Category Archives: This Too Shall Pass

In danger I called on the Lord

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A recent reading from the Psalms caught my attention as a useful prayer for one undergoing adversity, especially with the threat of a relapse:

Psalm 118:5-9: “In danger I called on the LORD; the LORD answered me and set me free.

The LORD is with me; I am not afraid; what can mortals do against me?

The LORD is with me as my helper; I shall look in triumph on my foes.

Better to take refuge in the LORD than to put one’s trust in mortals.

Better to take refuge in the LORD than to put one’s trust in princes.”

(Via USCCB.)

The danger of a relapse is ever present if you rely on yourself alone. With God’s aid you can remain free from your addiction. With the strength of God behind you, how can danger triumph? What can mortals (people) that plot against you do to you? How can your foes (places and things) succeed in tearing you down?

To trust in another to help you maintain your sobriety is folly. Just ask all those who relapsed despite 12 Step meeting attendance and the use of a sponsor. God alone is fully trustworthy.

Jesus, I trust in You.

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

Seeking shelter from harm

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The following passage from Psalm 57 is a nice prayer for anyone in serious temptation from their addiction:

Psalm 57:2: “Have mercy on me, God, have mercy on me. In you I seek shelter. In the shadow of your wings I seek shelter till harm pass by.”

(Via USCCB.)

God’s mercy is limitless, providing we ask for it in trust and faith. God provides if He is asked. He is our safe and sturdy shelter from the harm that threatens and is just one drink away.

A drink provides a temporary respite from the troubles that abound in our lives. God’s promise of care and protection from all harm is trustworthy based on the strength of our faith and our willingness to place ourselves in it.

It endures. The drink is temporary and illusory.

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

Rescue me and set me free

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Two readings from today’s Liturgy of the Hours (click on the “Universalis” banner at the top of the page) make excellent prayers for people still hunted by their addictions.

Psalm 141:8-9: “My eyes are upon you, O GOD, my Lord; in you I take refuge; do not strip me of life.
Guard me from the trap they have set for me, from the snares of evildoers.”

and

Psalm 142:6-8: “I cry out to you, LORD, I say, You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.
Listen to my cry for help, for I am brought very low. Rescue me from my pursuers, for they are too strong for me.
Lead me out of my prison, that I may give thanks to your name. Then the just shall gather around me because you have been good to me.”

(Via USCCB.)

Addiction is the prison one is trapped in, evildoers (“people, places and things”) seek to continually ensnare the struggling alcoholic and addict.

The Lord will rescue you from these types. No matter how beaten down you are by the threat of a relapse and the immediate temptation to drink, God will give you the strength to prevail if you ask Him in trust and with faith.

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

Living in the "now" and letting go

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There is another excellent article from Spirit Daily

,this time on “getting past” the mistakes of your life. Read and ponder!

(Via Spirit Daily.)

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

Our Happy Destiny and the Road it's Trudged upon

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We are occasionally reminded that life is a journey. In sober circles it is referred to as “Trudging the Road of Happy Destiny”. We regard our recovery as a continual process leading all the way to our death, with the hope that we will reach whatever afterlife we believe in. In our case, it is Heaven, an eternal union with God and His Truth and Beauty. Oh, and our loved ones are there, too!

From a homily on the Gospels by Saint Gregory the Great, pope, and this is excerpted from the Second Reading in the Office of Readings for the Fourth Sunday of Easter: “Beloved brothers, let us set out for these pastures where we shall keep joyful festival with so many of our fellow citizens. May the thought of their happiness urge us on! Let us stir up our hearts, rekindle our faith, and long eagerly for what heaven has in store for us. To love thus is to be already on our way. No matter what obstacles we encounter, we must not allow them to turn us aside from the joy of that heavenly feast. Anyone who is determined to reach his destination is not deterred by the roughness of the road that leads to it. Nor must we allow the charm of success to seduce us, or we shall be like a foolish traveller who is so distracted by the pleasant meadows through which he is passing that he forgets where he is going.”

(Via Universalis.)

Pope Gregory the Great exhorts us to not be scared off by the difficulty of our journey. We must persevere, for the rewards are most definitely worth it. Too often we struggle and stumble along the way, misdirected by the weakness of our flesh with the promise of fleeting pleasure and joy. We discover too late the emptiness of that pleasure. We repent and return to the Lord. We resume our journey, hopefully learning from our fall.

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

When He was insulted, He returned no insult; when He suffered, He did not threaten

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The following passage from the First Letter of St. Peter speaks of a difficult, challenging but ultimately liberating attitude towards authority. Particarly if you’re having a bad time with it (authority) and have suffered justly or unjustly at the hands of it.

Alcoholics have a particular need for this passage as there is a residual sense of selfishness and pride in early recovery while the whole “humility thing” is being worked out. Non-alcoholics can use this as it will help them endure coping with authority, the legitimate and just, and the unfair and unjust.

Note: take out the word “slaves” and substitute “employees” or “children”. And for the word “masters” substitute “bosses”, “managers” or “parents”.

1 Peter 2:18-25: “Slaves, be subject to your masters with all reverence, not only to those who are good and equitable but also to those who are perverse.

For whenever anyone bears the pain of unjust suffering because of consciousness of God, that is a grace.

But what credit is there if you are patient when beaten for doing wrong? But if you are patient when you suffer for doing what is good, this is a grace before God.

For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in his footsteps.

‘He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.’

When he was insulted, he returned no insult; when he suffered, he did not threaten; instead, he handed himself over to the one who judges justly.

He himself bore our sins in his body upon the cross, so that, free from sin, we might live for righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.

For you had gone astray like sheep, but you have now returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls. “

(Via USCCB.)

As I have stated countless times before, as Christians we are to emulate Christ. We must take up our crosses and follow Him, as He commanded.

Matthew 16:24: “Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.”

(Via USCCB.)

It is self-righteous pride when we cry out against real or perceived unjust treatment of ourselves. “Why me?” Perhaps it is connected to our instinct for self-preservation, but our faith in God should be strong enough to consider that He has a plan in store for us and if things are not going our way, then maybe He has something different in mind for our lives. If we are suffering through this, then somehow that suffering is a part of His plan of salvation for us. And as Jesus accepted His cross for humanity’s salvation, so then must we take up our individual crosses for our discipleship.

Being a Christian isn’t easy. And it was never intended to be.

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

Bruised reeds and smoldering wicks

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The First Reading from the Mass for Monday of Holy Week is one of my favorites:

Isaiah 42:3: “A bruised reed he shall not break, and a smoldering wick he shall not quench…”

Via USCCB.)

It reminds me of us alcoholics and addicts in our times of suffering and eventual recovery.

I had written about this passage before: Bruised reeds…

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

Not My Will, but Yours be done

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Quite often in AA meetings and in literature we hear the phrase “Not my will, but yours.” I’m not sure if the quoters are aware of the source. An excerpt from the Gospel of Mark from the Mass of the Passion of Our Lord (Palm Sunday):

Mark 14:36: “Take this cup away from me, but not what I will but what you will.”

(Via USCCB.)

The “cup” is the suffering and death Jesus was about to undergo. He knew what it would entail, and didn’t seem particularly thrilled to undertake it. But with the same humility He expressed in becoming human for our sake, He agreed to submit to the Father’s will and accept the suffering that was to come.

There is a certain serenity in doing this, a serenity that can be found in partnering with God and agreeing to set aside your own wishes and desires and instead taking up the cross that is before you.

This is the mark of a Christian.

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

O Lord, my God, in you I take refuge

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The Responsorial Psalm for Saturday of the Fourth Week of Lent offers consolation to those suffering from the acts of others:

Psalm 7:2-3,9-12:
“O LORD, my God, in you I take refuge;
save me from all my pursuers and rescue me,
Lest I become like the lion’s prey,
to be torn to pieces, with no one to rescue me.

Do me justice, O LORD, because I am just,
and because of the innocence that is mine.
Let the malice of the wicked come to an end,
but sustain the just,
O searcher of heart and soul, O just God.

A shield before me is God,
who saves the upright of heart;
A just judge is God,
a God who punishes day by day.”

(Via USCCB.)

People who follow their own wills and not God’s often wreak havoc upon other people’s lives. If you are trying to lead a good, clean and sober life there will be obstacles. Other people will see your decision to live a life contrary to how they see it should be lived (because it is a threat to them), and will try and derail your path.

You will be an object of scorn and ridicule as they try to drag you back into your old ways.

The Lord, if you trust in Him, will be your safe refuge and will protect you by strengthening your faith. The reassurance you get from a deep prayer life, from reading Sacred Scripture and attending Mass will be the armor you need to cope with the world and its ways.

The world and its followers won’t go away, but you’ll have a defense. And a protector.

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

Novena to St. Joseph for Alcoholics: Day 8

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The prayer changes for Days 8 and 9. The previous prayers were based on the Seven Sorrows of St. Joseph, and as a novena is 9 days I have to come up with something else for the last two.

And also being mindful that one of St. Joseph’s titles is that of “St. Joseph the Worker”, today’s intentions are for those seeking honest labor and escaping unemployment. These are usually at the top of the list of things to accomplish and gain by anyone entering recovery and who seek to establish a new life in sobriety.

St. Joseph the Worker, you led an honest and humble life as a carpenter in Nazareth, providing for the Holy Family out of the fruits of your labors. Look with kindness and compassion upon those seeking honest and sufficient labor and intercede with God for them so that they may discover through work the dignity of being contributing and supporting members of society. We ask this through Christ, Our Lord. Amen.

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)