Visit the Sick

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Matthew 25:36 “…ill and you cared for me…”

I feel that one of the tenderest and kindest things that you can do for another is to care for them when they are vulnerable, such as when they are suffering an illness. You’re putting your own health at risk from whatever they have, so in a way it is almost like the passage from the Gospel of Jesus Christ, According to John:

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

For people to do this for a living, such as physicians and nurses, to home heath aides and the like, is a life of tremendous dedication to the vulnerable. For someone to do this without expecting anything in return, is love and sacrifice. Then again, love and sacrifice are quite often linked.

If you click on the image below, you’ll be taken to the “Works of Mercy” store at Artist4God (my wife’s online shop.) Buy anything from the “Works of Mercy” store and a portion of the proceeds go to life-affirming charities.

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!!)

Clothe the Naked

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Matthew 25:36 “…naked and you clothed me.”

I volunteer in a thrift store. While I haven’t done all that much as there seems to be an abundance of volunteers that coincided with my beginning there, I have learned a few things.

One nice thing is that they just don’t accept any kind of clothing for the store. It has to be in good condition, and perhaps not way out of date. There explanation is that there is a “dignity concern.” The people that shop there must not feel like they are getting cast-off junk. You may feel that “beggars can’t be choosy,” but essentially even if people are at the low end of the economic spectrum, they shouldn’t have to meekly accept junk just because they are poor. It may not be the finest clothing, nor the latest style, but they look decent.

That caused me to think about when people are vain about their appearance, declare that they must wear the finest clothing, that sort of thing. Is that really necessary? Vanity in regards to clothing is dressing inappropriately, to draw attention to yourself and to flaunt your wealth and physical attributes. Pride may also play a part. Does that make you a better person, looking better than others? How is your internal appearance? The appearance of your soul?

How will you look when you stand before God and are judged?

If you click on the image below, you’ll be taken to the “Works of Mercy” store at Artist4God (my wife’s online shop.) Buy anything from the “Works of Mercy” store and a portion of the proceeds go to life-affirming charities.

Clothe The Naked Sweatshirts
Clothe The Naked Sweatshirts by WorksOfMercy

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!!)

Shelter the Homeless

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Matthew 25:35 “…a stranger and you welcomed me…”

This is difficult to write, never having been homeless. Came close at least once or twice, but that is not the same.

I cannot wrap my mind around the concept of being without a home. A warm bed, a roof over my head, a place to keep my stuff, I have always had these.

The very idea of this happening, the last day in one’s own home before being evicted or kicked out… facing the streets for the first time without the knowledge that there is some PLACE to go back to.

There are shelters, and people who dedicate their lives to caring for the homeless. Whether the homeless are “that way” because of financial difficulties or drug and alcohol addiction, it is little matter. People are out on the street and suffer for it.

As a society, we are less than hospitable. We turn our heads away from the beggars in the street. I have done that, out of guilt or shame or revulsion.

How we treat some of the most vulnerable of our society tells a lot.

If you click on the image of the mug below, you’ll be taken to the “Works of Mercy” store at Artist4God (my wife’s online shop.) Buy anything from the “Works of Mercy” store and a portion of the proceeds go to life-affirming charities.

Shelter The Homeless Buttons
Shelter The Homeless Buttons by WorksOfMercy

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!!)

Give Drink to the Thirsty

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Matthew 25:35 “…I was thirsty and you gave me drink…”

Going hand in hand with “Feed the Hungry,” we are called upon to satisfy those who thirst. There is the literal, physical thirst that needs quenching. But there is also the spiritual thirst very much like the spiritual hunger I described in the ***last post***

People are more than cogs in a machine. People have dignity, no matter what their state in life, what they do for a living, how much they earn and whatever else that the World quantifies human existence. People are made in the image and likeness of God and are deserving of fulfillment. In addition to the physical needs being met, their spiritual needs are taken care of as well.

This is important for a host of reasons, but namely to remind people of their personhood, their humanity. People are not trash, disposable things to be gotten rid of when inconvenient. Too often today this happens. Abortion, euthanasia, job layoffs… the list goes on for the many ways society dictates that people serve secular gods. The economic system, a political philosophy, the corporate balance sheet. Personal choices by other individuals, at times.

People need to be taught that they were made for something more. More than just for whatever piece of society they find themselves in. They need the reminder that they were made by God to know Him, love Him and serve Him in this life, so as to be forever happy in Heaven (to paraphrase the old Baltimore Catechism.)

If you click on the image of the mug below, you’ll be taken to the “Works of Mercy” store at Artist4God (my wife’s online shop.) Buy anything from the “Works of Mercy” store and a portion of the proceeds go to life-affirming charities.

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!!)

Feed the Hungry (UPDATED)

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Matthew 25:35 “For I was hungry and you gave me food…”

We have many ways to satiate hunger. Physical hunger is a harsh reality anywhere on this planet. Even in the so-called “rich” countries of North America and Europe people starve.

There is also a hunger apart from the physical. There is a spiritual hunger, too. People have holes in their souls that are not filled by the secular world, or by do-it-your-own spiritualities. They hunger for the Kingdom of God to be manifested in their lives by way of justice, righteousness and the freedom to be the people they were meant to be.

Learn Scripture, learn the Catechism, read the lives of the Saints and discover ways to bring the Kingdom of God to people in a manner that they can understand and appreciate. Fill the hunger, that hole in their souls that is now only fed by secular junk food and shallow spiritualities. Preach the Gospel, perhaps by words, perhaps by actions.

There is no excuse for the physical hunger. Do not wait for the government to feed those who hunger. Get busy now, yourselves. Act! In many areas there are food pantries that accept donations of food and money, as well as volunteers to do the work. Churches and other charitable organization offer the hungry a dignified alternative to state-sponsored charity. They are names, not a numbers.

Be a part of the solution and do not wait for others to fix the problem. Remember this, the next time you are “hungry.” For many of you, that is a temporary situation easily addressed and solved by wandering into your kitchen and grabbing something, or going off to the market and stocking up on food. But for many, and often through no fault of their own, that is the daily norm. The next time you hunger for something for your soul, grab your Bible. It is the food that does not perish.

If you click on the image of the mug below, you’ll be taken to the “Works of Mercy” store at Artist4God (my wife’s online shop.) Buy anything from the “Works of Mercy” store and a portion of the proceeds go to life-affirming charities.

Thank 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!!)

Works of Mercy

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Catholic social teaching centers on the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy. They are derived from the Gospel of Jesus According to Matthew, Chapter 25 verses  31-46, “The Last Judgment;” and Matthew Chapter 5, verses 1-12, “The Beatitudes;” as well as other parts of Scripture.

I have blogged about these before when I speak about “Service and Volunteering.”

Today I am going to start a series of posts in which I will write a little about each of them. There are seven of each, and they are listed below:

Corporal Works of Mercy

Feed the hungry
Give drink to the thirsty
Shelter the Homeless
Clothe the naked
Visit the Sick
Visit the imprisoned
Bury the dead

Spiritual Works of Mercy

Correct the sinner
Instruct the ignorant
Counsel the doubting
Comfort the sorrowful
Be patient with those in error
Forgive offenses
Pray for the living and the dead

(This list is courtesy of St. Luke’s mission of Mercy.)

Anyone familiar with alcoholism and addiction should know of these. Many of us have been on the receiving end of them. Perhaps we should think about being on the giving end?

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!!)

Happy Bloggaversary to SoberCatholic

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“Happy Bloggaversary to me…”
“Happy Bloggaversary to me…”
“Happy Bloggaversary to me…”
“Happy Bloggaversary to me…”

🙂

Six years ago today, I started Sober Catholic. It was on Blogger wayback then, and in the Summer of 2010 I moved it to its own servers, thanks to Jerry Kohlbrand, the “hillbilly” (and one of my bestest buddies).

I started it because I couldn’t find anything like it back then. I needed something Catholic and interactive that dealt with alcoholism. There was nothing, and as far as I know, still nothing except for this.

Many times I feel like this is pointless, but I trudge on anyway despite common sense. If you appreciate this effort,a few words of encouragement and/or a PayPal contribution would be nice! 😉

Prayers ALWAYS accepted. 🙂

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!!)

Year of Faith

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On October 11, 2012, the “Year of Faith” began. Announced a few months ago by Pope Benedict XVI, the latest in a series of  “Years of…” is intended to aid Catholics in learning more about their Faith. Given the horrific catechesis since the 1960’s and the woeful knowledge of the Faith that too many Catholics now possess, this is long overdue.

The general idea is that Catholics learn about the Faith through reading the Catechism, becoming better acquainted with the Bible, study the documents of Vatican 2 and maybe get involved in whatever Diocesan- or Parish- based programs that are being offered.

I waited a while in blogging about it, as I wanted to see just how well I was doing regarding my own plans. And so here it is.

I am doing two things, and will start a third.

The two things that I am doing are reading a few sections or pages of the Catechism as a part of my Morning Prayer. I had been doing this off-and-on, but since the Year of Faith began, way more on than off.  😉 In the evening I have been reading the Documents of Vatican 2. I have found that they are not as dry or inaccessible as I had thought and am thinking that perhaps if more people actually read them back in the 1960’s, we’d be better off today and could have dispensed with the silly “Spirit of Vatican 2” nonsense long ago.

The third thing that I will be doing harkens back to the reason I started this blog way back in 2007. That is to reach out to Catholics who have fallen away from their Faith due to their alcoholism and/or subsequent participation in a secular or non-denominational recovery programs. Too often in my experience in Twelve Steps I have witnessed Catholics leaving the Church due to their exposure to non-Catholic spirituality and the effects of “indifferentism.”  Indifferentism is the sin that “it doesn’t matter what you believe in, as long as you believe in something.”

And so I will try and delve into the core values of this blog and its primary purpose. I will endeavor to link things like Scripture and the Catechism to recovery, more so than perhaps I have done. Not that I have strayed away from that, but I think I can do better than I have been.

At any rate, I hope to make it more obvious to Catholics in recovery the very existence of this blog, and to perhaps bring more of them along for the ride.

Here are some excellent web resources to help your Year of Faith journey:

Home Page of the Year of Faith

Catechism of the Catholic Church – Table of Contents

The Holy See – The Roman Curia – Congregations – Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith

The Holy See – Archive


Aleteia (Beta): Seekers of the Truth

BIBLIACLERUS

Inter Mirifica.net – Catholic Mass Media Directory

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!!)

LinkedIn Profile Update!

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I don’t usually announce updates to my LinkedIn profile, in fact, I do not recall ever doing so. I am today as this blog does connect as to why I have a LinkedIn profile in the first place.

OK, enjoy this update to the “Summary” (of experience and goals) section:

“Since 2007 I have blogged at Sober Catholic where I write on how Catholic spirituality and the sacraments can assist people in maintaining their recovery from addictions. I expanded upon that in 2008 with The Four Last Things where I touch upon subjects not normally covered in typical recovery work by discussing the four last things everyone faces: Death, Judgment, Heaven (and Purgatory) and Hell.

I started these because I did not find online resources like them when I sobered up.

In addition to the practicing faithful Catholics who may be seeking a way to apply their Faith to their recovery, I also hope to reach the “lost sheep”, those who have left the Church due to their addictions and perhaps subsequent exposure to secular and non-Catholic recovery programs.

I am also turning my attention to the wonderful opportunities that independent publishing offers. I am the author of the “Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics” and “The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts.” Other works are being planned.

I am also planning novels and shorter works in the speculative fiction genre that include exploring the shadowy boundaries between life, death and what is beyond; and what exactly exists in that stage between awake and asleep? I am convinced that some things do lurk out of the corner of your eye. And what does sentience, humanity (or “alienity,”) mean, actually?

My wife and I are also Independent Reliv Distributors. We market nutritional supplements. We were attracted to Reliv because their primary emphasis is on helping people, both through better nutrition and a greater chance at financial freedom. Different from the too-good-to-be-true claims and get-rich-quick schemes associated with network marketing! Contact me through LinkedIn for information on becoming an Independent Reliv Distributor or on buying the product.”

My LinkedIn profile is at Paul Sofranko on LinkedIn. Concerning the last part (our new business venture) you can either contact me through this blog, or preferably through our business email: relivinganew at gmail dot com. You can also find out more about our venture at Reliving Anew.

Thank 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!!)

Is back

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Well, today was the first day that I have blogged since early September. No excuses, I have had a bevy of posts churning inside of me, but they were all getting in the way of each other and therefore none came out. And so, I wrote about something else (see previous post.)

And now this one right here that you are now reading.

So, now that the creative flow has been unplugged, perhaps a few of the other posts backed up in my brain can now behave themselves and proceed out in a reasonably orderly fashion.

We’ll see. There’s some good stuff coming. In early September I camped out in the bush for a Catholic Men’s retreat, and as a result, a whole bunch of things got stirred up inside.

As if I haven’t gone through enough “conversion experiences” these past 10 years.

There will be the bush adventure, what was stirred up, and maybe a few other things. See you again soon!

 

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!!)