Catholic in Recovery

Founder of Catholic in Recovery Scott Weeman shares, "Clean house, serve God, help others. A shift in your attitude and approach this Lent can have an impact for the rest of your lifebut is best when taken one day at a time."

Fighting to remain in a moment that has passed or looking to replicate a spiritual experience can prevent us from encountering the will of God in the present. We can certainly delight in the past and should carry moments of divine revelation with us, but we must not let that be a barrier to picking up our cross.

"Through the Twelve Steps, I learned how to cultivate a relationship with a God of my understanding. Steps four through seven taught me how to really look at myself: my wounds, my scars, and how the evil one had used them to entice me to make poor decisions in the name of self-defense."

Catholic in Recovery founder Scott Weeman shares, "A cycle of addiction (which often circles through indulgence, self-hating regret, momentary resistance, then back to indulgence) takes away our freedom and, in many ways, our free will."

A combination of awe, terror, wonder, confusion, hope, and trembling might describe our feelings in the early stages of recovery or as we enter further into the Church. Spiritual experiences come in all varieties, and God goes to great lengths to bring us comfort when it’s needed and afflictions when we get too comfortable.

We can’t do it alone, and sharing our work with a sponsor can be just as important as putting pen to paper to log the consequences of our self-centered behavior. We abandon ourselves to God by putting faith in the experience, strength, and hope of others who attend meetings and value their recovery. We share openly and honestly in meetings and with our sponsors so that the truth may set us free.

Scott writes, "Before I got sober I was all too familiar with how I had sinned so badly. What I was not aware of was how much I was actually loved."

Kathy offers a reflection on Step Eleven and why we can't do anything unless we are continuously seeking God.

"I’m sure you’ve all heard others in recovery say things like, 'grateful recovering Catholic' or 'you’d drink too if you were forced to go to a Catholic church as a child.'"

Self-knowledge can only get us so far. Acknowledging that we have been ruled by our specific addiction or compulsion is an important starting point. Beginning work on the First Step of recovery lays a foundation for the spiritual growth that is yet to come. As Catholics, we call this repentance.