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...
I remember the moment I came to terms with my addiction: the moment I stepped out of denial and into God’s healing light. I had no idea what would happen. I was scared and overwhelmed with guilt and shame. I had gone almost twenty years without openly acknowledging...
The leaves are off the trees. Thanksgiving has come and gone. And stores and shops are playing Christmas music. As Christians, we are preparing now for the birth of our Savior. And specifically as Catholics, we are in the midst of Advent, which marks the end of the...
Within recovery, we rely on various metaphors, idioms, and analogies as helpful tools. For example, there is the “ladder” that one must “climb” toward sobriety. Likewise, there are “battles” that must be “fought.” And then there is the “circle plan,” which is popular...
In the first article of this two-part series, I shared with you the benefits of regularly participating in an hour of Eucharistic adoration and offered some advice on how to fully experience freedom from sin, temptation, and addiction. I want to now explain how...
As I began my quest to extricate myself from the addiction to pornography and habitual masturbation, my first focused attempt probably started in 2007 through an online educational program. For that program, I was set up with a coach to read my answers to the...
As Catholics, we receive the Eucharist during Mass. However, there is another opportunity for us to experience the Blessed Sacrament through Eucharistic adoration. The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains the importance of incorporating adoration into our prayers...
It has been over five years since I started celebrating my delivery from the scourge of pornography. The grace and power of God poured out during my Consecration to Divine Mercy released me from the hold that pornography had on me for over 40 years. With the exception...
In my previous articles, I have often shared various Scripture passages to help us deepen our relationship with Jesus Christ. In this article, I’d specifically like to share five more Scripture passages that can serve as armor against sexual temptations and sin (they...
Those of us who fight against sexual sin often deal with shame. I know that for a long time I truly believed that if people really knew what I often thought—and of my many behaviors—not only would they not like me but they would be repulsed by me! I was recently...