Septuagesima Season: Lenten preparation

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Yesterday was Septuagesima Sunday according to the Liturgical calendar for the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite (The so-called “Tridentine Rite,” or “Latin Mass” people.)

Septuagesima is a distinct Liturgical season in the Church, observed everywhere within it prior to 1970. It is essentially a time of preparation for Lent. The Church considers Lent such an important season that we have 17 days to plan and prepare for how we will best make use of it. How will we try and get the most out of it, spiritually and personally?

Lent happens to be the period when I blog the most, given that this blog is about spiritual development and growing closer to God (mostly with regard to maintaining sobriety.) Last year I started attending a Latin Mass, and that has become the chief means by which I worship.”Tradition” is slowly creeping into this blog. 😉

So, what are your plans for Lent? Start thinking now! Perhaps Septuagesima is a time when you can “get out of the way” certain things that you’ll fast from. (For example, I have a few hours to myself this afternoon, I was planning on making headway through a binge-watching of an old science-fiction TV series, “Firefly,” as I am thinking of giving up DVD watching for Lent. I changed my mind and instead am blogging and doing some other online work.)

Septuagesima can be when you think about Lent, figure out those areas in your spiritual and religious life where you need improvement. In short, perhaps a “trial run” of your Lenten practices so that when Lent does start, time isn’t wasted.

I am considering fasting from social media and perhaps DVD watching. There’s too much noise and drama on social networks, and some people can be toxic. There is something to consider; the time spent on social media can be used to do other things I’ve neglected.

(Bear in mind, Sundays are not considered a part of Lent, so I may “catch up” then. Or perhaps not…)

Much to think about.

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!!)

A word on Suffering and Providence

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The year 2019 is three weeks old. It has not been a good year for me so far. I will not go into details apart from sufferings from bad weather and extended power outages, some trouble with family members that required the attention of police, and transportation issues. May as well toss in some health concerns while I’m at it.

My typical reaction has been a common and understandable one: “This year sucks already and I can’t wait for 2020.” Not a great way to begin a year, wishing it was already over.

However, through it all God’s Providence has shown itself. The Lord has carried us through all the “stuff” so far, and done so marvelously. In one issue He had helped us in a way I wouldn’t have bothered to script, thinking “It doesn’t happen that way.” (For a variety of reasons I won’t describe the issue.)

This all had me thinking. Especially as every time I think “This year sucks…” I get a feeling that I am being ungrateful. And so I thought about that.

Therefore I have tried to start thinking rather than regard 2019 as a Year of Hell and I Wish It Would Just End Already; I am instead going to start thinking that it might be a year in which God works His Divine Providence in my life (and perhaps my wife’s life and a few others’) in an awesome manner.

Perhaps that’s just “wishful thinking” to help me cope with a sucky year. 😉 But then again, we are supposed to have Faith. We are supposed to Trust in Jesus; have faith and confidence that He will show His Mercy and Love (and Justice) and will take care of our needs.

So that’s it: from now on I will just accept suffering as a way for God to show His Providence in my life. This is not new or original. It is a basic concept from the Gospel and Catholicism. All Christians are supposed to “take up our cross and follow Him.” Some people do this and grip their cross firmly, almost as if they were crucified to it. Others grip it but just hold onto it and cope. And still others drag it along resentfully behind them. (This is actually an image described by a saint in his or her writings; I’m wracking my brain but I can’t think of who it is. Perhaps the “Imitation of Christ?” “Divine Intimacy?” If I discover the source I’ll update the post. If any reader recognizes it, email me or post the info in a comment.)

UPDATE: Turns out it was neither the “Imitation of Christ” or “Divine Intimacy.” Rather, it was in St. Faustina Kowalska’s diary, “Divine Mercy in My Soul.” I rediscovered it during a recent rereading of that text. (Buy it if you don’t already have it. Don’t just read it; study it.)

Found in paragraph 446, it goes (words in bold are Jesus’):

“Then I saw the Lord Jesus nailed to the cross. When He had hung on it for a while, I saw a multitude of souls crucified like Him. Then I saw a second multitude of souls, and a third. The second multitude were not nailed to [their] crosses, but were holding them firmly in their hands. The third were neither nailed to [their] crosses nor holding them firmly in their hands, but were dragging [their] crosses behind them and were discontent. Jesus then said to me, Do you see these souls? Those who are like Me in the pain and contempt they suffer will be like Me also in glory. And those who resemble Me less in pain and contempt will also bear less resemblance to Me in glory.

Among the crucified souls, the most numerous were those of the clergy. I also saw some crucified souls whom I knew, and this gave me great joy. Then Jesus said to me, In your meditation tomorrow, you shall think about what you have seen today. And immediately Jesus disappeared on me.”

I wrote twice before on this: Just Enough and Crucible 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!!)

On Baptism

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This is a post I made today on Hozana, in the Matt Talbot Prayer Group:

“Today the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite celebrated the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. When we are baptised, whether as infants or as adult converts, we are “born again,” born into the life of grace and we become the adopted sons and daughters of the Father.

We can take this to heart as people suffering from addictions; when we recover, we are “born anew,” ready to recover a life we are meant to lead. If you are a member of this Group,” (or, a reader of this blog) “because someone else in your life is an addict or alcoholic, then you may be a witness to their rebirth.

Everyone of us begins each day anew; each day is another chance to start afresh. Each day we can contemplate our baptism and what it means for us to be children of God. Rather than regard our baptism as something that happened at some point in the past, or was just a nice ceremony welcoming us into the Church, we can look to it for inspiration to resist sin, start anew and grow closer to God. We are His children. That is a profound declaration. Many can spend years meditating on that fact.

Start again! Here is a “Renewal of Baptismal Promises:”

V. Do you reject Satan?

R. I do.

V. And all his works?

R. I do.

V. And all his empty promises?

R. I do.

V. Do you believe in God, the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth?

R. I do.

V. Do you believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was born of the Virgin Mary was crucified, died, and was buried, rose from the dead, and is now seated at the right hand of the Father?

R. I do.

V. Do you believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting?

R. I do.

V. God, the all-powerful Father of our Lord Jesus Christ has given us a new birth by water and the Holy Spirit, and forgiven all our sins. May he also keep us faithful to our Lord Jesus Christ for ever and ever.

R. Amen.

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!!)

Announcing the “Matt Talbot Prayer Group”

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A few weeks ago I was invited to join Hozana, an online prayer community. It is an online gathering space for Catholics and other Christians to come together in prayer and mutual encouragement. It isn’t a social network on the order of a Facebook, MeWe or whatever else is out there, but you can follow others and communicate with them. Activity is centered around prayer communities which are ordered towards novenas and other liturgical seasons, as well as ongoing prayer necessities. There is also a “prayer intentions” feed where members can post prayer requests which remain available for 48 hours (you can always repost, if needed). Members click on a prayer intention which opens up in a little window. A virtual candle lights up underneath the intention and it changes color slowly from bottom to “flame.” Then you click “Amen” and if you wish, continue on to another intention that interests you. The person is notified that you prayed for them. The same for when you post an intention; you’ll get notified when people pray for you! It way cool.

It lacks the noise and obnoxiousness of other social media sites. It’s quiet and I typically reserve one browser tab for Hozana. I pin the tab to one side and return every so often to see who else needs praying for, or visit one of the many communities that interest me. And speaking of which…

The invitation to join Hozana came from a nice lady who volunteers for it; she found this blog and thought I would find Hozana useful as there are many prayer requests involving alcoholism and addictions. Maybe I could start a prayer community for these people, and share stuff from this blog and whatever else that’s helpful? Boy, could I!!!!! And so I did!

So, here is YOUR personal invitation to join Hozana and become a part of the Matt Talbot Prayer Group! Here’s the link for Hozana (in English, the site also has Spanish, French and Portuguese versions): Hozana. And here is the link for the prayer group: Matt Talbot Prayer Group. My profile: Me

From the description I wrote: “Welcome to the Matt Talbot Prayer Group! Join us in prayer and fellowship as we encourage one another in our sobriety and recovery from addictions!

Hebrews 3:13 “…exhort one another every day, while it is still called ‘today’…”

Romans 12:2 “And do not choose to be conformed to this age, but instead choose to be reformed in the newness of your mind, so that you may demonstrate what is the will of God: what is good, and what is well-pleasing, and what is perfect.” (Both from the Douay-Rheims Bible)

Prayers, linked articles, images, quotes from Scripture, the Catechism and the writings of Saints and others that can be useful in your recovery journey will be occasionally posted here. PLEASE make use of the comments section of the posts to reach out to one another!

Our patron is the Venerable Matt Talbot, an Irishman who lived from 1856-1925. A drunkard, he “took the pledge” to quit drinking after his friends one day refused to loan him money to buy liquor. This worked for a while, but it wasn’t until he decided to transfer his love for the drink onto Jesus Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary that his sobriety took hold. He was a daily Mass goer and had a profound prayer life. Matt exemplified the recovery values of acknowledging your weakness over addiction and the need for God to come in and restore your life and help you to amend and rebuild it, years before any modern recovery movements were founded.”

I may recruit one or more people to assist in running it. One thing that distinguishes Hozana from other social sites or even traditional discussion forums is that only administrators and moderators can start discussion topics, members can only reply in the comments; so it would help if there are is more than one person running things to keep it active. I have ideas as to whom I may recruit. (I have to know you fairly well.)

A side note for those readers who have been with me for over a decade: I have tried for almost ten years to develop a sustainable online community for Catholics suffering from addictions. Only the first one was any good but it had to be terminated because the platform it was on abolished free communities. As I could not afford to host it with them, it was axed. No successors really had the activity and charm of that first one back in 2008-10. 🙁 This one is different as it isn’t my idea. It wasn’t my will to create it; the suggestion came from someone else, and hence it may be in greater conformity with God’s Will. We’ll see. But regardless, sign up! The link is there, the invitation is open, and the people who run Hozana are nice and friendly. (It is based in France.)

See you 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!!)

Ember Days for Advent

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Last September I mentioned the traditional liturgical practice of Ember Days. This week marks the series of days for Advent. They fall today, December 19th and this Friday and Saturday, December 21st and 22nd.

From the Catholic Encyclopedia on New Advent:
“Ember days (corruption from Lat. Quatuor Tempora, four times) are the days at the beginning of the seasons ordered by the Church as days of fast and abstinence. They were definitely arranged and prescribed for the entire Church by Pope Gregory VII (1073-1085) for the Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday after 13 December (S. Lucia), after Ash Wednesday, after Whitsunday, and after 14 September (Exaltation of the Cross). The purpose of their introduction, besides the general one intended by all prayer and fasting, was to thank God for the gifts of nature, to teach men to make use of them in moderation, and to assist the needy.”

That they fall immediately before the Solemnity of the Nativity of Our Lord (a/k/a “Christmas”) is no coincidence. We can use the Ember Days practice of prayer, fasting and abstinence to put the finishing touches on our Advent preparations for Jesus’ Coming.

Use this “mini Lent” to clear out the cruft in your life, to help develop your interior life to better listen to the “still, small voice” of God speaking to you from within. As I said in that September post, any Lenten practice you use for fasting and abstinence will work. Fasting in this instance need not be from food, but could be from behaviour. Fast from profanity, from TV watching, Internet use (well, after you read this post 😉 ) or something else that may get in the way.

May God bless you and keep you safe from harm and may Christmas this year (and all years) be a time of focusing more on Jesus and less on commercialism and materialism. He did not Incarnate so that we can buy stuff.

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!!)

Blogging!

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OK, this isn’t an apology for not having blogged in six weeks or so. I have been busy with things, namely the usual stuff like home life and day job… but also I’ve been getting lost in my reading. In no order of importance I’ve been engrossed in a second reading of “Story of a Soul” by St. Therese of Lisieux, which lead me to order and begin reading numerous other books containing her writings, letters and poetry. I have a much better understanding of her “Doctrine of the Little Way,” which has inspired be to cobble some notes for Sober Catholic blogposts. The Little Way is an intrinsic part of “Sober Catholic” recovery, and followers of the Matt Talbot Way of Sobriety use it. But I haven’t talked about it nearly as much as I should have, but once I organize the notes there should be a few posts on it.

I also have been reading the inspirational and spiritual writings of Mother Angelica (EWTNs Foundress.) Specifically, her Doctrine of the Present Moment. Mental notes have been compiled for posts here on that. The Doctrine of the Present Moment can be a critical and essential survival mechanism for people in recovery. It will go a long way towards healing memories and alleviating fears and anxieties of the future.

When these posts will be published is up in the air, but they will be written.

I’ve dived into other books, but those by St. Therese and Mother Angelica had been foremost among them. But reading has taken up quite a lot of time and hence I hadn’t been here at all.

One thing I have been thinking is whether I should continue blogging; that perhaps this is self-serving and if it is truly God’s Will that I blog, then perhaps I’d be doing it more. But one thing I’ve discerned about God’s Will is that “productivity” is a human virtue. Granted, there have been countless saints who have been “productive” by human standards as a direct result of following His Will, but I think I’ve been thinking of “productivity” more along the lines of its human virtues.

The fact that I sat up in bed during the 3AM hour thinking “Today is the Ember Wednesday in Advent! and I forgot to write about it for the blog like I promised back in September is perhaps proof that I am in fact a blogger. That I am blogging early-ish in the morning on a work day, when I should be doing my morning prayers (they were interrupted, some had to be done before blogging to start the morning with God) and having breakfast is perhaps more proof. A few weeks from now will mark my 12th Bloggaversary, so that may be another indication. So, yeah, I’ll be doing this until they pry a computer from my cold, dead hands…

NOTE: I’ve backdated this post so that the one on Ember Wednesday in Advent appears as the most recent for now.

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!!)

We should have a daily familiarity with death, a daily desire for death

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An excerpt from the Second Reading from the Divine Office for the Feast of All Souls:

by St Ambrose, a book on the death of his brother Satyrus
“Let us die with Christ, to live with Christ”

“We should have a daily familiarity with death, a daily desire for death. By this kind of detachment our soul must learn to free itself from the desires of the body. It must soar above earthly lusts to a place where they cannot come near, to hold it fast. It must take on the likeness of death, to avoid the punishment of death. The law of our fallen nature is at war with the law of our reason and subjects the law of reason to the law of error. What is the remedy? Who will set me free from this body of death? The grace of God, through Jesus Christ, our Lord.”

(Via Universalis”

Death, that passage to a place where we are free from the constraints, troubles and fears of our Earthly life. (Assuming we’re saved upon death.) Look at the words used by St. Ambrose in this piece: detachment, free…from the desires of the body, remedy, grace… All things we need in recovery. So, “memento mori,” be mindful of death. Rather than something to be feared, it should be something desired. NOT in any manner of suicide, but rather in the manner of people seeking to leave their exile and come home.

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!!)

Solemnity of All Saints

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In his Angelus message for on this day in 2012, Pope Benedict XVI reflected on, quote: “the liturgical feast, and how it draws our earthly gaze toward Heaven. He spoke of how the Saints, those we are familiar with and those known only to God, are where heaven and earth meet because formed and opened by the spirit of Christ already here on earth, encountered in the communion of his Mystical Body, the Church.”

Source: The Saints, where heaven and earth meet

Today is an special solemnity in the Church’s liturgical calendar. It is the day we celebrate all those in the Church Triumphant, all of those in Heaven, whether formally canonized or known only to God. This is why I called it “special,” because it is one that can be very personal in that it is the feast day of all of our loved ones who have gone on before us, whom we hope are resting in the Beatific Vision of eternity.

It is a day of great healing and hope for me, as I yearn to some day be united with my loved ones, in that place where there is no loss, sorrow, pain or parting.

It is that place of “Happy Destiny” we all trudge towards in our 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!!)

November is here!

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November is my favorite month. Mainly because of The Feasts of All Saints on November 1st and All Souls on November 2nd and the general trend in the Church’s liturgical readings in the Mass and Divine Office on Christ’s Coming (First and Second).

This leads to November being considered the “month of the dead”. While some may find that rather gruesome and macabre, I do not. I like November and its focus on the dead because of the reminder that what is around us is not the whole story, and that something greater lies beyond our reach. But not forever. We too, shall cross over to what lies beyond, and we should always be mindful of our death.

November and its associations with the dead also help me to connect with my loved ones that have died. They do not seem so far away. My Mom died in November (2005) and her death shattered my life, but out of that wreckage came a new life for me. My Dad died years earlier in 1995, and I find that I am becoming more like him in some ways (namely Catholicy). There are others hopefully in Heaven or Purgatory, and I think about them often.

Anyway, with November here there shall be a slight change in focus here at this blog. I mentioned this last year: Slight change in direction for Sober Catholic I didn’t follow up much on that, but will plan to, at least for this month. This is one of a number of posts from my old “death blog” that I will edit and republish here.

So, have a Good November, everyone. (May that salutation be likened to a wish for a happy death. (A “Happy Death” in Catholicism is a death in which you end up in Heaven.)

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!!)

Visits to the Cemetery

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This is an annual post on a fruitful pious devotion for November:

Catholic Culture has an excellent article regarding a very beneficial pious activity that can aid in your own spiritual progression. It also is a good reminder of where we’ll end up someday. (A grave. Morbid, true, but you wouldn’t be here unless you’re more aware than most people that you will die someday.)

Praying for the Dead and Gaining Indulgences During November is something I will blog about here annually. It is about the act of visiting a cemetery during the first 8 days of November.

To summarize from the “Catholic Culture” site: “Indulgenced Acts for the Poor Souls: A partial indulgence can be obtained by devoutly visiting a cemetery and praying for the departed, even if the prayer is only mental. One can gain a plenary indulgence visiting a cemetery each day between November 1 and November 8. These indulgences are applicable only to the Souls in Purgatory.

A plenary indulgence, again applicable only the Souls in Purgatory, is also granted when the faithful piously visit a church or a public oratory on November 2. In visiting the church or oratory, it is required, that one Our Father and the Creed be recited.

A partial indulgence, applicable only to the Souls in Purgatory, can be obtained when the Eternal Rest  is prayed. This is a good prayer to recite especially during the month of November:

 ‘Eternal rest grant to them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.'”

The article explains the differences between plenary and partial indulgences.

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!!)