Happy Advent to my fellows in recovery! Christmas is fast approaching and many of us are trying to get things done to make our homes festive, including trimming the tree, decorating with lights, raising nativity scenes, and so on. As always, the Christmas season also...
I am a miracle. I am a recovering alcoholic and anorexic. It is my hope that by sharing my experience of addiction and recovery, I can bring awareness to others that there is a solution, and that through it they may experience a “spiritual awakening.” A spiritual...
I chose Saint Augustine as my confirmation saint because his story offers hope of sainthood to wild men like me and because of his motto: Caritas, Veritas, Unitas (Charity, Truth, Unity). He understood these must work in harmony to build God’s kingdom. Love without...
Recovery is not just about staying free from sin and addiction, it’s about rebuilding the whole person—body, mind, and soul. This happened for me by adopting spiritual strategies when I was in early recovery to deepen my faith in Christ and engage in spiritual...
On occasion, I’m asked by a CIR newcomer, “How did you find recovery”? This person in active addiction is usually looking for a silver bullet to take down those “werewolves” of addictions, compulsions, and unhealthy attachments. A full answer to such a question, in my...
The following is an excerpt from The Recovery Rosary, a book offering 20 personalized meditations (one for each mystery of the Rosary) covering a variety of addictions, such as alcoholism, drug addiction, lust-related addictions, compulsive/disordered eating...
The following is an excerpt from The Recovery Rosary, a book offering 20 personalized meditations (one for each mystery of the Rosary) covering a variety of addictions, such as alcoholism, drug addiction, lust-related addictions, compulsive/disordered eating...
The following is an excerpt from The Recovery Rosary, a book offering 20 personalized meditations (one for each mystery of the Rosary) covering a variety of addictions, such as alcoholism, drug addiction, lust-related addictions, compulsive/disordered eating...
Read Part 1 and Part 2 of this series. Growth in Virtuous Love To undergo real transformation in holy love, Saint Bernard of Clairvaux asserts that three commitments are required of any person, three essential conditions that should sound awfully familiar to us in...
Read Part 1 of this series. 2nd Observation: God Is the Very Source of Our Love Saint Bernard’s second observation for why we should love God is that God, who is Love itself, is the absolute origin of our own individual yearning to love and be loved, and as such He is...