Read Part 1 of this series. In the first part of our exploration of the wisdom of Saint Augustine and 12-step recovery, we witness the dramatic change in awareness that led to Augustine’s recognition of his own powerlessness and of the one who is all-powerful, God....
Read Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 of this series. Having considered Saint Bernard of Clairvaux’s several observations for why we should love God as well as his description of the path of growth in virtuous love, we come now to that for which his work On Loving God is...
What do Saint Augustine and addiction recovery have in common? It turns out, quite a lot. Augustine, now recognized as one of the most influential people on Western thought, went through a tremendous struggle before he became the “saint” we think of today. This...
I remember my first run through a recovery program. I did not start with SA (Sexaholics Anonymous) but with a program called Celebrate Recovery (CR), which is a Bible-based 12-step program. Most attendees were non-denominational Christians, those seeking recovery from...
When I stop and look back through the years of my recovery, I can see without a doubt how God has been with me, gently nudging me, pushing me further away from my own desires and toward His desires for me. A life of sobriety brings forth many new adventures. Though,...
As I have grown in my understanding of sacred Scripture and matured in my relationship with Jesus I have come to appreciate the value of spiritual direction. As Saint Paul reminds us when he tells us, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me” (Galatians...
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...
Every 12-step novice is familiar with the term “surrender” and its significance for finding recovery. However, as often as the word is used in recovery groups, the word itself does not appear in any of the Twelve Steps. I’ve spent decades in recovery and attended...
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...
“Then one of the scribes…asked Jesus, ‘Which is the first of all the commandments?’ Jesus answered, ‘The first is: “Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind,...