by "Sparrowfallen"
Saturday, January 16, 2010
My seventh prayer intention of the year 2010 is one that is of deep personal meaning: I will pray in a special way for the healing of alcoholics and addicts, and those who love them and care for them.
The initial purpose of this blog was to testify to the miraculous grace of healing I have been given by Christ, in the form of a release from the "little Hell" of active alcoholism. I was painfully and sorrowfully confined within the prison of my own self-will, in the strong bonds of alcoholism: joyless, listless, and, in the end, hopeless. I carry some of the wounds with me to this day; perhaps I will as long as I live, but my faith and hope lead me to conclude that healing is always at work, albeit sometimes more slowly than I believe it should be.
The affliction of alcoholism left me with flagging will, tattered memory, and erratic intellect; the healing power of Christ has given me hope, faith, and charity. I have been given graces far beyond anything I deserve, but which I gladly and gratefully accept: loving friends, opportunities to use my talents for God's glory, a community of believers, strengthened relationships with family. All of these things I have seen happen not only for me, but for other people of all backgrounds who have come to know God and to accept the forgiveness offered through His Son.
The Carmelite priest Fr. Augustine-Marie of the Blessed Sacrament, (Hermann Cohen), once said in a sermon, "Do you believe, my brothers, that God converted us just for our own benefit? No, a thousand times no. It is for others as much as for ourselves, that they may avoid the reefs against which we have shipwrecked. Yes, He has nailed us as signposts before the gates of Hell to say, 'Don't go this way.'"
Though he was speaking in the terms of one who came into the Church from Judaism, Father Cohen's words resonate with me and are a motto of mine. I, too, have been nailed as a signpost before the gates of Hell, and it is my hope that through my prayers and my testimony that other suffering alcoholics and addicts might come to know the forgiveness and peace of friendship with Christ.
I offer my Saturday prayers for the healing and consolation of alcoholics and addicts, through the intercession of the Venerable Matt Talbot.
Note: We thank "Sparrowfallen" for permission to cross-post his prayer.