Introduction To approach a discussion about solitude and intimacy it is necessary first to define solitude as something other than loneliness. Loneliness is an experience that can happen when a person is in isolation from others, or with others. Being with others doesn’t necessarily cure loneliness. Loneliness is a painful human experience that also can […]
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As I was scrolling through #CatholicTwitter today I noticed a number of tweets about intrusive thoughts. It seemed that one person’s disclosure of struggling with intrusive thoughts prompted others to identify and come forward with theirs. I take a position that, in general, American Catholic piety is by-and-large focused on exterior acts that promise rewards:
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In Sacred Scripture we read that we must not let the sun go down while still angry, that to do so gives the devil a foothold (Eph. 4:26-27). The book of James speaks in many places about the virtue of patience and gentleness and warns that anger leads to unrighteousness. The Proverbs are full of
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The result was nil until we let go absolutely… (How it Works, AA) A friend asked me the other day what it means to let go absolutely. He brought up a line in the book Alcoholics Anonymous that says the result was nil until we let go absolutely. Upon immediate analysis it is clear that
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If I stay sober emotionally, I can be mindful of when I start being driven by the attitude of lust. And when I see it, I can let it go. In my meditation this morning I was able to experience how my addiction to lust makes my whole body tense and drives me like a
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The longing for happiness, deeply rooted in the human heart, has always been accompanied by a desire to be free from illness and to be able to understand the meaning of sickness when it is experienced. – Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, Instruction on Prayers for Healing In every heart there is a longing for happiness. In the
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