“For God alone my soul waits in silence” (Psalm 62:1). “Listen carefully…with the ear of your heart” (Prologue, Rule of Saint Benedict). Attachment. Compulsion. Addiction. Whatever you choose to call it, all are symptoms of the same spiritual disease. All are forms of...
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...
A few weeks ago, my wife and I were talking about the messiness of my relationship with my mom, and a video I had recently watched online popped into my head. The video began with sentimental background music and captions explaining the circumstances of a family: the...
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...
Taking custody of the mind is a topic that always piques much interest when brought up in recovery meetings. Those of us who struggle with addictions, compulsions, and unhealthy attachments recognize the mind as a battlefield. I was introduced to the concept of...
“I hate myself! I just made a great confession and felt clean and blessed. So, why did I commit this sin yet again?” I often had the above thought when I fell to sexual sin and before I took my recovery from pornography and masturbation seriously. Perhaps it’s a...
When I first stepped into Adult Child recovery a little over five years ago, I kept hearing about something called Internal Family Systems therapy (IFS). I was intrigued, but unsure. Could this “parts work” really be compatible with my Catholic faith? I wasn’t looking...
On my night table sits a small figurine of Saint Joseph sleeping. Over time, the figurine has become a symbol of safety for me. Each night before I go to sleep, I glance at it, pray, and let my heart rest. This is not how I used to feel about father figures. My...
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...
I never imagined that God would use my theatre degree to save my life. Since I received my acting and directing training before Method Acting got its current bad reputation, I was trained in what’s called Stanislavski’s Method, which involves a number of exercises an...