list of online store (Barnes & Noble for the Nook, Apple iTunes for the iPad, iPhone and whatever other iThingie they have, as well as other fine online book distributors.) I will probably update that blogpost to reflect this new development!

Perhaps coincidental, but this book has become available on Amazon (the biggest online bookseller) just in time for Lent! As I have suggested before, although Lent is not associated with giving gifts, this would make a fine gift for yourself, or some other alcoholic or addict that you know.

To all those who have already purchase the book, THANK YOU! I appreciate every one of you.

The book should also be available in a PRINT EDITION, perhaps by later this week. There will be another announcement when that happens.

I would like to take the time and offer my gratitude to my wife and photographer, Rose. She was invaluable in figuring out the whole file conversion and uploading thing. She took care of the technical end. If it was up to me, well, let’s just say that despite nearly 10 years of sobriety, patience is still sometimes elusive. 😉

Rose is a creator of beautiful things. She takes pictures and runs some online shops to sell her graphic designs. Her photography can be found here: ARTIST4GOD: Rose Santuci-Sofranko. Her shops, where she markets her photography and graphic designs can be found here: Artist4God: Zazzle.com Store and Rose Santuci-Sofranko – Fine Art.

Visit her sites and see what is available!

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!!)

Lent 2012

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Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday. Although it is not a Holy Day of Obligation, it should be, but that shouldn’t be any excuse for you NOT to got to Mass and get ashes anointed on your forehead (work scheduling and other situations notwithstanding).

It is the beginning of the 40 day penitential period leading up to Good Friday, the day Christ died of the Cross for all of us. He paid the price we owed.

In the categories over along the right, click on “Lent” when the selection drops down. That will give you access to all of my Lenten posts of the past 5 years. I plan on blogging daily, we’ll see how that goes.

I don’t think that I ever stated my plans or goals for Lent before, outside of mentioning that it is a period of personal penance and conversion for me. But things like “what I’m giving up,” that sort of thing, nope, don’t think I have.

I don’t plan on “giving up” anything specific, save for Facebook, Google+ and Plurk on Fridays. LinkedIn is probably the only social network I’ll be on during that day. I will follow the usual fasting and abstinence guidelines. I think I told my wife that I’ll stop with the ice cream. So, OK, maybe I’m “giving up” that.

Otherwise, I will try to post daily, either here, or on The Four Last Things or Writer for God. During Lent, you are supposed to exert some discipline about things, I have not been very disciplined with regard to my blogging and this is a good time to correct that. My three blogs are obviously very religious, and if I am to use my bloggy talents to help establish the Kingdom of God on Earth, then I have been a lousy employee of the Lord quite often. So, while blogging is something normally enjoyable, actually getting the discipline to do it is a pain. So, getting myself to my blogs will be an effort in personal discipline. It should also help my other writing endeavors.

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!!)

Lent and a gift opportunity

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Lent will be here in just over one month (Ash Wednesday is February 22nd, I think) and although it is not normally associated as a season of giving gifts, there is a gift that might be of interest to a person in recovery in your life (or yourself).

As many know, I published a little devotional booklet entitled “The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics”, it is available online for a $2.99 download through Smashwords.com.

Here is the direct link:

Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics

Thank you in advance! I appreciate every reader.

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!!)

“Second Chance Lent” is Coming Up!

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This is just a reminder that this Saturday marks the Church’s Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord. This means that another 40 day period of penance and conversion, albeit an informal an unofficial one, starts on August 6th. This is what I am now calling “Second Chance Lent,” just in case you fell short of your penitential and conversion goals for the real Lent earlier this year, you have another opportunity in a few days.

I got this idea from a source I have long forgotten (some Catholic thinker in some daily devotional mentioned it). The Feast of the Transfiguration, based on the Lord’s conversation with Moses and Elijah on Mt. Tabor regarding His upcoming trial and Crucifixion, is 40 days before the Feast of the Triumph of the Cross on September 14th.

Information on this Feast is here:

Triumph of the Cross

(Via Catholic Culture.)

And so the Church in Her wisdom established these feast days 40 days apart to enable the faithful to have another season to focus on repentance and spiritual growth. I hardly think this is coincidental. Go to Confession and Daily Mass if possible (or as often as you can). Focus on your relationship with the Lord and how you’ve harmed it by sin. Repent and believe in the Gospel.

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!!)