We are fallen but redeemed by Jesus. He wants to claim what’s His: our souls. However, the spiritual war between Christ and the devil for our souls never stops raging in this life. Therefore, similar to physical warfare, we must arm ourselves with weapons to defeat...
We may be tempted to stray off the path of recovery and wander into the swirling chaos and confusion of this world. Fear and uncertainty of the future can quickly and without warning pull us into a trap where we allow old thoughts and behaviors to enter. Our reliance...
Step 11 states, “Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, as we understood Him, praying only for the knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.” (Alcoholics Anonymous). What immediately strikes me about the...
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...
In his book Healing Prayer, John Horn details how the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius provide a way of healing deep childhood wounds through the guidance of a competent spiritual director. I completed the Spiritual Exercises in May 2020 and it was a very healing...
More often than not, when we think of Christmas we think of giving. We see it as a time of charity and generosity of spirit. Charles Dickens in his novel A Christmas Carol depicts this very idea. The cold-hearted and greedy Ebenezer Scrooge undergoes a life-changing...
As a faithful member of Catholic in Recovery and Alcoholics Anonymous, I’m abundantly blessed to have so many avenues at my disposal to remain sober and grateful to be able to share my experience, strength, and hope with others. But what if I told you that even with a...
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...
Step 11 - “Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God.” Coming from a background in Evangelical Christianity, I was always cautious when hearing someone talk about meditation because I had learned to equate the word with New Age...
Difficult times often challenge us to rethink, renew, and deepen our commitment to being faithful disciples of Jesus Christ. Because we lacked many of the things we rely on to nourish and support our faith during the pandemic (and some of us still do), we’ve been...