In this Catholic in Recovery Podcast episode, Scott Weeman and Father Sean Kilcawley discuss prayer as a vital and transformative part of recovery, exploring how the Twelve Steps and the Catholic faith emphasize prayer for spiritual growth and healing. They highlight the importance of radical honesty in prayer, treating it as a relationship with God where one can express all feelings and struggles, much like talking to a trusted friend or sponsor. The conversation also touches on common struggles with prayer, the benefits of imaginative prayer, and practical tips for building a consistent prayer routine, emphasizing that prayer is a gateway to surrender and ongoing spiritual dependence on God.

• Join CIR+ to be part of a community committed to recovery and access resources to sustain you on your recovery journey, including CIR’s Pathway to Recovery—emailed support, encouragement, and resources for the first 90 days of recovery to keep you accountable to finding freedom during those first critical three months.
• Try a sample of CIR's Pathway to Recovery by signing up here.
• Take an assessment to see if you can benefit from CIR as someone struggling with an addiction or with a loved one or family member who is an addict.
• Check out all of CIR's books, including the Recovery Rosary, the Catholic in Recovery Workbook, and The Twelve Steps and the Sacraments.

I. Introduction

• Welcome and Topic Introduction: Scott Weeman and Father Sean Kilcawley welcome listeners to the Catholic in Recovery podcast and introduce the episode's theme: prayer as a vital and transformative part of recovery, foundational for spiritual growth and healing in both the 12 Steps and the Catholic faith.
• Music and Production Credits: Scott thanks I.B. Jacob (Bassanova), Aisling Fuller, Chris Hazell, and Jenna Bittler for their contributions to the podcast.

II. Personal Check-ins

• Father Sean Kilcawley's Update: Father Sean shares his experience settling into California, attending meetings, and his gratitude for foot surgery recovery, which allows him to enjoy activities like hiking. He reflects on the difference between thriving and surviving, drawing parallels to addiction recovery, and anticipates the arrival of seminarians.
• Scott Weeman's Update: Scott shares an exciting, but still processing, invitation to Rome for the opening of the Pope's summer residence gardens, hoping to introduce Catholic in Recovery to Pope Leo. He also mentions preparing for a joint summer birthday party for his children (ages 7, 5, and 4) and discusses their interest in Harry Potter books and Legos, viewing these moments as fruits of recovery.

III. The Nature of Prayer in Recovery

• Prayer in the 12 Steps and as Relationship: The hosts discuss prayer's role in the 12 Steps, especially Step 11, emphasizing that prayer is a relationship with God that requires radical honesty, similar to any other relationship. They address the fear of God's anger for not praying and the importance of expressing true feelings.
• Conscious Contact and Honesty: They explain that addiction is often about dissociation, while recovery is about learning to communicate. Father Sean shares his realization that he was more honest with his sponsor than with Jesus and how sharing deeply with Jesus brought greater peace.
• Integration of Spiritual Life and Recovery: The hosts stress that one's spiritual life and recovery life are inseparable, warning against "spiritual bypass" where pain is avoided by over-spiritualizing. They highlight the transformative experience of being loved by God in one's woundedness and the importance of revisiting past struggles with God in prayer.

IV. Common Struggles and Practices in Prayer

• Different Experiences of Honesty: They discuss how honesty in prayer can be challenging for lifelong Catholics who need to give themselves permission to start over from desperation, compared to those whose recovery coincides with a reversion to faith. They acknowledge the difficulty for those maintaining a facade.
• Obstacles to Honesty and Trauma: Father Sean identifies obstacles such as fear of accurate terms like "enslaved to sin" and the impact of trauma (seeing oneself in the third person during prayer). He suggests imaginative prayer and intentionality to overcome rote prayers.
• Surrender and Trust: They discuss "giving away your first step" as turning over coveting the addict life and how confession involves giving away sins. They explain the Catholic concept of ex opere operato (sacrament works from the work worked) versus ex opere operantis (grace flows more easily with disposition), cautioning against treating prayer or sacraments merely as a "gas station" or "car wash."
• Specific Prayer Practices: Father Sean shares his personal prayer routine, which includes an initial belief statement, the Angelus, and open focus on God's will. He suggests praying from body feelings, reading Scripture (e.g., Song of Songs), and practicing Lectio Divina for meditating on Scripture. Scott adds the value of using creativity and imagination in prayer.

V. Building a Prayer Routine

• Overcoming Prayer Struggles: The hosts encourage listeners who feel they don't know how to pray or are doing it "wrong" to simply express themselves honestly to God.
• Group Prayer and Practical Tips: They highlight the value of praying in groups (e.g., Rosary, meetings) and offer practical tips for a daily routine: a morning offering (traditional or Third Step Prayer) and a nightly short gratitude list, conscience examination, and Act of Contrition. They recommend devotionals like Magnificat and emphasize developing a "heart of flesh" to allow God to affect one's life.
• Prayer as Surrender: They conclude that prayer is a "God, help project," not a self-help project, emphasizing it as a gateway to surrender and ongoing spiritual dependence on God.

VI. Conclusion

• Final Encouragement: The hosts encourage listeners to recommit to prayer, starting simply and honestly, and to utilize resources like prayer cards, apps, and devotionals.
• Announcements: Scott announces two upcoming events: a Catholic in Recovery/I Thirst Initiative Virtual Summit on Friday, September 26th, and a Catholic in Recovery Retreat at Valembrosa Retreat Center in Menlo Park, CA, from October 17-19. He encourages listeners to send questions for future episodes to podcast@catholicinrecovery.com.
• Closing Prayer: Father Sean leads a closing prayer using the Third Step Prayer, asking for blessings on listeners and for God to reveal Himself in new ways.