Recent Posts
Dante and Recovery Part 3: Vice, Virtue, and Character Defects (Cont.)
In the previous article, we journeyed with Dante from the first terrace of Mt. Purgatory to the fourth, covering the sins or character defects of pride, envy, wrath, and sloth. Dante sees firsthand how the souls are purified from their attachments to particular sins...
Losing Control: Navigating Disordered Eating & Lenten Fasting
I used to treat Lent like yet another diet. My eating disorder is binge-restrict: I didn’t like the size of my body, so I’d restrict. Restricting was painful. Food was my comfort, so I binged. I’d then feel bad about my trashed self-control and poor body image, so I’d...
A Look at Internal Family Systems Therapy for Adult Children of Dysfunctional Homes
In ACA (Adult Children of Alcoholics) and ACDH (Adult Children of Dysfunctional Homes) meetings, we often hear about people doing IFS (Internal Family Systems) therapy. So I decided to do a little research and discovered Souls and Hearts founded by Dr. Peter...
Do I Really Need a Sponsor for Food-related Recovery?
The short answer? Yes. The long answer? Yes, you can’t do this alone. If you are like me, you have begged God to relieve you of your addictive or compulsive behavior. I can’t tell you how many times I prayed, asking God to make me wake up thin and promising to give...
Beauty, Eros, and Why Pornography Is So Hard to Overcome
In his writings, Saint Thomas Aquinas describes sight to be the principal and primary of all the senses. His reasoning is that when we open our eyes and look at something, we are immediately abstracting—taking into our minds—what we see and rearranging it in an...
The Magic If: Acting Our Way out of Compulsive Overeating
I never imagined that God would use my theatre degree to save my life. Since I received my acting and directing training before Method Acting got its current bad reputation, I was trained in what’s called Stanislavski’s Method, which involves a number of exercises an...
Dante and Recovery Part 2: Vice, Virtue, and Character Defects
In my previous article, I discussed how Dante made his descent into the depths of Hell to not only witness the torments of unrepentant sinners but also face down his own sin and personal hell. At the end of Dante’s Inferno, at the very bottom of the ninth circle,...
We Are God’s Masterpieces in Recovery!
Do you know that God loves you just as you are? He loves you in the present moment, the moments past, and the moments to come. He is the divine artist who has been creating a beautiful and wonderful work of art that is you! Holy Scripture declares it: “You formed my...
15 Ways to Celebrate without Food or Alcohol (Plus 1 Bonus)
I recently discovered that the word “celebration” comes from the Latin root celebrare, which implies groups of people assembling together for the purpose of honor and praise. This is why we as Catholics say that we “celebrate the sacraments.” Celebration by its very...
Recovery and the Gifts of the Holy Spirit
How can each gift of the Holy Spirit help us stay sober in our recovery as well as grow closer to the Lord? As Saint Thomas Aquinas illuminated, God helps humanity in its process of perfection with particular habits. These habits or instincts enable us to transcend...
Dante and Recovery Part 3: Vice, Virtue, and Character Defects (Cont.)
In the previous article, we journeyed with Dante from the first terrace of Mt. Purgatory to the fourth, covering the sins or character defects of pride, envy, wrath, and sloth. Dante sees firsthand how the souls are purified from their attachments to particular sins...
Losing Control: Navigating Disordered Eating & Lenten Fasting
I used to treat Lent like yet another diet. My eating disorder is binge-restrict: I didn’t like the size of my body, so I’d restrict. Restricting was painful. Food was my comfort, so I binged. I’d then feel bad about my trashed self-control and poor body image, so I’d...
A Look at Internal Family Systems Therapy for Adult Children of Dysfunctional Homes
In ACA (Adult Children of Alcoholics) and ACDH (Adult Children of Dysfunctional Homes) meetings, we often hear about people doing IFS (Internal Family Systems) therapy. So I decided to do a little research and discovered Souls and Hearts founded by Dr. Peter...
Do I Really Need a Sponsor for Food-related Recovery?
The short answer? Yes. The long answer? Yes, you can’t do this alone. If you are like me, you have begged God to relieve you of your addictive or compulsive behavior. I can’t tell you how many times I prayed, asking God to make me wake up thin and promising to give...
Beauty, Eros, and Why Pornography Is So Hard to Overcome
In his writings, Saint Thomas Aquinas describes sight to be the principal and primary of all the senses. His reasoning is that when we open our eyes and look at something, we are immediately abstracting—taking into our minds—what we see and rearranging it in an...
The Magic If: Acting Our Way out of Compulsive Overeating
I never imagined that God would use my theatre degree to save my life. Since I received my acting and directing training before Method Acting got its current bad reputation, I was trained in what’s called Stanislavski’s Method, which involves a number of exercises an...
Dante and Recovery Part 2: Vice, Virtue, and Character Defects
In my previous article, I discussed how Dante made his descent into the depths of Hell to not only witness the torments of unrepentant sinners but also face down his own sin and personal hell. At the end of Dante’s Inferno, at the very bottom of the ninth circle,...
We Are God’s Masterpieces in Recovery!
Do you know that God loves you just as you are? He loves you in the present moment, the moments past, and the moments to come. He is the divine artist who has been creating a beautiful and wonderful work of art that is you! Holy Scripture declares it: “You formed my...
15 Ways to Celebrate without Food or Alcohol (Plus 1 Bonus)
I recently discovered that the word “celebration” comes from the Latin root celebrare, which implies groups of people assembling together for the purpose of honor and praise. This is why we as Catholics say that we “celebrate the sacraments.” Celebration by its very...
Recovery and the Gifts of the Holy Spirit
How can each gift of the Holy Spirit help us stay sober in our recovery as well as grow closer to the Lord? As Saint Thomas Aquinas illuminated, God helps humanity in its process of perfection with particular habits. These habits or instincts enable us to transcend...