Novena to St. Maximilian Maria Kolbe

Today begins a novena to St. Maximilian Maria Kolbe, one of my favorite saints for a myriad of reasons. One of them, and not the primary one, even, is his patronage of addicts.

The following are links to a novena to him I wrote near the time when I began this blog:

The Novena to St. Maximilian Kolbe for Alcoholics and Addicts:

Novena Day 1

Novena Day 2

Novena Day 3

Novena Day 4

Novena Day 5

Novena Day 6

Novena Day 7

Novena Day 8

Novena Day 9

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!!)

This side of paradise

I blogged a few months ago about my decision to start attending a “Traditional Latin Mass,” or the “Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite,” to refer to it by its proper name. This post may repeat some of the points I made then, so bear with me.

This post also further explains my recent blogging disappearance. Why would a Mass affect one’s blogging? Because I have become almost obsessed, nay, call it addicted to learning the rubrics (the “rules” of how to offer a liturgy) of the Latin Mass and thus have spent hours poring over Latin Mass websites, or Facebook Groups on Catholic Tradition and liturgy, or digesting the “words in red” in the Missal I use. As the saying goes, “Say the black, do the red,” the black being the prayers and readings recited, while the red in missals and breviarys are the directions or instructions as to what is supposed to be going on and what to do. I’m finding this stuff fascinating. The Missal that I use is the St. Andrew Daily Missal. I’m finding the “words in red” to be not just instructional, but informative as to the deeper religious and spiritual meaning of what is going on. This isn’t always the case in the more recent liturgical books. As I said elsewehere, “‘Ritual’ is also the hidden word in spiRITUALity,” and my “spiritual progress” since attending the Extraordinary Form has improved.

Why have I become so affected by the Latin Mass? It is uplifting. The beauty of it, even when said simply, is awesome. I feel disconnected from the outside world. This is what the Mass is supposed to do for you: when you first walk into a Catholic Church, you should feel different. You should feel that you have left the secular world and have entered into an extension of Heaven. And the Mass that is offered should take you further away from the world outside. Otherworldiness…. and I just can’t get over the notion that all my favorite saints celebrated or attended this same Latin rite.

Although I do believe that the Mass imposed since 1970 is valid and licit, there is too much of a discontinuity with the Ancient Rite; the closest that I’ve experienced in the Ordinary Form that compares to the Traditional Mass is when the former is said by a pious priest more attentive to the rubrics and to the proper worship of God than he is to making certain that the people are entertained or are totally incredible for being there.

The Mass is about the right and proper worship due the Lord; it is not about us.

I’ll just leave you with that…

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!!)

An Examination of Conscience

I just added to the “Other Healing Resources” linkylist the following: Examination of Conscience from Beginning Catholic.

I thought you might find it useful.

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 wonderful book suggestion for you: My Ideal, Jesus, Son of Mary

I am going to recommend a book for my Sober Catholic readers; I’ve read it as a daily devotional several times already, especially during January, May and October.

It is My Ideal, Jesus, Son of Mary by Fr. Emile Neubert.

Written in the style of “The Imitation of Christ,” with a dialogue between Jesus and later Mary with the reader, the book contains 31 chapters, perfect for a month-long devotional (Fr. Neubert suggests which chapters to be combined for a 30-day month.) The book guides you along a path towards a closer union with Jesus by developing a relationship with His greatest disciple, His Mother Mary. Along the way you are instructed by Jesus at first about how to imitate His relationship with Mary, from learning how to adopt His filial love of Mary and then offering methods to devote yourself to her. Then Mary takes over and teaches you her methods of becoming a disciple of Jesus.

As you read along during the month, you gain invaluable knowledge of your relationship with Mary, seen in light of her Divine Maternity and her maternal intercession for each of us with her Son. You learn many devotional practices that assist you in growing closer to the Blessed Virgin, which, in turn, makes you a better disciple of Jesus. Since Mary was His greatest disciple, and we all go through her to get to Jesus (whether we know it or not), this book is indispensable in developing a closer relationship with Him as Our Lady teaches us the best methods of being a true follower of Christ. You learn various ways to help you make your apostolate (how you live out your vocation as a Christian due to your having been Confirmed.

All true, authentic devotions to Mary lead you to Jesus.

This book is not a product of a private revelation; the author, Fr. Emile Neubert, disseminates the teachings of Blessed William Joseph Chaminade, the founder of the Sodalities of Mary, which today exist as the Society of Mary and the Daughters of Mary. See: Marianists.

Click here to order. (I do not get any compensation. I just think this is a great book and would like for you to get it.)

I said in the first paragraph that I’ve read it during January, May and October. The latter two months are great as they’re devoted to Mary. (May is Mary’s month and October is dedicated to the Rosary.) I also studied it during January since the 1st is the Solemnity of Mary the Mother of God, and the 31st is my birthday. 🙂

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 disappearance

For a variety of reasons I took an unplanned and unintended vacation from blogging here. It’s been over 5 weeks since my last post, that one on “Should a Catholic attend AA meetings? I heard they’re bad…”. I just approved a few comments, so if you had written one, sorry it took so long to get a round tuit.

No big reasons for the disappearance, apart from a desire to distance myself from online life (which I should not afflict this blog with) and I have been rereading the classic book “Mystical City of God,” by the Venerable Mary of Agreda. There have been other books to that I’m reading. A heat wave a few weeks ago also sapped energy and desire. Not a great excuse, but that’s what I’m running with now. (St. Maximilian Maria Kolbe would be extrememly unhappy with me, if I was one of his friars.)

Expect a few posts soon. (Maybe today!)

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!!)

Should a Catholic attend AA meetings? I heard they’re bad…

I have long been meaning to write a post on the subject title; it was finally inspired by a question in a Traditional Latin Mass Group on Facebook. I deposited my two cents and the following is an edited copy-and-paste of my reply (along with some additional thoughts not included in the Facebook reply):

Attending AA meetings is fine as long as you remain strong in your Faith and study it and the resources the Church offers to strengthen you against temptations to drink (as well as other inordinate desires.) There are links in the sidebar which can direct to resources to help you learn more about the Faith.

Most people who bash AA are unaware of the Catholic assistance and influence that existed in early AA ; the 12 Steps were developed with the help of a Jesuit (when they were still Catholic 😉 ) and are similar to the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. Also, they are loosely written enough to be applicable to people of all religious and spiritual traditions, so that you can very easily Catholicize them and reinterpret any ambiguous spirituality they contain that you regard as disagreeable.

“But, they mention ‘Higher Power!!’ ‘God of my understanding’!!! That’s pagan! New Age!!!”

“No, it isn’t. Just generic terms for any power greater than you. My HP is Jesus. There are probably more non-Catholics and other Christians who are alcoholics than there are followers of Jesus, this accommodates them. Just switch it to Jesus and be kind. Everyone is on a spiritual journey; who knows how the Holy Spirit leads one to the Truth?”

My advice, and this comes from someone who is over 16 years sober, (and who also has written this blog for over 11 years) is if you have a problem with alcohol, go to AA. Do the “90 meetings in 90 days” routine (you’ll hear and be exposed to anything you’ll ever hear about alcoholism from AA’s perspective for pretty much every life situation that you once needed to drink over) and get the basic literature. Then decide whether you wish to continue. I advise sticking with it for a year, then go as needed or not at all. (I find online recovery works well, in addition to keeping you somewhat better insulated against non-Catholic spirituality. For that, I recommend In the Rooms. My profile: Paulcoholic on ITR.)

The “basic literature” that I suggest is the “Big Book,” aka “Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th edition,” and “12 and 12″” aka the “The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions.” Also, get the book “Experience, Strength and Hope,” which contains classic personal stories from earlier editions of the Big Book no longer included in the current. “Daily Reflections” is a collection of 366 daily meditations written by alkies for alkies. “Living Sober” is another essential book, containing essays for ‘living sober;’ advice gleaned from AA meetings and other AA literature for keeping sober in many situations. I would also like to include “As Bill Sees It,” a collection of thoughts and excerpts from the writings of AA’s co-founder, Bill Wilson. All of these can be ordered from aa.org

“But, some of the stories and stuff are written by people who are…”

“Oh, knock it off. Take what’s useful and leave the rest. ‘They’ just might say THAT ONE THING you need to hear that will keep you from the drink. Jesus dined with hookers and government types, are you better than Him?”

I wrote the following paragraph in that Facebook reply namely in anticipation of attacks on AA membership. While I no longer attend AA meetings, they are useful and helpful for those who need them. Anyway, I expected some attacks (none serious so far at the time of the drafting of this post) and added this:

Incidentally, and before I get flamed for speaking in defense of AA, the reason why I started the Sober Catholic blog is to help Catholics with addictions to discover what the Church offers to assist them and also to help “keep them Catholic.” For I have discovered many Catholics leaving the Church due to exposure to AA spirituality. (They weren’t strong Catholics to begin with: weak in their Faith, they drifted away affected by moral relativism. Sober Catholic hopes to stem the tide, even in a small way. Actually, I have found that the organization “Celebrate Recovery” to be a more insidious threat.)

A strong Catholic Faith, the basic AA lit for when you need something directly applied to alcoholism, meetings if and when you need them, and you can be free from the drink.

(I sobered up in the rooms of AA, but have NOT been a regular meeting goer since 2004. Since then it’s just been once in a while. But my last live, face-to-face meeting was in 2014. So, AA “isn’t needed,” but you do need to be deep in the Church and sacraments. But I did find that my own Catholic interpretation of AAs spirituality was essential and invaluable. Everything just gets filtered through my Catholic lens.)

Regarding attacks on AA: There is lots of misinformation out there from people with an axe to grind. Perhaps they (or someone they know) was hurt by AA (no organization of people is perfect, we’re all sinners and things can get out of control. Even the Church has hurt people. No reason to leave it. Although it’s understandable, at least for a while.)

But I’ve seen whacko sites accusing AA of being pagan, New Age, a cult, all sorts of things. It can be, but that might be just local conditions here and there. There was a document from Rome put out in the early 00s listing Twelve Step movements of being damaging; the writer knew zilch about AA, the work was poorly researched (at least as to including AA. Spot on about other things.)

But in general, AA (or any 12 Step Group) isn’t a threat to anyone’s Catholicism if their Faith is deep, and if not, like I said above, they should apply themselves to learning the Faith with the same dedication they apply themselves to learning the 12 Steps. After you’ve gotten them down and learn to live by them, they make a nice accompaniment to living by the Gospel and Beatitudes and taking part in the sacramental life of the Church. Subordinate to the tools of Faith, but still essential.

And that was the reply. So, that is it: try AA. Learn the basics of 12 Step living. Get the books I mentioned above and refer to them when needed. Keep increasing your knowledge of the Catholic Church at the same time; attend Mass (daily, if possible), study the Catechism, boost your prayer life and frequent the sacraments (especially the Eucharist and Confession.) After you’ve done your “90 in 90,” then decide if it’s for you. It comes down to this:

“You shall know them by their fruits.” From the Gospel according to St. Matthew, Chapter 7 verse 16. Courtesy Sacred Bible: Catholic Public Domain Version.

Are you sober? This doesn’t mean “just not drinking.” Drinking was a crutch to help you cope. Many people drink to relieve the burdens of life, but those afflicted with alcoholism are different and the crutch becomes an instrument of pain and torture rather than a support. Take away the crutch, and what have you? The problems that afflicted you are still there; perhaps those directly attributable to drinking will vanish, but others still remain. How will you handle them? AA helps you cope with life without the crutch of the drink. If you won’t use AA, what will you use? Does that aid directly address drinking, as in ‘not doing it?’and how to live without it?

If you stop drinking without replacing the drink with another “life aid,” how are things going? If you’re irritable, restless, discontented, angry, bitter, resentful, mean-spirited and bad-tempered, whatever you’re doing isn’t working. If you need confirmation, ask your family, friends and co-workers. They’ll enjoy the opportunity to finally tell you…

Just “not drinking” isn’t enough, you have to find something that “reprograms” you, helps you react to things in a civil and socially-acceptable manner with resorting to the drink to help. Again, Matthew 7:16. What are the fruits of your “program” of recovery from alcoholism?

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!!)

Sacred Heart Novena

Just a heads up reminder that the Feast of the Sacred Heart is coming up on June 8th, which means that the Sacred Heart Novena has begun. (Either today or tomorrow. As I’ve said before, I can never figure out when a novena begins. I ‘swear’some begin 10 days prior to the date, other 9.) Anyway, the website Pray More Novenas has a great one for you to use. Just click on that link, it’ll take you right to it (they say it begins today.).

Everything I’ve blogged about before, on the Sacred Heart: Sacred Heart Posts Archive

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!!)

Where I’m at

Well, I was going to try and catch up on some overdue blogging and wrap up this month devoted to the Blessed Mother by finishing up a draft post about a wonderful book I have on a Marian devotion, but unfortunately the website where you can purchase the book appears to be offline. It’ll have to remain in draft mode until I can found out about the publisher. (It’s a book that basically convinced me to consecrate this blog to the Blessed Virgin.)

So, just an arbitrary, gratuitous post about various things, kind of like a “Where I’m at” post.

OK, so “Where am I at?”

I’ve gotten deeper into appreciating the Tridentine Rite Mass. As I’ve blogged before in Spiritual progression, Latin style that I started attending the Mass in the Extraordinary Form (The “Latin Mass,” or “TLM.”) I’ve attended six so far. I’ve taken to studying the Missal I’m using to get a better understanding of the Mass and its parts and also what to do. The Missal, known as the Saint Andrew Daily Missal, is one of the best available, according to various online opinions. It is a bit dated, using as it does the Roman Calendar as of 1945, rather than the 1962 Calendar approved for use by Pope Benedict XVI in 2007 in Summorum Pontificum. Nevertheless, from what I have learned, it is essentially accurate if all you are doing is attending Sunday Masses; if you are blessed enough to reside in an area that offers a daily Mass in the Extraordinary Form, it may be less useful. Some feast days were moved around or added, and the Holy Week liturgies were changed from 1955 and again in 1960 or 1961. Where it excels is in the copious notes for each Sunday and Feast day; very informative catechesis on the history and liturgy of the day, as well as doctrinal notes. These beautifully illuminate the background of the Mass. You develop a love for the Church in Her development throughout history as well as a love for the liturgy.

And as I said in that blogpost I linked to, it has caused me to stay offline more than usual, apart from checking into Facebook, etc.

What else am I doing? Spending more time on my novel. No, I’m not saying anything about the plot. 😛 Since Winter is finally over, I’m spending more time outside, doing yardwork and getting my vegetable garden ready. Planting is planned for this Sunday and/or Monday, weather permitting.

OK, that’s all for now about me.

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. Matthias, Apostle and a patron of alcoholics

Today is the feast of St. Matthias, a disciple of Jesus who was selected to replace Judas Iscariot.

I read today in my Laudate app on my Kindle Fire that he is a patron of alcoholics. Wow, we have an apostle who is our patron?! I had to look that up!

Although St. Matthias left behind no existing writings, (all works attributed to him are regarded as having been written by heretics who borrowed his name to lend authenticity to their errors,) several of his teachings while he preached in Ethiopia and elsewhere have been quoted by several Church Fathers, especially Clement of Alexandria. They refer to the need to “combat the flesh” which is subject to many temptations and errors. The flesh must be mortified so that we can enjoy the workings of the Holy Spirit.

The one problem that I have with any of this is that the sources all cite works that are possibly either apocryphal or outright heretical. Even Clement of Alexandria is suspect, having been on the Roman calendar until being removed from it 500 years ago due to suspicions.

Anyway, there isn’t anything wrong with mortification, especially if care is done to avoid excesses. The emphasis on the flesh in teachings attributed to St. Matthias appear to be influenced by Gnosticism, which held that flesh and matter were evil. Setting that aside, many online Catholic resources of solid orthodoxy accept his patronage of alcoholics (someone’s gotta look after us 😉 ) and thus I think ‘It can’t hurt.” 🙂

And so we alcoholics and addicts have an Apostle to call our very own.

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!!)

Mother’s Day!

In the United States, today is Mother’s Day. It’s also the 101st anniversary of the first apparition of the Blessed Mother at Fatima, Portugal. It’s nice that the two days coincide for a change, a secular and religious holiday.

Just a reminder that if you haven’t called her yet, Mom is waiting to hear from you. Say your Rosary!

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!!)