A few years ago, I was at a wedding when I was struck by the particular charism of the priest offering the ceremony. He was warm, relaxed, and extremely welcoming. He also could read a room, which was reflected in the way he presented his homily to a largely...
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A Step Four and Step Five Reflection: Shedding Light on the Darkest Places in Our Soul
| Alcohol & Drug Addiction, Spiritual Tools, The Sacraments, The Twelve Steps | 1 Comment
Step Four: Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. Step Five: Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs. I was warned by my sponsor that many people find Step Four and Step Five very difficult—some...
Theology of the Body and Recovering from the Harm of Pornography
| Alcohol & Drug Addiction, Pornography & Sexual Addiction, Prayer & Scripture Reflections, The Sacraments, The Twelve Steps | 0 Comments
"Every man who enters a brothel is looking for God.” This quote, attributed to G.K. Chesterton, is one of the foundational concepts of Saint John Paul II's “Theology of the Body,” which is a collection of talks the pope gave on human sexuality. Theology of the Body...
Mercy and Glorification in the Wounds of Christ
| Alcohol & Drug Addiction, Prayer & Scripture Reflections, The Sacraments, The Twelve Steps | 2 Comments
As I write this, the thought that comes to mind is: “How do you put something so vast, infinite, and truly marvelous as God’s mercy and love into words?” For those of you reading this who may not know me or my story, I am a revert to the Catholic faith. I attended...
New Freedom, New Hope
| Personal Testimonies, The Sacraments | 0 Comments
I remember it clearly. I was a freshman in high school and an older teammate from the football team was having a “kegger” party. This wouldn’t be the first time I tasted alcohol, but it would be the first time I drank heavily and liked it. It was only one night but it...
What Sobriety Has Taught Me About the Purpose of Confession
| Spiritual Tools, The Sacraments, The Twelve Steps | 4 Comments
When many of us in recovery approach Step Four (make a “searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves”), it often seems like a daunting task. Most of us living with an active addiction do not spend a lot of time looking at ourselves in a critical way. For many...
How My Consecration to Divine Mercy Has Made Me Porn and Masturbation Free
| Alcohol & Drug Addiction, Pornography & Sexual Addiction, Spiritual Tools, The Sacraments, The Twelve Steps | 1 Comment
Jay Stringer, author of Unwanted: How Sexual Brokenness Reveals Our Way to Healing, suggests that before we will ever find our way clear of unwanted sexual behavior, we must first look at what our behaviors reveal about us. While I continue to struggle with the idea...
Healing through the Living God: The Importance of the Eucharist in Recovery
| Prayer & Scripture Reflections, Spiritual Tools, The Sacraments, The Twelve Steps | 4 Comments
My Catholic faith has always been a major part of my recovery since day one. Being continuously told from the beginning that selfishness was at the root of all my troubles, I knew I had to change. And what model better to follow for unselfishness than that of Jesus?...
Transformed and Unified: On the Eucharist and Recovery
| Alcohol & Drug Addiction, Prayer & Scripture Reflections, Spiritual Tools, The Sacraments | 0 Comments
The Twelve Steps of recovery and the sacraments of the Catholic Church work in a very similar way. While some of the steps and each of the sacraments have great ritual and reverence around them regarding initiation, each are to be continually practiced. Finding a...
Moving Towards Baptism and Welcoming the Newcomer
| The Sacraments, The Twelve Steps | 0 Comments
The following is a short excerpt from Scott's upcoming book, The Twelve Steps and the Sacraments: A Catholic Journey through Recovery: One of the most beautiful moments of the Catholic Church’s liturgical year takes place during the Easter Vigil when new members of...