If you wish to follow Jesus…

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Jesus makes it clear in today’s Gospel Reading for the Mass for the Thursday after Ash Wednesday what you have to do to be His follower:

Luke 9:22-25: “Jesus said to his disciples: ‘The Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised.’ Then he said to all, ‘If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. What profit is there for one to gain the whole world yet lose or forfeit himself?’”

(Via USCCB.)

Do you “take up your cross daily?” Meaning, do you accept and offer up as a sacrifice whatever troubles, trials and tribulations that come into your life as a sign that you are a follower of Christ, or do you avoid or reject them? It is a human thing to try to avoid them at times. We are not always “on the beam” and focused on what we are supposed to do. And so we repent and return to accepting the daily crosses that we bear.

Accepting and taking up the daily crosses are “little deaths” that we endure as signs that we “lose our life” for Christ’s sake. And in so doing, we save it.

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!!)

Now is the acceptable time, now is the day of salvation

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The Second Reading for the Mass for Ash Wednesday announces a particularly good news:

2 Corinthians 5:20-6:2: “Brothers and sisters: We are ambassadors for Christ, as if God were appealing through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who did not know sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God in him. Working together, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. For he says: In an acceptable time I heard you, and on the day of salvation I helped you. Behold, now is a very acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”

(Via USCCB.)

Lent is now. It is our time to return to the Lord. No matter what our religious and spiritual life has been, no matter how great our sacramental and prayer life has been, we are still “too far” from God. Now is the season of repentance, of turning our backs on sin and striving to become closer to the Lord.

There is a special reason for this. As the Apostle Paul write in the beginning of this Reading, we are emissaries of God, and His work in the world is accomplished through us. We have a special mission to carry out His will on Earth, we can only do that if we repent and reconcile our lives to the Lord.

We alcoholics and addicts understand conversion. But we can go beyond what is taught in 12 Step Meetings and merely “do not drink” or use and make spiritual progress in that regard.

We can take up our call to be ambassadors for Christ.

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!!)

40 Days of Catholic Media Lent

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Sean, over at Catholic Roundup, a blog and website that is a directory and one stop shop for all things Catholic New Media (blogs, podcasts and such) has a new project for the Lenten season. It is the 40 Days of Catholic Media 2011.

Sean’s purpose is three-fold: to use the 40 Days of Lent as a means for Catholic bloggers, podcasters and other community media creators to build community, increase their faith formation, and to get or offer whatever technical assistance that is needed for Catholic media people to improve their projects.

A lot of us who do this are isolated from one another. We blog or podcast from our own little offices or wherever and get little feedback from each other. “Is anybody out there? Is this thing on??? Hello?” So, there is an element of community support and creation in this project.

While many of us know our Catholic Faith pretty well, we are also not Pope Benedict XVI, individually or collectively. And so we always seek to increase our knowledge of the Faith. We have to know it in order to effectively transmit it though our online projects. In this manner we can help each other.

Many of us don’t necessarily have a good grasp as to how to go about all of this (I was clueless about getting domain names, and in using a paid host and not a free account on Blogger- and why it is better. I am still clueless about transferring files from my hard drive to the host -this is called “FTP”-, I still have to use scripts supplied by the host to accomplish things. If you don’t know what I am talking about, then maybe head over to Catholic Roundup this Lent. FTP tutorials are what I’m looking for!). So, there will be technical discussions for anyone in need of learning. Remember, there are no stupid questions, only unanswered ones.

In “More Details about 40 Days of Catholic Media” Sean outlines a weekly plan to cover these three areas. And in “Pardon Me, you seem to have a spot on your forehead” he starts the seasonal project off with something related to what a lot of Catholics are fearful of doing, walking around outside with dirt on their forehead during Ash Wednesday.

Why am I posting this? Well, as I’ve said many times in the past here, and most recently in my interview, I started this blog because there wasn’t anything else out there like it for recovering Catholic alcoholics an addicts. And there basically still isn’t. For some reason, Catholics who get clean and sober do not turn to interactive media like blogs and community sites to spread their Faith and how it impacts their recovery. There is the occasional blog, but their Catholicism seems peripheral to their recovery. They are 12 Steppers who happen to be Catholic, and they might mention their Faith now and then. Several have started, but have gone silent. Not too helpful to other recovering Catholics seeking online community.

So I am announcing Sean’s project and am participating in it so maybe I can see who else is out there. Maybe someone will get inspired and start another Catholic-focused recovery project. I think Sean’s intent is directed to existing members of the Catholic online blogosphere and podcasting community. Mine, too, but I’m also looking to see who else might be interested in jumping in. If they see that there is a vibrant, online community willing to band and bond together and help out with affirmation, Faith formation and technical information, then who knows…

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!!)

Praying Lent 2011

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Every year Creighton University in Nebraska offers excellent Lenten seasonal resources. This year is no different as I direct you to:

Praying Lent 2011

(Via Creighton University.)

As I said, it is an excellent resource for a fruitful Lent.

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!!)

Xtreme Makeover Season is on

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Tomorrow begins Lent, a 40 day period of personal interior conversion and renewal. It is also a time to examine our relationships with other people and perhaps repair them. As Christians we are a community, members of the Body of Christ. If our relations with other people are in a shambles, then our attempts at interior conversion and growth in personal holiness will fall short. Remember the words of Jesus in the prayer that He taught us: “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

I admittedly write that with some fear and trepidation as there are relationships in my life that are in need or repair, if not outright resurrection from the dead. I leave them up to God’s will, for Him to provide the opportunity and courage to actually do anything, as I am unwilling to tread those paths.

Anyway, Lent is here, and I am posting links to two previous blogposts from earlier years, right here,
and here. Read them as an introduction and background.

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!!)

My interview on American Catholic Radio

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Well, it’s out! Judy Zarick’s interview with me, scheduled for this week, is available here:

American Catholic Radio looks at Ash Wednesday, conversion and social justice

The program is called “Living Faith with Judy Zarick.”

(Via Franciscan Media.)

All in all, the editing was great. It is a 5 minute distillation of a 20-25 minute-long interview.

(The only issue is that although the physical link to my blog is correct, at the end she spoke the old Blogger link. No matter, it just gives me a greater reason to edit the old site so that it is clear it is the defunct version.)

Anyway, click on the link above and give a listen!

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 next time you feel like GOD can’t use YOU

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just remember…

Noah was a drunk

Abraham was too old

Isaac was a daydreamer

Jacob was a liar

Leah was ugly

Joseph was abused

Moses had a stuttering problem

Gideon was afraid

Sampson had long hair and was a womanizer

Rahab was a prostitute

Jeremiah and Timothy were too young

David had an affair and was a murderer

Elijah was suicidal

Isaiah preached naked

Jonah ran from God

Naomi was a widow

Job went bankrupt

John the Baptist ate bugs

Peter denied Christ

The Disciples fell asleep while praying

Martha worried about everything

The Samaritan woman was divorced, more than once

Zaccheus was too small

Paul was too religious

Timothy had an ulcer

AND Lazarus was dead!

God can use you just the way you are. Besides you aren’t the message, you are just the messenger.

Special thanks to BroJer over at Bro Jer’s Blog for coming up with or finding this gem.

PS: This reminds me of a quip by Mother Angelica of EWTN: “God doesn’t call the equipped, He equips the called.”

PPS: A followup:

serving Jesus is about being “callified” not “qualified”

(Via brojer’s posterous.)

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!!)

Listen for me on the radio during the week of March 7th

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I will be on Catholic radio! A few months ago, I was interviewed by Judy Zarick of St. Anthony Messenger Press for the “American Catholic Radio” show. My interview will be aired the week of March 7th. During that week you all can find it at FranciscanMedia. Look for American Catholic Radio over to the right, and click on “Current Program”. I will be featured in the “Living Faith” segment of program identified as #11-11. The segment only last about 5 minutes. ACR is heard on Catholic radio stations all over, if it isn’t in your area, you can listen online.

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!!)

A window into the world of Catholicism

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Recently this blog and its sister blog, The Four Last Things, were added to Planet Catholic , which is an aggregator (collection) of Catholic sites. We thank them for this consideration and hope that readers of Planet Catholic will find my two blogs interesting and useful.

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!!)

Cherish no grudge

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The First Reading from the Mass for today is an exhortation against holding resentments.

Leviticus 19:1-2,17-18: “The LORD said to Moses, ‘Speak to the whole Israelite community and tell them: Be holy, for I, the LORD, your God, am holy. ‘You shall not bear hatred for your brother or sister in your heart. Though you may have to reprove your fellow citizen, do not incur sin because of him. Take no revenge and cherish no grudge against any of your people. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.’”

(Via USCCB.)

As alcoholics and addicts we are told quite frequently about the dangers of holding onto resentments. They are dangerous to our continued sobriety and do not serve any useful purpose. They only hold us back in our spiritual development.

The Lord tells us something more, however. Holding a grudge prevents you from being holy. “Be holy, for I, the LORD, your God, am holy.”

We are made in the image and likeness of God, and it is our duty to “keep that image polished,” so to speak.

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!!)