Category Archives: Service and Volunteering

Peter Maurin

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Today is the anniversary of the 1949 death of Peter Maurin. He was a Catholic social activist who founded the Catholic Worker Movement in 1933 with Dorothy Day. Maurin lived the Gospel in an uncompromising fashion. I have read his biography (written by Dorothy Day) and to me his approach to Christ and the Gospel was on a par with St. Francis of Assisi.

Peter Maurin is of particular interest to this blog due to his alleged suggestion to start homes (sort of like our “Halfway Houses” of today) that would help alcoholics recover by pairing them with reformed prostitutes. His idea being that the ex-drunks could help the ex-prostitutes maintain their newly recovered chastity, while the ex-hookers can help the former alcoholics stay sober. Not sure how he arrived at the idea if it was true, but it apparently never was enacted. It would have been an interesting approach to alcohol recovery. I say “alleged” and “if it were true” as Day’s biography of him never mentioned it, and her autobiography, which contains a lot of information on his life and thought, doesn’t refer to it either.

So, if the idea is apocryphal (and I don’t even remember where I first heard of it, this post has been in “Drafts” for over a year, waiting for today to be edited and published), it did lead me to read up on him and Day and has lead me to a greater appreciation of Catholic social teachings and a desire to apply them and live them out. I have touched upon them before, in the “Service and Volunteering” subject category. I may expand upon them in the future.

One unfortunate response to Catholic social teachings is that practitioners of them quite often fall into positions that dissent from general Catholic teaching. Catholicism is not easy. It cannot be labelled or pigeon-holed into the political “Left” or “Right.” In examining Catholic social teaching, with its positions on work and labor, poverty, the environment, indigenous peoples and such, it is easy to be seduced into the political Left and consequently fall astray of the Church’s moral teachings on things like abortion, sexuality, marriage and property. This may even affect the person’s understanding of Catholic theology. Catholic political and social philosophy is “Catholic” (universal) and not liberal or conservative. Some may find it hard to hold fidelity to both Catholic social and moral teachings, as well as Catholic theology.

It requires effort, but it is possible to be faithful to Catholic teachings as a whole, despite the seeming contradictions of “How can one be a social activist, working to alleviate poverty and injustice, and also be anti-abortion and anti-gay rights?” Well, if one studies not just WHAT the Church teaches, but also WHY it teaches this or that, one can grasp an understanding and reconcile the “contradictions.” The easy way is to be prideful, declare that the Church teaching that conflicts with your political or social philosophy is “archaic” and then decide to disregard it.

Being a Catholic isn’t easy. Too many fall under the weight of it and simplify things and therefore stray away from what Jesus calls the “narrow gate.”

Matthew 7:13-14: “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate, and broad is the way, which leads to perdition, and many there are who enter through it. How narrow is the gate, and how straight is the way, which leads to life, and few there are who find it!”

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

Wikipedia, the “free encyclopedia”, has this excellent overview of his life, with links to the Catholic Worker Movement and Dorothy Day: Peter Maurin

(Via Wikipedia.)

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!!)

Operation: Backpack at St. Francis Mission Among the Lakota

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St. Francis Mission Among the Lakota is having a fund-raising activity during the month of April and early May called Operation: Backpack.

Operation: Backpack is a campaign to raise new items and funds for their “Body, Mind and Soul” camps and also their childhood education programs. According to the Mission’s website, the “Body, Mind, and Soul Camp” provides religious education and recreation to children in various communities around the reservation. Many of children who participate would otherwise never have any contact with the Church or the Mission. The Mission’s religious education teachers, young Jesuits in formation, Jesuit Volunteers, and students from Jesuit high schools from around the United States staff these sessions.

In 2012, they are scheduled to have over 200 children join them in five different locations around the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota. The “Body, Mind and Soul” camp joins the children of the Rosebud Reservation with volunteers from all over the country in a week filled with learning and fun. Throughout April and part of May, they will be sharing video, photos, and testimonials from program leaders, donors and volunteers.

There are various ways you can assist. The link above enables you to follow along during the event. Also, they have the St. Francis Mission “Operation: Backpack” Wish List on Amazon.com. You can also donate directly by way of this link.

The Mission is a good friend of SoberCatholic.com, I have blogged about them before: St. Francis Mission.

Thanks to Corrie at Corrie Oberdin {dot} Net | for the heads-upon this!

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!!)

True Freedom

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Freedom, the lack of it, the excess of it, or the abuse of it, is an undercurrent of the culture wars of today. Everyone wants it, everyone pretty much gets resentful when someone else uses it, and what it means for one person doesn’t necessarily hold for another. Nevertheless, what is freedom to the Christian?

True freedom is freedom from sin. Sin cuts us off from God. Sin prevents us from fulfilling our potential as true adopted children of God. Sin is an offense against God and also an offense against other people’s dignity and our own.

No one is sinless, and we all suffer from the effects of sin and of repeatedly falling into a state of sin (concupiscence). Nevertheless the struggle to resist temptation mirrors the struggle for freedom. We all struggle to get what we want that we think would make us “free.”. It may be things we feel we are entitled to and things we are responsible for and take care of and things we are obligated to do. Responsibilities and obligations do not curtail our freedom, despite the fact that in fulfilling them, we may not be doing what we’d prefer. Selfishness is an abuse of freedom. We are not isolated individuals, we are a part of a community of people (although that seems hard to fathom at times) and our freedom should not really be at the expense of others.

The struggle against the flesh, a war fought from Adam and Eve’s time that manifests itself most vividly today in the culture wars (Life versus “Choice”, Christianity versus the World, etc.) is a battle fraught with pain and anxiety. The constant war against temptations, difficult to do in the excessively sexualized Western countries, has damaged individuals and societies.

For those of us addicted to something, we remember the relief we felt when we succumbed to the addiction. Perhaps we realized that we drank too much and tried to stop, either by our own efforts or through a 12 Step program. We tried real hard, resisting the urge to drink and remember feeling trapped by our desires. Relief was all that we desired, but it was to no avail until we drank again. And then we felt free.

But it was a false freedom, for we remained trapped by the addiction. The temporary relief sufficed for a while, and after a period of time we felt the draw to drink again. We might struggle against the temptation, and we might win or succumb again depending upon circumstances.

But the temptation is often there. As it is with us now after a period of sobriety, the temptation for something is not far away. I remember a few years ago I was feeling frustrated in my sobriety, that I couldn’t “do anything fun.” I remember praying to have a “safe vice.”

Nowadays many people are cross-addicted, (addicted to several things). Quite often sex or pornography is the other addiction.

As I said above it is hard to resist such things in the hyper-sexualized world of today.

There are no easy answers in how to cope with temptation. No quick and easy solutions. Satan will keep hammering away at you until he succeeds. There is temporary respite in the form of prayer, Bible reading, attending Mass or Adoration, or going to Confession. Once I immerse myself in “Church stuff” such as those, I feel the wolves have been scared away. I feel more fully reconnected to God and holiness and I feel truly free. I feel close to God and the community of the Church, I feel more like the way I am supposed to be. Truly free, unencumbered by the shackles of addiction or temptation or desires of the world.

There may be some value in temptation. Satan isn’t going to bother with you if you are in his clutches. If you are in a state of mortal sin, he won’t bother tempting you. You already belong to him. Even if you have committed only a number of venial sins, he may not bother you that much. Not to imply that that there is a formula like ‘x’ number of venial sins = 1 mortal sin, but the cumulative effect of numerous venial sins may make it easier for you to commit a mortal sin. Sort of like a snowball effect, it gets bigger and bigger unless it is checked. You become prone to immorality, it is only a matter of time before you find yourself deeper in it. So, temptation may be a sign of your holiness. Do some “Church stuff” and increase the holiness. It helps you to rebound after you do sin. This is what defined the saints. Sure, they all lead holy lives of heroic virtue. They needed heroism to be victorious over sin. They always picked themselves up after a fall.

So that is it. Like the contradiction of the Cross, wherein death brings life:

1 Corinthians 1:23: “But we are preaching Christ crucified. Certainly, to the Jews, this is a scandal, and to the Gentiles, this is foolishness.”

(Via Sacred Bible: Catholic Public Domain Version.)

Truth is sometimes confounding. God’s Truth usually confounds human reason to the point of seeming ridiculous. So it is with “true freedom,” it is not what we normally think it is.

Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics — A SoberCatholic.com book

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!!)

Novena to St. Michael the Archangel, Day 8

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On this 8th day of the Novena, we pray for the strength of perseverance in Faith.

The main reason why I started this blog, and the failed social networks involving Catholic addiction, is that too often in 12 Step meeting rooms (and online gatherings) I’ve seen Catholics leave the Church.

I feel it is my duty to stem the tide. I doubt I’ve been very successful, being only one person, but I shall continue anyway.

Why do they leave? It is my conviction that there is excessive moral relativism in the rooms, as well as the sin of indifferentism. Moral relativism is subjective morality, in that morality is situational and based on feelings and not on objective truth. Objective truth means that morality is fixed in terms of things which are always right or always wrong. Indifferentism means that all religions are the same. “It doesn’t matter which one you belong to, as long as you believe.”

Nonsense, if you are a follower of Christ and believe in the accuracy of Divine Revelation.

The idea of a Higher Power may be fine for non-believers or non-Christians, but for Catholics and other Christians the only real Higher Power is Jesus, God Incarnate. If you make anything other than Jesus your Higher Power, you are engaging in idolatry.

Twelve step groups have increasingly led people astray in their Faith. They develop a watered-down Catholicism or depart for a non-denominational Church. The leave the Church that Jesus, the Divine Physician, established with all the healing Sacraments and Saints.

(((sigh)))

We take the Faith and live it. We don’t trade it in for something else, “as long as I don’t take a drink today, I’m OK. I’ve got my Higher Power!” We take the Faith, apply the Gospel to our daily lives, find healing in the Sacraments, and respond to the Gospel’s message by carrying it to others. In doing “good works” we spread the Gospel by our actions (service and volunteering, acts of charity) or by word (conversing or bearing witness to others).

Now, to the Novena:

Begin the prayer with: O God, come to my assistance. O Lord, make haste to help me. Glory be to the Father…, etc.

By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Archangels may the Lord give us perseverance in faith and in all good works in order that we may attain the glory of Heaven. Amen.

[Say one Our Father and three Hail Marys after your intentions for fidelity to the Faith.]

To say the entire Chaplet, click here:
Chaplet of St. Michael

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!!)

Novena to St. Michael the Archangel, Day 1

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On this first day of the Novena, the petition is for us to increase our charity.

Where are you lacking in charity? Charity means more than merely dropping a few coins or bills in the collection plate at Mass or writing a check for some missionary organization doing God’s work overseas.

It also is empathizing with other people, with trying to see them not as merely external objects within your vision, but as persons like yourself with thoughts, feelings and sufferings.

You have no certain idea as to what is going on within a person. Rather than being quick to judge that person for what they are doing, empathize and put yourself in their place. From that vantage point you may still admonish them for an action, but in trying to feel as they do, to realize that you are seeing them at a snapshot in their life journey, you may soften your admonishment with the sweetness of charity. Much more can be accomplished in converting hearts and minds.

Now, to the Novena:

Begin the prayer with: O God, come to my assistance. O Lord, make haste to help me. Glory be to the Father…, etc.

By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Seraphim may the Lord make us worthy to burn with the fire of perfect charity. Amen.

[Say one Our Father and three Hail Marys after your intentions concerning where you may be negligent in charity.]

To say the entire Chaplet, click here:
Chaplet of St. Michael

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!!)

Thoughts on recovery social networking

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Last week I shut down the “Recovery for Christ” social network for lack of interest. I have not given up on an online interactive community for Catholics recovering from addictions, but it will have to wait while interest is rebuilt.

To that end, there is an alternative, maybe a temporary one. Google has started a new social network called “Google Plus.” The “Plus” may eventually be a rival to Facebook. It has a lot of the same features as Facebook, but with one chief difference: “Circles.” Circles are a way to organize your contact list, but unlike Facebook’s method of grouping friend lists, on G+ you can target their lists with posts and other sharing. In other words, when you post something to G+, you have the option of sharing it with only a few friends.

With this lies the possibility of G+ members having Circles of friends for specific purposes, such as for online recovery work. People can connect with each other and freely share their struggles with a select few.

So far, G+ is by invitation only. If you are not a member and want an invite, email me through this blog and I’ll send you one. Be sure to include an email address. (My blog’s email address is a different Google account than the one I use for G+) If you are already a G+ member, contact me through here and we’ll link up there!

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!!)

Recovery for Christ is shutting down

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The Recovery for Christ social network for Catholics recovering from alcoholism and addictions will be shutting down as of July 19th, when the domain name registration expires.

I am sorry for any inconvenience, but my heart was no longer in it. And whatever assistance I had at times was about as enthusiastic as I was! I am by no means complaining, I take most of the blame as I didn’t work as hard at it as I could have or should have.

It was the right thing, perhaps gone about the wrong way. Maybe by the wrong person (me). At least I met several fine people with whom I will continue online relationships. But Recovery for Christ will be dead in just over a week. The Holy Spirit knows what’s best and inspires people to do God’s will. If things are of God, they endure, if they are purely human, they fail.

A social network is only as good as the willingness of people in the network to socialize. An online community of lurkers is not a community.

There would be the occasional burst of activity, and then a roaring silence. I would log in after some period of inactivity, only to find that someone had been on a few days before, begging for help. There was no one, myself included, around to hear that voice screaming into the night, asking for help. There was another time when I was on and a woman had engaged me in a chat and told me about her rape. It caused a relapse. I had emailed several female members hoping to enlist their aid, but none ever showed up over the next few days. I assisted her as best I could. I had hoped that she’d get better help from female members, but nothing came.

For a while there were attempts to organize online chat meetings, staggered about the week to accommodate people. They never came to fruition, beyond the 1-3 at most usually in attendance.

This all gradually sucked enthusiasm.

I had many plans, but never got around to implementing them. This is why I take the most blame.

I may revive it someday, but I will try and go about it in a different way. I will perhaps attempt to solicit support in the blogosphere instead of going it alone. I’m thinking that through blogging and such, myself and others can develop a possible interest, and then recruit people who will develop/run/admin/patrol/moderate from the start. Maybe in that manner it will gain the Lord’s blessing and grow and endure. If that does not happen, then perhaps there isn’t a need for an online community like a social network for Catholics in recovery.

I have always wondered why there wasn’t anything like the network, why there are far more non-denominational forums and networks and practically no Catholic ones. And the Catholic Church is the Church with the sacraments of healing. Perhaps therein lies the answer.  With the Eucharist and Confession, perhaps Catholics have no real need for an ongoing Catholic-focused recovery program. This can be discussed in any future revival.

But now I just do not have the time. Between my regular day job, this blog and other projects, I cannot give this project the time it needs.

Anyway, as I said, the network might rise again, when I and others can do it properly. I don’t want it to be “my” site, there would be no point. History will just repeat itself if the network started up again as an individual effort. I would prefer to be just one of several admins, part of a group effort.

I should have all 290ish email addresses from the members, so if/when a successor is a go, there’s a potential member list and people will be contacted. If you wish to be on the mailing list, email me. The email addresses for me are along the sidebar.

This blog will live on. Only Recovery for Christ is closing.

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!!)

Thou shalt don’t and thou shalt do

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I am posting a link to today’s complete Mass Readings as that is a bit easier that copying the text, as both the entire First Reading and the Gospel are important:

Monday of the First Week of Lent

(Via USCCB.)

The First Reading is a lot of “thou shalt don’ts”. A lot of people are turned off by organized religion because they think it is just a bunch of silly rules about what you can’t do. If you actually read the 10 Commandments, you see that they are practical rules for personal and social survival, as well as proper orientation of the individual to God.

The Gospel Reading contains a bunch of ‘thou shalt do’s”. I wonder if the people who complain about the “don’ts” ever actually bother with the ‘do’s”. Religion is a civilizing force in human society, we are bound to assist one another, it is not a private affair to be kept under wraps. Jesus is preaching in the Gospel of what He expects His followers to do.

Both the 10 Commandments and Jesus’ admonishments about helping the less fortunate force us to go beyond ourselves and focus on other. From a right relationship with God and other people, to what we are to do for those not as fortunate as we are.

As alcoholics and addicts we often tend to focus on our recovery issues, of “just not drinking” today, and coping with our daily living struggles. While this should not be a lesser concern we should also be aware of others out there.

Getting outside ourselves helps in recovery.

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!!)

Beatitudes on CatholicPreachy.com

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Earlier today I wrote that I was going to post more on the Beatitudes, as the “Sermon on the Mount” was today’s Gospel Reading at Mass. Well, I did, however I was inspired to write the additional material at another blog that I help administer and write for. That blog is CatholicPreachy. I’ll talk about that blog later on, but it is a wonderful endeavor that I share with a friend.

Anyway, just click on the link below, and read the four posts I wrote over there, today. (One is actually at “The Four Last Things”, but a link on CP will take you there.) Thanks!

Beatitudes on CatholicPreachy.com

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!!)

Chance, the Shelter Dog

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Chance, “the Shelter Dog,” is the narrator in a very interesting short novel about adoption.

In Second Chance: How Adoption Saved a Boy with Autism & His Shelter Dog by Sandra J. Gerencher we get inside Chance’s head as he relates the story of how a seemingly ordinary day in his animal shelter pen turns into a new life for him as a woman and her Autistic young son Ryan wander in, see him, and take him home.

Along the way we see the world as Chance (a Rottweiler/German Shepherd mix) sees it, and we learn with him that Ryan is adopted, as is the rest of the “pack” in Ryan’s home (a trio of Pomeranians). It is from this pack that Chance is told that he should ask Ryan about the mysterious word “adoption” that he keeps hearing.

Although we know that Ryan is Autistic, an equally mysterious word to Chance, we learn from Ryan’ and Chances’ conversation how that makes him “different” from others.

We discover that being “different” is not a bad thing, for in our differences we have unique gifts to offer each other. Ryan’s unique gift is that because of his Autism, he can talk to his dogs, and they can talk to him. Apparently persons with Autism sense the world in ways that others do not. Whether this actually lends them unique communication skills might be considered artistic license on the part of Gerencher, but as this novel is based on her real life, it may instead be an unorthodox manner in which to reveal a theory. Ryan is real, as is Chance and the three Pomeranians. Gerencher is entitled to her thoughts on Autism, her real-world observations from living with her son gives her credibility.

Gerencher adopted Ryan (not the son’s real name) and all four dogs. One thing that becomes clear from the book is the loving self-sacrifice that adoptive parent’s must make. Adoptive parents must “make room” in their lives. One does not “have to” adopt. There is no compelling reason to do that except the motivation of love.

John 15:13: “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

(Via USCCB.)

How does this book review connect to the reason Sober Catholic is online?

We must open our eyes to the many ways of “recovery”, it isn’t just becoming free of an addiction, it is about starting anew. As Chance got a new life when Ryan’s Mom adopted him from the shelter, so do we addicts get new lives when we leave the past behind. Also, the sacrificial nature of adoption (or any other radical work of service) expands and develops our own sense of who we are, and what we can be.

Chance’s story continues here:
Chance, the Shelter Dog

The You Tube video of the book:

Want to buy it? Click right here.

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!!)