In our pilgrimage as adult children in recovery, we are met by an unwavering companion: grief. These emotions and processes are pivotal in healing from the wounds of our past, particularly in mourning the childhood that was stolen from us. As Catholics in recovery...
Addiction is a complex disease that can be difficult to overcome, and there are many different factors that contribute to it. However, there is one common thread among people who recover from addiction: they learn to let go of their addiction, unhealthy attachment,...
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...
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...
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,...
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...
When I came into the rooms of recovery many years ago, I was told I had to “Trust God, Clean House, and Help Others.” In addition to the step work and building a relationship with God, I had to give the solution away to others and serve if I wanted to have a...
In his book Change or Die, Alan Deutschman details the three phases required to undergo lasting change in our lives: relate, repeat, and reframe. This is also what we do to find healing and freedom in recovery. We relate to others by joining a recovery community that...
When we are caught in our active addictions or unhealthy attachments, we seek short-lived fulfillment, pleasure, and temporary reprieve from the realities and suffering of life. Yet, when we are reawakened to the Lord’s crucifix and begin working our recovery, we...
The world would be uninteresting without uncertainty. There would be no fear, yes, but also no surprise. There would be no pain but there would be no joy or wonder, either. That’s why people enjoy scary movies in which the monster isn’t revealed until Act III or never...