Understanding will guard you

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The next selection in the Wisdom Dose (no longer Daily, but only occasionally, sorry) comes from Proverbs 2:9-11;

Then you will understand rectitude and justice, honesty, every good path;
For wisdom will enter your heart, knowledge will please your soul,
Discretion will watch over you, understanding will guard you

In a way it relates rather well to the upcoming Solemnity of Pentecost. For in those passages we see the kind of guidance and protection that the Holy Spirit can provide us if we struggle to do God’s will.

We learned (or should have learned) in catechism class as children (or as adults in RCIA) that the Gifts of the Holy Spirit are Wisdom, Understanding, Knowledge, Counsel, Fortitude, Piety and Fear of the Lord. We see these reflected in the above scriptural passage.

Gifts such as these are excellent ones to pray for during the Pentecost Novena, which I wrote about in the previous post.

Think about them when you pray it. Offer them up as a petition.

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!!)

Pentecost Novena

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After His Resurrection, Jesus remained with His disciples for 40 days. He Ascended into Heaven to return to the Father, and promised that He would send the Advocate (The Holy Spirit, a/k/a The Third Person of the Holy Trinity to guide us.) Pentecost was ten days after His Ascension, and after their day’s journey return to Jerusalem, the disciples gathered to pray for nine days.

Acts 1:12-14

Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a sabbath day’s journey away. When they entered the city they went to the upper room where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James.
All these devoted themselves with one accord to prayer, together with some women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.

Thus begins the Catholic tradition of praying a novena. It is a prayer of nine day’s duration. Not 24 hours a day for nine days, although the above Scriptural passage seems to imply that they prayed that intensely. Nowadays, it is a prayer of varying duration, said once a day for nine days.

The novena is usually prayed to a saint or angel, and only in request for their intercessory powers for a particular intention. It may be more accurate and correct to say “pray though a saint” instead of “pray to a saint”, as the latter implies idolatry. When a Catholic ‘prays to a saint”, they are only asking for the saint’s powers of intercession with God. A saint has no power whatsoever to grant any request, only God can at the behest of the saint. This is quite like when Protestants and Evangelical Christians engage in prayer circles (or whatever it’s called when they contact people to pray for someone’s health or something). Only a Catholic is asking someone in Heaven to intercede for them.

In commemoration, or better yet, in emulation, of the original novena, I recommend that you start a novena. You can find an excellent one here at Presentation Ministries. They are an apostolate in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States, that publishes a daily devotional (meditations) called “One Bread, One Body”, (also known as “OBOB”). If you scroll to the top of Sober Catholic and look at the “Daily Mass Reading” section, click on the little link that says “Reflections”. That will take you to their website and that day’s meditation. There is also immediately below a link to the OBOB part of their site. Matters not which one you use.

Pray a novena to the Holy Spirit. What better “Higher Power” can one have?

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!!)

The Advocate

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Tomorrow (or Sunday, depending on where you live) is the Solemnity of the Ascension. This is the Christian teaching that Jesus bodily ascended into Heaven 40 days after He died. (How He accomplished this is unknown, and is irrelevant. God is not subject to the physical laws He created.)

What is important about this is in doing so He opened Heaven to all who believe in Him, a Heaven that had been closed since the Fall of Adam and Eve. Heaven was barred to us due to our First Parent’s arrogant decision that they could be just like God and decide what is right and what is wrong for themselves. Jesus paid our price for their sin. And now Heaven is open again.

He had said that this was necessary for another reason. Without His leaving, the Advocate would not be able to come. Who, or what, is the Advocate? It is the Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Holy Trinity. It is the source and guide for each of us, the ‘inner promptings’ that we sometimes receive that encourages us to do a certain thing. Our conscience is guided by it.

Our alcoholism made it impossible for us to pay attention to what the Holy Spirit tells us. Distractions from the world around us and from our own inner turmoil prevent us from hearing the ‘still, small voice’ that is the will of God caring for us.

Prayer and a disciplined life (living moderately and responsibly) helps us to keep in tune with the Holy Spirit’s promptings.

But the Ascension, important as it was for the Holy Spirit to descend upon the Earth (10 days later on the Solemnity of Pentecost), how does it relate to our sobriety?

Jesus had completed the task for which He incarnated Himself. He came down to Earth to die. He had done this, along with leaving behind a body of teachings to live by. He also established a Church to safeguard and defend those teachings until He returns. The Holy Spirit’s chief task is to prevent that Church from teaching error in matters of doctrine and dogma. It doesn’t prevent that Church or its members from behaving sinfully, after all, the Church is composed of sinners. But we have the guarantee that where the Church speaks on Faith and Morals in line with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit protects the Church’s voice, namely, the Pope. We have an assured guide when we are confused, or when our moral compass is not pointing True North.

If we are sober then we have completed a task. We have stopped drinking. Our alcoholic self has essentially died, and a new person is born. That person is now open to clearly an willingly receive the graces and guidance that the Holy Spirit offers, and we as Catholics can receive the Body and Blood of Christ in Holy Communion. Jesus died and lives in us in the sacramental nature of the Eucharist, and through this union we can better live out our Baptismal promises of rejecting Satan and sin. If we were Confirmed in the Faith as young adults we can grow more deeply in the Holy Spirit and spiritually develop in ways that those who adhere to a more secular way of living are puzzled and confused over. They need false and valueless stimuli as TV and and other worldly crutches to cope with the day.

Pray to Jesus, go to Mass and receive Holy Comunion, if you can. And start preparing for Pentecost, which comes in 10 day’s time.

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!!)

Mother's Day

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From a post on my Mom’s birthday back in January.

Happy Mother’s Day, Mom. I miss 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!!)

Lighting the darkness

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The recent posts of mine in the “Daily Wisdom Dose” project reminded me of a couple of verses from Psalms that have helped me innumerable times:

Psalm 18:29-30;

You, LORD, give light to my lamp; my God brightens the darkness about me.
With you I can rush an armed band, with my God to help I can leap a wall.

The progression of the psalmist’s prayer is gradual and beautiful, making it relatively easy to memorize.

The lighting of my lamp, coming from God, brightens the darkness about me. Perhaps growing in wisdom and understanding is making you see things more clearly, either Divine Truths or just the world as it is?

With the resulting awareness, backed by God, you can now have the strength to undertake any venture. Fear is overcome, it is scattered by illumination. “Leap a wall”: any obstacle, whether it’s a serious difficulty or just interior demons haunting you, telling you that you will fail, can be surmounted.

Take the time to memorize this verse, ponder its meaning and say it to yourself the next time you are pining away for a drink, or facing something that caused you to drink in the past.

The obstacle is diminished.

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!!)

Guardian and protector

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For today’s Daily Wisdom Dose we turn to Proverbs 2:8;

Guarding the paths of justice, protecting the way of his pious ones.

This is a continuation of Proverbs 2:7 (look it up) and ensures that despite the trials and tribulations and turmoil of ordinary life, God will see us through them. It may be difficult, and often times it would seem if God is not there, as indeed it is hard to see Him when all is dark. But at those times when God seems furthest away, He is really quite close, hearing the prayers of our wounded heart and soul.

Think back as to how you were led out of the darkness of active alcoholism. When things seemed at their most despairing point, something happened to get you out of it. The circumstances are maybe unique to each individual, but you are here now reading this instead of drinking or dying.

An instrument of God’s grace helped you. You may not have been “pious”, but the piety of your scream for help was heard.

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!!)

Counsel and shield

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The Daily Wisdom Dose for today:

Proverbs 2:7

He has counsel in store for the upright, he is the shield of those who walk honestly…

By following God’s will, and in listening for it in either in prayer or in the variety of life, we are given His counsel, His advice and guidance on getting through the daily routine. Being upright and honest, that is, living out your life in accord with God’s will and commands earns for you the gifts of His counsel and strength. These are freely available to all, but most fail to avail themselves of them because they do not see and hear due to the distractions of life.

It is said that people of Faith, particularly those who pray frequently, experience less stress and anxiety than those who follow purely secular means of coping. The latter are groping in the dark, and in trying to get through things on their own experience the stresses of that burden. With the counsel of the Lord guiding you, and the shield of the Lord (the armor of Faith, the detachment from the values and morals of the world) about you, there is nothing that cannot be handled.

Prayer calms you, settles and relaxes you. I’ve written before about it, here
and here.

Once regular prayer clears out the daily fears and frustrations, you are better able to recieve the gifts that God has available for you. It’s there for the asking.

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!!)

Feast of Sts. Philip and James, Apostles

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An excerpt from the Gospel of today’s Mass:

John 14:6

Jesus said to him, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Jesus is the sole way to the Father, He preaches the Father’s Truths and belief in Him gains one eternal life with the Father in Heaven.

These are the Truths that the Apostles handed down to us through the centuries of Christianity, and that is the Faith that we profess today.

If we follow this Faith with sincerity, fidelity and with humility, we will have the strength to persevere through anything that is dealt to us by circumstance. No further need have we for alcohol when we have Jesus, the Bread of Life.

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!!)

Memorial of St. Athanasius (May 2) Part 2: Final Perseverance

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An excerpt from the Gospel of today’s Mass of the Memorial of St. Athanasius (Matthew 10:22)

You will be hated by all because of my name, but whoever endures to the end will be saved.

Somewhere I read (it might have been a quote from the writings of St. Josemaria Escriva) that the trials and tribulations, all the sufferings that we go through, are in a sense training for final perseverance, the hour of our death where Satan launches his last attempt to snatch us away from God. All our troubles are NOT for nothing if we always get through them (regardless of how long it takes) and always come out the other side looking for and reaching out to Jesus, who will also be fighting for us during the Final Hour.

The first part of the Gospel passage, about how we will be hated by all because of His name, is about how that as Christians, we live in opposition to the world’s moral values. We do not subscribe to the way the world thinks human life should be lived. And because of this, Satan, the Prince of the World, will try and take us away from Jesus, especially at the end, when we are weakest.

Satan may not wait until the end of our lives. He may try and tempt us with the allurements of alcohol and other things way before that time. Especially since he knows our weakness lies in addiction, we may be consistently tempted throughout our lives, no matter how sober and clean we’ve been, to try it just one more time.

What could one hurt? Plenty. Eternity could be lost.

Don’t fall for the lie. Trust in Jesus now, and He will be there to help you throughout life, and particularly at the end.

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!!)

Memorial of St. Athanasius (May 2nd)

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Today’s Mass was the Memorial of St. Athanasius. An excerpt from the First Reading (1 John 5:3-5):

For the love of God is this, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome, for whoever is begotten by God conquers the world. And the victory that conquers the world is our faith.
Who (indeed) is the victor over the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

Here, then is the key in our victory over alcohol. If we keep the Commandments of the Lord, we show that we love God, and we are rewarded with victory over the world (especially its allurements and entrapments, such as alcohol).

An interesting point is made in the verse that states, “And His commandments are not burdensome…”. The world will tell you the opposite. The world will tell you that following God’s commandments puts you at odds with fully enjoying the world’s offerings of sin and wonder. And didn’t we agree to this when we were drinking? Didn’t we cast off the “shackles” of organized religion? Didn’t we feel “freer”. Perhaps, until we were caught in the world’s traps, and discovered the false allure of the world’s “freedom”. It’s “freedom” comes at a price (alcoholism, drug and porn addiction, sexually transmitted disease).

His commandments are not burdensome. They instead liberate us from the confines of the world and help us overcome it and conquer it. If we look upon them as best we humanly can from the perspective of eternity, then we can see they are easy to follow, once we keep our eyes on the prize of Heaven and our salvation.

Keep your eyes on the prize.

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!!)