He got up and followed him

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The Gospel reading from today’s Mass is from Luke. In this excerpt (Luke 5:27-28), we read about the call of Levi, the tax collector:

After this he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the customs post. He said to him, “Follow me.” And leaving everything behind, he got up and followed him.

via USCCB.

So, just like that? Jesus wanders past, sees the guy, asks him to abandon his job to follow him? Much to ponder here on our readiness to “follow him.”

It isn’t that we would just leave our jobs; for perhaps 90+% of you that is just impractical, to just abandon your regular life and join a religious order or some lay apostolate and “follow him” that way.

But there are a myriad of other ways to show evidence of your being a follower of Jesus. The First Reading from today’s Mass as well as yesterday’s are from Isaiah, and selections within help form the Church’s teachings on the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy. Be of service to others.

Other ways are to simply live as Jesus would have you. Spend extra time during Lent studying the Gospels; pray to the Holy Spirit to guide you and direct your reading accordingly.

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 heart contrite and humbled

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The response for the Psalm (Psalm 51:9) for today’s Mass is: “a contrite, humbled heart, O God, you will not scorn.”

As this is Lent, chances are that if you are taking it seriously as a means of spiritual progression in the rejecting of sin and self-will, as well as in the casting off of character defects, then you might be taking advantage of the Sacrament of Confession more so than during the rest of the year.

The Responsorial Psalm today is from Psalm 51. It is an excellent Psalm to pray and meditate upon before going to Confession. I have written a series of meditations before on it, found here: Psalm 51.

Pray for the humility to be truly contrite, and make a good Confession.

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

Denying yourself and taking up the Cross

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An excerpt from the Gospel Reading for today’s Mass:

Luke 9:23-25: “Then he said to all, “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. What profit is there for one to gain the whole world yet lose or forfeit himself?”

via USCCB.

Lent is a time of penance, of fasting from certain things and denying… the self? Are you using Lent as a means of denying your self-will, of choosing your will over God’s, in placing yourself above other people? Is God first, other people second, and yourself third on the list of priorities?

In the Gospel passage, Jesus lays down the conditions of discipleship. If you are to be a follower of Christ, you must place yourself at the service of others, serve them and their needs (to the best of your ability) and “take up the Cross.”

And what does that mean, to “take up the Cross?” As Jesus accepted the Cross on His way to Calvary, so to must we as we trudge along the road of happy destiny. The Cross symbolizes our willing acceptance of what it means to be Christian, as well as to accept and endure the daily trials and tribulations that come into our lives. We don’t shirk from them, we “offer them up” (donate spiritually) for our sins and those of others.

So, as you start Lent, take a look at how you are “denying yourself,” and how well you “take up the Cross.”

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

Lent begins today!

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

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

Courtesy: USCCB.

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

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

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

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

via Catholic Public Domain Version of the Sacred Bible.

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

Online Recovery (UPDATED)

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Although many people live for their traditional face-to-face meetings, others prefer the relative privacy and convenience of “at home” recovery through online sites

Here’s a rundown of two of these sites that I’ve joined, with links to my profiles so that if you’d like to join up, you can “Friend me” there.

“In the Rooms” is probably my favorite, as it is a full-blown social network like Facebook. Most addictions with a 12 Step approach have “Fellowships” there that you can also join. One great thing is that there are 12 Step video meetings almost around the clock, so that no matter where you live on Earth, chances are there’s a meeting somewhat convenient to your time zone. There are also hundreds of “Speaker Tapes” of well-known and not-so-well-known recovery speakers for listening or downloading (as mp3 files). “Dr. Paul,” the man who wrote my favorite chapter in AA’s “Big Book,” entitled “Acceptance was the Answer, (formerly “Doctor, Alcoholic, Addict”) is in the Speaker Tape archive! There is a lot of activity on ITR, and so you’re quite likely to find someone to interact with throughout the day. They also have various resource directories for treatment facilities and other things of interest to people in recovery, including a face-to-face meeting directory. I don’t think the latter is as exhaustive or comprehensive like the meeting directory you’d find on the AA main site. But it is a nice touch. Here is my profile on “In The Rooms”.

Another one that I joined based on a recommendation from a friend on ITR is “Hazelden’s Social Community.” Hazelden is the renowned treatment center in Minnesota, as well as the publisher of numerous books and daily meditations for people in recovery. It offers much that ITR has, with its own unique offerings, too. It is rather active, although I do find that site navigation is a little awkward. But I think it is worth learning, and after all, it is run by Hazelden. If you’ve been in recovery for a number of years, chances are you have at least one of their books, probably “Twenty-four Hours a Day.” Here is my profile on “Hazelden’s Social Community”.

So, take a look at them and I hope to see there!

NOTE: This post has been edited to remove the paragraph to the “Sober Recovery” and “OneHealth” (formerly “SoberCircle” and now “Viverae Health.”) sites. Links in the sidebar to them have also been removed.

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!!)

Temptation and the Cross

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Often it has been suggested that we “offer it up” and unite our sufferings to that of Christ.

You know those temptations that you get? The ones about drinking or drugging again, or viewing online porn, or engaging in some impure act? The urge in general to do something sinful?

Those are Crosses. The feelings associated with them, such as enduring the urges and maintaining resistance to them, are painful. That is the weight of the Cross. As Christians we are called to “take up the Cross” if we are to be His disciples. Don’t succumb to relieve the weight. The Crosses are the badges that signify you are a disciple of Christ.

Bear the Cross, you aren’t alone in your suffering. Offer it up. Pray to Jesus for strength, ask Him to take the pain you are going through in resisting the temptation and enduring it and apply it as a intercessory prayer for your salvation or for others’.

Offer it up for all those who are still suffering from alcoholism, for those caught in sexual sin. For anyone in pain.

I think I’ve blogged about this relatively recently, but I felt the need to cover it again.

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!!)

Alcoholism Recovery and the Pro-Life Movement

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Today, January 22nd, is the “anniversary” of the United States Supreme Court’s decision legalizing abortion. You might be wondering why I would bother blogging about it.

The fact that I am pro-life should be noticeable if you explore the links in the sidebar. There’s a group of “ProLife Links” in the left sidebar, and “Post-Abortion Healing” links in the right. But apart from links in the sidebar and some other acts, what exactly does being Pro-Life have to do with recovery?

If you have been clean and sober for a while, you were once at the “jumping off place,” that point in your drinking where you had a choice. It was either to continue drinking and die, or to stop drinking and live. Although with the latter you may wish for death in the pain and suffering of early sobriety, you managed to persevere and live.

OK, so you already had made the decision to “Choose Life.” Aside from the parallel to a prolife slogan, so what? You chose to live, you chose life. Why would you not wish that for other people? If you chose life for yourself, why not extend that choice in other areas of your philosophy? Choose to have the baby or support those who are having a difficult time with it. Support adoption, or, if you can, adopt a child yourself. And if you cannot, then perhaps support the reform of adoption laws to make it easier for people to adopt. Be against the death penalty (“Thou shalt not kill or commit murder.”). Work for peace. Whatever, but pick the “life” and “living” side of the decision.

Is that easy? Of course not. Perhaps sometimes, but mostly not. Choosing life often takes courage and responsibility and the ability to make tough decisions and sacrifices. But just like you reached out for help at that “jumping off place,” help is available somewhere.

This could very well be an extension of the 12th Step exhortation to “practice these principles in all our affairs.” Granted, this probably wasn’t what the founders of AA thought of when writing the Steps as many “life choices” are “outside issues” and thus not a part of the recovery discussion. But nevertheless, in our own lives and the living out of them, we can consider the implications and apply them where we personally wish to.

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 Walk With the Novena of Mary Undoer of Knots, Day 9

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Today is Day 9 and thus the final one in our Novena of Mary Undoer of Knots. We ask Mary’s intercession for “this knot in my life…You know very well the suffering it has caused me…”

So, what knot is it? Is it the same one you may have prayed about daily, or one of the more knotty ones from a particular day? (A rhetorical question, don’t post the knot in the comments!)

Ponder, meditate and offer up this knot for Mary to undo. Offer up all the pain, trauma and suffering it has brought into your life. Let Mary’s maternal love work its healing into you…

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 Walk With the Novena of Mary, Undoer of Knots, Day 8

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Today is Day 8 in our The Novena of Mary Undoer of Knots. We ask Mary’s intercession for us “to practice the virtues of courage, joyfulness, humility and faith…”

It has never been easy to be a Christian, even in supposedly Christian countries. The pressing needs of daily living stress us to the point of neglecting or compromising our Faith.

We should be joyful; after all God became man to be one with us and to pay the price for our sins. We became His adopted children. We will gain Heaven if we follow His will, as best we are able.

We humbly pray that our Faith is increased, we have the courage to practice and follow it and to use it to make a difference in the world.

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 Walk With the Novena of Mary Undoer of Knots, Day 7

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On Day 7 in our daily walk with The Novena of Mary Undoer of Knots, we request Mary’s intercession to “free us from the snares of Evil….”

Evil exists in the World today. Although that might seem to some to be the understatement of all time, it is a reality denied by many. Just see the reaction when “Evil” is attributed to any horror or tragedy that occurs in the world.

What are the “snares of Evil?” All the temptations of the “World, the Flesh and the Devil.” The attractions, morals, philosophies of the “World” that take us away fro God and our love for Him; the sinful pleasures of inappropriate sexuality; and Satan, the Adversary itself.

Mary can guard us. Under the mantle of her Motherly protection, she can lead the way to Jesus and peace.

There is additional help:

Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel:

St. Michael the Archangel,

defend us in battle.

Be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the Devil.

May God rebuke him, we humbly pray,

and do thou,

O Prince of the heavenly hosts,

by the power of God,

thrust into hell Satan,

and all the evil spirits,

who prowl about the world

seeking the ruin of souls. Amen..

via EWTN Novena Page.

More on him: St. Michael the Archangel.

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!!)