Category Archives: Meditations

St. Benedict's Ladder of Humility: Step 8

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The 8th Step of St. Benedict’s Ladder of Humility is that a monk does only what is endorsed by the common rule of the monastery and the example set by the superiors.

You join a group, whether it’s a job or a church softball team, no matter, you just joined some existing organization with legitimate authority over its members and as such has placed generally accepted rules for doing things over its members. In joining such a group, you have tacitly agreed to abide by the rules of the organization. The organization therefore has a right to expect you to live by the rules, otherwise, why’d you sign up?

If you do not like the rules, the honorable thing to do would be to leave. If you cannot abide by the rules, for whatever reason, to stay in the organization would be dishonest and disruptive. Even if you hid your displeasure, you would be dishonest with yourself and disruptive of your interior life. Sobriety might be threatened as you struggled to reconcile your beliefs, or ways of doing things, with the group you are a member of. If the group has a way of considering discontent and sees there is room for change, then this is fine as change within the system is the sign of a dynamic and vibrant group. If you could not hide your displeasure, and there were no mechanisms for enabling change within the system, then to stay would be dishonest to the group and disruptive to the members.

In a way, it goes back to the false humility vs true humility comparison mentioned in Sixth Step . With a sense of true humility, and after the humble examination of your beliefs, attitudes and motivations with the notion that you might possibly be wrong, you would leave the group rather than stay and be disruptive. With a sense of false humility, you might refuse to consider that your position is wrong, and adopt a kind of “martyr” attitude and stay. As I said in the 6th Step: True humility deflects attention from ourselves, or at least we are uncomfortable with the attention; false humility attracts attention and enjoys the attention our work brings us. There is the possibility that the falsely humble will leave and build a new group around themselves. A martyr complex changed to that of a rebel and exile. Romantic notions, but ego-driven.

How is this relevant to our sobriety? Ego-driven actions are dangerous to us. Drinking fueled them back then, and to return to them after sobriety may be dangerous unless we have a well balanced life and also a very well developed spiritual life.

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!!)

St. Benedict's Ladder of Humility: Step 7

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The Seventh Step of the Ladder of Humility is that a person not only admit outwardly but is also inwardly convinced that one is inferior to all and of less value.

This is rather similar to the previous Sixth Step. The two go hand-in-hand, it seems to me. If you accept the lowest and most menial treatment, it stands to reason that you would consider yourself inferior.

This is a Step which takes us closer to God. When you consider that Jesus was executed for crimes He didn’t commit, and was treated like the lowest of the low of common criminals, we see that this Step takes us closer to His Cross.

It is a Step which is sacrificial in nature. It is the one which says “Nothing is beneath me, not even assuming that others are better than I.” Who are we to say that any one of us is better or superior to another person? To some homeless person on the street? To some drunk dead in an alley? “But for the grace of God, go I,” a common saying in the rooms of 12 Step recovery movements.

As lunatic that this Step may seem to secular psychologists, I think that this Step helps to keep us sane. It prevents us from believing all sorts of nonsense about ourselves, either stuff foisted upon us by someone else, or fantasies of our own making. It keeps our egos in check. It enable us to be of service to others because it clears away false conceptions of ourselves, as long as we have a reasonable and rational assessment of our skills and talents. Like in the Sixth Step, we have to do a balancing act between this rational assessment and this matter of faith.

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!!)

St. Benedict's Ladder of Humility: Step 6

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The Sixth Step on the Ladder of Humility is that a person be content with the lowest and most menial treatment, and regards themselves as a poor and worthless worker in whatever task given.

This seemingly goes contrary to modern psychobabble regarding self-esteem and empowerment and such. So getting away from the apparent harshness and “anti-feel good” nature of this Step, what value can we gain from this?
We all, hopefully, think that we are good at what we do. Sometimes however this belief gets ahold of us and we become arrogant. We feel that we are “God’s gift” to whatever it is that we do. If we regard ourselves as “poor and worthless” then we retain a level of humility when it’s balanced with a reasonable assessment of ourselves.

With much of Catholicism, there is a balance between two things. Faith and reason for example. We need both to be good Catholics. Faith without Reason runs the risk of neurosis and superstition. Reason without Faith devalues the supernatural, or explains it away. Another is a balance between the moral and the social teachings of the Church. Using the secular definitions, too much of an emphasis on the moral teachings runs the risk of becoming too politically right-wing, whereas too much emphasis on the social teachings runs the opposite risk of becoming too politically left-wing. There needs to be a balance between two perspectives.

Another risk is the difference between true and false humility. With true humility you accept that you are good at what you do, but recognize that you are still a flawed, imperfect human being, and a sinner. Your skills do not make you better than other people, you just recognize that God gave you these skills and you are honoring Him by using them to the best of your ability. You readily acknowledge your faults and mistakes.

Being content with the lowest and menial treatment is “merely” going back to the notion of accepting whatever suffering that comes along as being necessary for your salvation, as acceptance of suffering is key to being Christian. It is an antidote to pride, another form of false humility. True humility deflects attention from ourselves, or at least we are uncomfortable with the attention; false humility attracts attention and enjoys the attention our work brings us.

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!!)

St. Benedict's Ladder of Humility: Step 5

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The Fifth Step on St. Benedict’s Ladder of Humility is that a person does not conceal any sinful thoughts, or any wrongs committed in secret, but humbly confesses them.

The Step was intended for monks to do this in respect to his abbot (man who is in charge of the monastery), but we also can do this with our priests in Confession.

Psalm 32:5;

Then I declared my sin to you; my guilt I did not hide. I said, “I confess my faults to the LORD,” and you took away the guilt of my sin.

It is out of pride that we refuse to confess. From the blasphemous mortal sin of presuming that God cannot forgive a serious sin, to just concealing something out of embarrassment, pride is the agent here. We must confess our sins to a priest for absolution and penance, this at least humbles us by bringing our misdeeds to the light of day.

From Step 5 of various 12 Step movements:

Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.

So even a non-religious group feels that it is of great importance to reveal to another one’s wrongdoings. There is a certain catharsis in doing so, a definite change is felt within by the act of confessing, either in sacramental Confession or in “doing the Fifth Step” with someone.

Feeling that you can just confess sins straight to God is just a cop-out. Explore your feelings deep within, and if you’re honest, you’ll discover that you’re not being “pious” in talking to God, you’re running away from the sins and embarrassment they cause.

Confessing to another introduces you to the concept of “honesty”, another humility-inducing act.

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!!)

St. Benedict's Ladder of Humility: Step 3

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The 3rd step on St. Benedict’s Ladder of Humility may be especially troublesome to those not prone to humility, or who are too rooted in the ways of the world.

It says that a person should submit to their superior in all obedience for the love of God, in imitation of Jesus.

From St. Paul’s Letter to the Phillipians:

Phil 2:8;

He humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross.

This is hard to tolerate, as “obedience” is rather contrary to modern Western thinking, and connotes weakness and slavery.

Benedict’s Rule is primarily for monks living in monasteries of the Benedictine Order. But as I said in the post that introduced this subject, many laity (people who are not priests, nuns or religious brothers) also follow the Rule of St. Benedict. So, how might we find value in this 3rd Step?

It is especially humbling, or humility-inducing, to subject yourself to another’s authority. So, to what authority would we willingly subject ourselves for the love of God?

Well, let’s think about that. What did God do for the love of us? He incarnated Himself in the form of a man, Jesus Christ, who while fully human, also retained the fullness of His divinity. And Jesus died for His love of us, to pay back to God the Father the sin of Adam and Eve which had ruptured our relationship with God (read Genesis 3).

After Jesus died, and rose again, what did He do? He established the Catholic Church, protected by the Holy Spirit from teaching error (i.e. the Pope and Bishops in union with him, all of whom are direct lineal successors to the Apostles and who carry out their mission of teaching the Gospel).

The Church is by no means perfect, composed as it is of humans, but it has survived 2,000 years of history created by it’s human members. It has never changed a teaching to be the opposite of what it was originally, and guided by the Spirit, it has developed teachings as we come to more fully understand the Bible and discern God.

This is what we can be obedient to. The Church can guide our conscience to follow and do God’s will. It has the consistency needed to build trust to follow it’s authority in matters of Gospel faith and morals.

Obedience is not slavish submission. It is a willful act of agreeing to follow legitimate authority and consent to its leadership. Authority that has merited trust and acquiescence.

If you have trouble with Step Three of the Ladder of Humility, Step Four tells you how to deal with 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!!)

St. Benedict's Ladder of Humility: Step 2

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The second step on the Ladder of Humility is that a person should not love his own will nor take pleasure in satisfying their own desires.

This is very similar to the Third Step of 12 Step recovery movements: Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.

The Rule of St. Benedict quotes the Gospel According to John:

John 6:38;

I came down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of the one who sent me.

If we are Christian, then we imitate Christ.

If we follow our own will, to the exclusion of allowing the work and will of God to lead us, then we are being selfish. We are declaring that we are our own god and that our will is the master of our own lives.

This is what got us into trouble when we were drinking. Granted that our wills were somewhat compromised by our addiction, nevertheless our drinking enabled us to place ourselves at the center of our existence as we needed to feed our self-indulgences that were running wild. This hurt ourselves and most especially others. This is a black-and-white example of the dangers of putting our wills first, rather than seeking to do God’s will. In a selfish world, we see violence against each other and against nature, we see broken homes and families, we see discord and strife.

Satisfying one’s self-indulgent pleasures (usually of the physical or carnal variety) merely warps your relationships others. More discord.

Seek the will of the One who formed you in your mother’s womb.

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!!)

St. Benedict's Ladder of Humility: Step 1

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In St. Benedict’s Rule, the first step on his ladder of humility is that one must always keep the fear of God before one’s eyes.

As I have said earlier, “fear” isn’t raw, naked terror, but more along the lines of respect. After all, who is God? He is the One who made you: you owe your whole, entire and compete existence to Him. You didn’t create yourself and you shouldn’t end that creation. You do not “own” yourself and have full rights over your body, you owe a certain responsibility to God for your life.

St. Benedict was referring to sin. From the Psalms:

Psalm 36:2;

Sin directs the heart of the wicked; their eyes are closed to the fear of God.

Leading to:

Psalm 7:10;

Bring the malice of the wicked to an end; uphold the innocent, O God of justice, who tries hearts and minds.

God knows what is in your heart and your mind, it can never be concealed from Him. So much of our sinning we do in the dark, or think we do there, but nothing is hidden in the dark from the Lord.

You need only read Psalm 139 to get tremendous, and comforting, insights:

O LORD, you have probed me, you know me:
you know when I sit and stand; you understand my thoughts from afar.
My travels and my rest you mark; with all my ways you are familiar.
Even before a word is on my tongue, LORD, you know it all.
Behind and before you encircle me and rest your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is beyond me, far too lofty for me to reach.
Where can I hide from your spirit? From your presence, where can I flee?
If I ascend to the heavens, you are there; if I lie down in Sheol, you are there too.
If I fly with the wings of dawn and alight beyond the sea,
Even there your hand will guide me, your right hand hold me fast.
If I say, “Surely darkness shall hide me, and night shall be my light”
Darkness is not dark for you, and night shines as the day. Darkness and light are but one.
You formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother’s womb.
I praise you, so wonderfully you made me; wonderful are your works!
My very self you knew; my bones were not hidden from you,
When I was being made in secret, fashioned as in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes foresaw my actions; in your book all are written down; my days were shaped, before one came to be.
How precious to me are your designs, O God; how vast the sum of them!
Were I to count, they would outnumber the sands; to finish, I would need eternity…
…Probe me, God, know my heart; try me, know my concerns.
See if my way is crooked, then lead me in the ancient paths.

God knows where you are, every step of the way, from the moment He formed you in your momma’s womb, and thereafter onward. There is no hiding.

Humility has a definition from the meeting rooms of AA that goes something like “humility is accepting reality for what it is, adjusting your life to that reality, and being content with the result.” Take out the word “reality” and put in its place the word “God” and you get:

“Humility is accepting God for what He is, adjusting your life to God, and being content with the result.”

A pretty fair summation of the first step of the Ladder of Humility.

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!!)

St. Benedict's Ladder of Humility

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This is just a heads-up to announce another days-long project for this blog. I am going to start a 12 day long meditation on St. Benedict’s “12 Step Ladder of Humility”. I think I mentioned this back in my first post in January 2007 as something I was going to do, and well, it’s better late than never. 🙂

Who was St. Benedict? The Online Guide to St. Benedict has an excellent biography of him, as well as a lot of useful resources on his life.

He was born about the year 480, and died around 547. His feast day is July 11, and that factors into why I’m starting this project about now. But more on that later.

He wrote a “Rule”, a sort of governing document for monasteries and the lives of the monks living in them. Many people who are not monks also study and live by this Rule as it is an excellent guide to living the Gospel. It was this Rule of St. Benedict that earned him the titles of “the Patriarch of Western Monasticism” and “Co-Patron of Europe”. Most monastic rules are influenced by his Rule.

Anyway, as stated earlier, his feast day is July 11th. I will begin this series on St. Benedict’s 12 Step Ladder of Humility on June 30, so one step per day will take us to his feast day. It is not a novena, nor another prayer, just a series of meditations.

The only similarity between St. Benedict’s 12 Step Ladder of Humility and the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous is the number “12” and the word “Step”. Well, there is the “humility” factor, too.

Anyway, visit the Online Guide mentioned above. His religious Order, the Order of St. Benedict has a great online directory and guide.

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!!)

All you who labor and are burdened

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An excerpt from the Gospel reading from today’s Mass on the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus:

Matthew 11:28-30;

“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for your selves.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”

Rest in Jesus. Visit Him in the Blessed Sacrament. If there is no custom of having the exposed Eucharist available for prayer at a parish near you, then go to Mass earlier than normal, or stay after longer than needed and pray before the tabernacle. He is there, truly present, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity in the Eucharist. Just how exactly remains a Mystery, but go and pray, and meditate and unburden yourself of all your troubles. The peace and serenity of praying in the Presence of the Lord surpasses most any other methods of prayer.

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!!)

Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

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Today is the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It is usually in June, but due to the scheduling of Lent/Easter it is earlier this year.

This feast is an old Catholic devotion, having been around since the Middle Ages. Proponents state that it is based on the Gospel account of St. John the Evangelist laying his head on Jesus’ chest at the Last Supper. The Devotion started during an apparition of Jesus to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque. Information on this can be found here and additional prayers and such also here .

Devotion to the Sacred Heart also has roots in early AA history. Last year I wrote about the Feast and its influence on AA tradition. That post also contains the Litany to the Sacred Heart, and a careful study of that Litany reveals how useful the devotion can be to individuals in recovery.

The following two prayers also reveal the relevance to people in recovery this Catholic devotion:

THE BLESSING OF THE SACRED HEART

May the grace and blessing of the Sacred Heart be with you, the peace of the Sacred Heart encompass you! May the merits of the Sacred Heart plead for you, the love of the Sacred Heart inflame you! May the sorrows of the Sacred Heart console you, the zeal of the Sacred Heart animate you, the virtues of the Sacred Heart shine forth in your every word and work! And may the joys of the Beatific Vision be your eternal recompense!

PRAYER TO THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS

O most holy Heart of Jesus, fountain of every blessing, I adore Thee, I love Thee and with a lively sorrow for my sins, I offer Thee this poor heart of mine. Make me humble, patient, pure and wholly obedient to Thy will. Grant, good Jesus, that I may live in Thee and for Thee. Protect me in the midst of danger; comfort me in my afflictions; give me health of body, assistance in my temporal needs, Thy blessing on all that I do, and the grace of a holy death. Within Thy Heart I place my every care. In every need let me come to Thee with humble trust saying, “Heart of Jesus, help me.”

The heart is the human symbol of love. Jesus’ Sacred Heart is the ultimate symbol of love, the love He has for us and the mercy that is available to us if we avail ourselves of it. One image of the Sacred Heart that I enjoy is the immersion of ourselves in His Precious Blood, shed for us because of our sins. What better image for us alcoholics to meditate upon when we are troubled by our addictive past.

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!!)