Asking God for help

Posted on by

I’m going to be lazy today and not pick from any one of the Mass Readings for this post’s Lenten reflection. All three are interrelated (they usually are) but today the commonality among them is rather important. Hence my laziness. 😉

Mass Readings for Thursday of the First Week in Lent 2014.

They all involve asking God for help.

In the First Reading, Queen Esther is in dire, desperate straits and the Israelite people more so. Survival is at stake and only God can rescue them. And God does, through Esther. In a way, doesn’t that sound familiar? Might God at some dark period in your life sent someone to pull you out of your misery and hopeless situation?

The Responsorial Psalm is gratitude for the Lord answering a prayer. Are you grateful for the Lord answering your prayers? (And sometimes that the reply is “No!”)

And the Gospel reading is a classic “comfort read” about your Heavenly Father giving good things to those who ask. (Although it isn’t as straightforward as you ask, and God gives. He isn’t a vending machine.)

So, As St. Pio of Pietrelcina said, “Pray, Hope and don’t worry.”

Place it in God’s hands.

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!!)

I’ve been interviewed on “Addiction Blog!”

Posted on by

Lee Weber, the editor and manager of Addiction Blog (where “‘a’ is for addiction” 😉 ) recently conducted an email interview with me! The link to it is right here:

INTERVIEW with Sober Catholic on Addiction Blog.

So, wander on over there and take a look! Lee will also feature the interview next week on the Addiction Blog Facebook Page.

At Lee’s request I’ve added two links to Christian posts on AB. See:

Christian drug addiction recovery posts on Addiction Blog.

Christian posts on Addiction Blog.

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!!)

God, you will not spurn

Posted on by

The Responsorial Psalm from today’s Mass for Wednesday of the First Week of Lent is Psalm 51, a favorite of mine. It is also a favorite of the Church’s, as it appears often on Fridays in the Divine Office, and today is the second time since Lent began that it is used as the Responsorial. I also blogged about it last week: A heart contrite and humbled.

As it is a good prayer to use when you are truly contrite and wish to be reconciled to the Lord, it is not altogether strange that the Church emphasizes it at appropriate times. Perhaps the Church is reminding us of the need for repentannce, as well as frequent use of the Sacrament of 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!!)

From all their distress God rescues the just

Posted on by

The refrain from the Responsorial Psalm from yesterday’s Mass of Tuesday of the First Week of Lent reads: “From all their distress God rescues the just.”

via USCCB.

It is derived from Psalm 34:18. For all of us suffering from some sort of distress, these are comforting words.

Just don’t forget the qualifier: whom does He rescue? “The Just.”

Are you? Maybe you should read this post 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!!)

Whatever you did for the least…

Posted on by

The Gospel Reading for the Mass for this past Monday of the First Week of Lent lays it out quite clearly as what one must do in order to be saved. The passage is at the end of this post as it’s rather long, but it is one that all Christians should know. It is the scene of the Last Judgement of all humanity, after Jesus returns in glory. People from all eras of human history will be gathered before Him and will be judged as to how they treated the “least among them.” Those that helped the poor, the outcast, the marginalized, the imprisoned will be saved. Those who didn’t… well, there’s bad news for you.

Faith alone doesn’t save you. Jesus Himself said elsewhere that merely saying “Lord, Lord” will not be enough. The Letter from James also states that “Faith without works is dead.”

Faith alone doesn’t save you. Faith, backed up by good works which shows evidence of that faith – this saves. Yes, God knows that you believe in Him, but He also knows that the demons do so as well. What distinguishes you and your Christianity from the demons, or non-believers and non-Christians?

The reason I write this is that in many AA meetings I hear people declare that they had suffered enough and that all they need to do is “not drink and go to meetings.” Wrong. There is so much more that one has to do apart from that. (Incidentally, this whole thing about “just not drinking and go to meetings” is why I began Sober Catholic’s sister blog, The Four Last Things.)

Get out there. Discern what you can do for the “least among us.” Twelve Step work counts, in my opinion. But I also think that one can grow as a person by going beyond helping alcoholics who still suffer.

Read the Gospel passage and figure out how all of your life choices and actions can impact “the least.”

Matthew 25:31-46: “Jesus said to his disciples:

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory,

and all the angels with him,

he will sit upon his glorious throne,

and all the nations will be assembled before him.

And he will separate them one from another,

as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.

He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

Then the king will say to those on his right,

‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father.

Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

For I was hungry and you gave me food,

I was thirsty and you gave me drink,

a stranger and you welcomed me,

naked and you clothed me,

ill and you cared for me,

in prison and you visited me.’

Then the righteous will answer him and say,

‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you,

or thirsty and give you drink?

When did we see you a stranger and welcome you,

or naked and clothe you?

When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’

And the king will say to them in reply,

‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did

for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’

Then he will say to those on his left,

‘Depart from me, you accursed,

into the eternal fire prepared for the Devil and his angels.

For I was hungry and you gave me no food,

I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,

a stranger and you gave me no welcome,

naked and you gave me no clothing,

ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.’

Then they will answer and say,

‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty

or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison,

and not minister to your needs?’

He will answer them, ‘Amen, I say to you,

what you did not do for one of these least ones,

you did not do for me.’

And these will go off to eternal punishment,

but the righteous to eternal life.”

via USCCB.

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!!)

Death entered the world

Posted on by

I’ve fallen behind in my daily Lenten blogging, not that I said I was going to but every year I at least make the attempt and this year is no different. Some years I succeed, others, no. You can read prior year’s Lenten posts here: Lent Archives on Sober Catholic

Anyway, this excerpt is from the Second Reading for this past Sunday, the Mass of the First Sunday of Lent:

Romans 5:12: “Through one man sin entered the world,and through sin, death.”

via USCCB.

The Fall of Adam was the Original Sin that we inherited. By succumbing to the temptation St. Paul write that “death entered the world.” To me, this doesn’t mean just the physical death of the body, it also means the corruption of our relationship with God, which subsequently needs regular reconciliation, and all sorts of things which hinder life. Namely, physical and mental disabilities, illnesses and diseases, things like cancer, as well as addictions.

THis ultimately may be the racial root cause of our addictive maladies. All the more then, the need for a spiritual response to alcoholism and addiction.

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!!)

He got up and followed him

Posted on by

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

Posted on by

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

Posted on by

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!

Posted on by

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!!)