Novena for Those Impacted by Addiction

Scott Weeman, Founder, Catholic in Recovery, announced today (9/22/2020) the following message at https://catholicinrecovery.com/novena/

The novena begins tomorrow so sign up immediately.

“Our Catholic in Recovery team is excited to share the launch of a new Catholic in Recovery Novena! A novena is a nine-day prayer rooted in ancient tradition that invites us to consider a specific intention and often invokes the intercession of a saint or saints. We will be accompanied by the likes of Saint Jude, Saint Maximilian Kolbe, Saint Augustine, Saint Monica, and others who are related to addiction recovery as we bring our intentions to the Lord. We hope this serves as a source of hope and healing for anyone impacted by addictions, compulsions, and unhealthy attachments.

Please join us in praying the Catholic in Recovery Novena by clicking the link above and signing up with your email address. With new participants signing up each day, we will be continually praying with and for each other. Families and communities will have the opportunity to unite in prayer together through shared intentions. Please share this valuable resource with others who may need the spiritual communion of prayer and hope, and be sure to sign up today to join us in prayer beginning tomorrow!”

Saints Are Ordinary People Driven By Great Love

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This article is from a chapter in Mother Angelica’s Guide to Practical Holiness, which is available from Sophia Institute Press. 

Saints: Ordinary People Driven By Great Love

Mother Angelica

September 11, 2020

https://catholicexchange.com/saints-ordinary-people-driven-by-great-love

The concept of the perfect, faultless saint is unrealistic. We have only to look at the gospels to see how imperfect the Apostles and first Christians were. There was a point in their lives when they changed. We call that point the time of their “conversion,” their encounter with the Sanctifying Spirit. For the Apostles it was Pentecost, for Paul it was a blinding light on the road to Damascus, for Cornelius it was the mere presence of Peter.

However, most of the saints did not have dramatic experiences. As we have seen in the life of Matt Talbot, was pain, disappointment, and a feeling of emptiness that pushed him into the arms of God. No matter what happened, the saints determined at some point to follow Jesus. A vacuum deep in their souls began to be filled, for they found the pearl of great price. They all changed their lives, some their state in life, but they did not get rid of their weaknesses. They fought harder, conquered more often and grew, like Jesus, “in grace and wisdom before God and men” (Luke 2:52).

 

In the Acts we see Peter’s vacillating spirit making him and everyone else miserable as he took so much time deciding the fate of the Gentiles. Paul’s temper flared quickly as he argued his point before the gathering of Apostles. John, called by Jesus a son of thunder, had little patience with those who would not follow Jesus.

In the lives of all the saints we find the following similarities:

          - love for God and neighbor,

               -determination to imitate Jesus,

               -an immediate rising after a fall,

               -a complete breakaway from grievous sin,

               -growth in virtue and prayer,

          -and the accomplishment of God’s Will.

These factors are available to every human being; they do not exclude imperfections and faults. We must make a distinction between faults and sins. A saintly person keeps the Commandments; however, he may possess various human qualities, dispositions that make the imitation of Jesus a sanctifying process. These weaknesses make him choose constantly between himself and God. It is in this emptying of oneself and the “putting on of Jesus” that he becomes holy.

Holiness is a “growth experience” and growth consists in advancing in knowledge, love, self-control and all those other imitable virtues of Jesus. We must not lose sight of holiness as we grow, for holiness only means that Jesus is more to us than anyone or anything else in the world. But this desire to belong entirely to God does not exclude being loving to our neighbor, compassionate, caring, patient and kind. Our desire to belong to God enhances all these virtues in our souls, increases our love for our neighbor and makes us more unselfish.

A housewife becomes holy by being a loving wife and mother, filled with compassion for her family because she is filled with the compassionate Jesus.

A husband and father becomes holy by being a good pro­vider, hardworking, honest and understanding because his model is the provident Jesus.

Both husband and wife become holy together as their love for Jesus grows. Love makes them see themselves and change those frailties that are not like their Model. In doing this, life together is less complicated and more loving and understanding. They are bound together by love and prayer, mutual striving and forgiving.

Children become holy by being obedient, thoughtful, joyful and loving. These qualities are maintained by grace and prayer.

Being faithful to the duties of one’s state in life and faithful to the grace of the moment are not as easy as they appear. Our temperament, weaknesses, society, work and even the weather clamor for our attention. Living a spiritual life in an unspiritual world and maintaining the principles of Jesus over the principles of this world is hard, but within reach of all. The paradox is that if we choose evil over good it is hell all the way to hell and that is harder.

Christianity is a way of life, a way of thought, a way of action that is contrary to the way of the world. This makes the Christian stand alone and it is this aloneness that discourages him from striving for holiness. However, it is this same aloneness that makes him stand out in a crowd. He becomes a beacon for those who do not enjoy the darkness, a light that enlightens the minds of all around him, a fire that warms cold hearts.

He struggles as all men struggle; he works, eats, sleeps, cries and laughs, but the spirit in which he accomplishes ordinary human needs and demands makes him holy. He does not always make the right decisions but he learns from his mistakes. He does not correspond to every grace, but he accepts his failures with humility and tries harder to be like the Master. He does not condone sin, and though he is ever aware of his own sinner condition, he loves his neighbor enough to correct him with gentleness when his soul is in danger.

He is free to have or have not, for his real treasure is Jesus and the invisible realities. He can possess with detachment or be dispossessed without bitterness.

He knows his Father well enough to entrust his past to His mercy. The Spirit is a friend who guides his steps and straight­ens the crooked paths ahead. His time and talents are spent in the imitation of Jesus in the ever present now.

The saint is the person who loves Jesus on a personal level; loves Him enough to want to be like Him in everyday life; loves Him enough to take on some of His loveable character­istics. Like Jesus, he lovingly accomplishes the Father’s Will, knowing that all things are turned to good because he is loved personally by such a great God.

Let us not be confused by the talents and missions of other Saints. Let us be the kind of saints we were created to be. There are no little or great saints — only men and women who struggled and prayed to be like Jesus — doing the Father’s Will from moment to moment wherever they are and whatever they are doing.

Saints are ordinary people with the compassion of the Father in their souls, the humility of Jesus in their minds and the love of the Spirit in their hearts. When these beautiful qualities grow day by day in everyday situations, holiness is born.

The Father gave His Son so we would become His children and heirs of His Kingdom. Jesus was born, lived and died and rose to show us the way to the Father. The Spirit gave us His gifts so we would be clothed with the jewels of virtue, the gold of love, the emeralds of hope and the brilliant diamonds of faith.

Let us not be content with the scotch tape and the aluminum foil of this world.

Be Holy — wherever you are!

The Glories of Recovery

This author has written articles about Venerable Matt Talbot on his blog, http://www.sobercatholic.com that we have re-posted,  and we appreciate his wife, Rose Santuci-Sofranko, alerting us to the following article by Paul.

 
The Glories of Recovery 
By Paul Sofranko
09/10/2020
https://www.liguorian.org/the-glories-of-recovery/

Alcoholism may be one of humanity’s oldest addictions.
Wine and other intoxicating beverages—along with their potential to cause problems—have been with us since the development of agriculture.

In the Book of Genesis, Noah—a good farmer—planted a vineyard. And, after harvesting grapes, he promptly “drank some of the wine, became drunk, and lay naked inside his tent” (Genesis 9:21). There is no scriptural record of Noah’s wine drinking becoming problematic. Nevertheless, it’s safe to say that alcohol’s use has been accompanied by its abuse from the beginning of human civilization.

The Glorification of Alcohol and the Tragedy of Addiction

Alcohol abuse has been glorified in popular culture for a long time. Heavy drinking has been depicted as a sign of manhood, especially if you can “hold it.” Books, movies, and TV shows have always been flooded with tough-guy characters who drink a lot. And broken-down women who can or can’t hold their liquor. Drunkards are also common comedic characters. Skits by Red Skelton and Foster Brooks come to mind, as do the Arthur films.

Yet for millions, drinking is no laughing matter. For such people, boozing is tragic. Lives are lost, home life is ripped apart, jobs and careers vanish. The variety of horrors resulting from uncontrolled drinking is longer than all the fancy lists you can find of cocktails, wines, and beers.

Alcoholism can strike anyone. It ignores age, race, sex, gender, nationality, religion, or any other label we can place on people. Origins and causes remain speculative. Compelling evidence supports either “nature” or “nurture,” meaning genetic and hereditary sources or familial upbringing could be the origin, or some combination. My Liguorian article isn’t concerned with why addiction happens. But because I am sure you, our reader, either is an addict or knows someone who is, this article hopes to address the question, “Now what?” I think I can help.

The Essential Role of our Faith in Recovery

We are Catholics, and as such we follow our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We know he is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Thus I can assure you there is a Way, using his Truth, to recover the Life he holds out for us.

According to the old Baltimore Catechism, we are put on this earth to love and serve God in this life so we can be happy with him forever in the next. God is our first beginning and our last end. Life is what happens in between. And because of Original Sin, we suffer from concupiscence, which disturbs that life. Our tendency toward sin has many degrees, from venial sins—which damage our relationship with God and others—to mortal sins—which  cause severe harm, including destroying a life of grace in the soul.

Somewhere in the mix of any life, addiction can fall. For an addict, at some point the normal use of a drink or a drug becomes abusive—crossing a line that’s different for every soul—and becoming a disease. Addiction is when the need for the substance becomes compulsive and causes spiritual, mental, and physical harm to the user.

Catholic spiritual writers for centuries have referred to addiction as an “inordinate attraction.” In a world that’s wounded by sin and fear, in which people are marginalized by impersonal and uncaring governments and businesses, where multitudes of messages bombard people through media venues that cause some to doubt themselves and make them feel less than others, it is no surprise that folks seek an escape. Drinking enables people to build a fantasy: a unique perception about themselves that is vastly superior to a reality in which they lack the control they desire.

Which brings us here:

The Sin and False Reality of Addiction

The title of this article is a purposeful homage to the classic text on the Blessed Virgin Mary by St. Alphonsus Liguori, The Glories of Mary. While by no means equating this work with that of the saint, it is intended to convey what our ultimate goal should be: arriving at our true home, heaven, and basking in the glory of God and in being glorified ourselves.

We are made in the image and likeness of God, and therefore our souls reflect his image. Tragically, this image is distorted and clouded daily by sin, sometimes to the point of completely obscuring it. Addictions in and of themselves are sinful in that individual wills are corrupted, with the consequences that things are done that ought not to occur.

Through addiction, people enter a false reality, their self-esteem and ego soar on wings like eagles, hurts are avenged, losses and missed opportunities are reimagined into victories, grievances are settled and—in short—they feel “healed.” Of course, the “healing” is as fake as the reality. The “healing” feeling will persist as long as the addict can function in his or her addiction. But at some point, the feeling will come crashing down, and life will become a wreck that the addict created and which desperately needs salvaging.

Recovery: The Path to a Fulfilling Life

Works of mercy, typically called “recovery,” are in place to assist people in addressing their addiction. Recovery helps people overcome addiction, rebuild lives, repair relationships with people and particularly with God so that when life comes to its end and we meet Jesus—our Just and Merciful Judge—we can hear his anticipated words, “Welcome my good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Father.”

Recovery is redemptive. What was lost is recovered. It may be different from what might have been had alcohol or drugs not become destructive. Nevertheless, in recovery, a life that is now responsible and rightly ordered can be achieved.

To those who have a loved one in the vice of addiction, the most important thing you can do is pray fervently for that person until she or he reaches out in need. People generally do not begin recovery until they want it. Those who truly want to do the work necessary to recover will reach a point where they realize that if they continue drinking they will die, whereas if they stop drinking they may only want to die.

If addicts choose the hard work of recovery, they will eventually choose life, and you can hope to be present when they do. That is important: be present to them. At the moment they no longer want to live the way they are living, in their broken and wounded spirit, they will not know what to do beyond not wanting to drink anymore.

If you wish to be informed about addiction, how to respond to it, and what recovery from it looks like, resources are available in your community and online. Your local yellow pages book or online can point them out to you. The information you find will help you minister to your loved one’s needs. Immerse yourself in prayer and beseech the Holy Spirit to lead and guide you. Insight into where to go may come from any source. Listen and be open to inspiration. Humility is also essential, as your loved one may resist your help and seek it elsewhere, perhaps even in recovery organizations. It is often believed—and in my opinion it’s often true—that only another addict can help an addict. Addicts in recovery have credibility from living through and recovering on a daily basis from the problem.

If you have an addiction and are seeking help, there are numerous recovery groups available, from Step organizations and those using other recovery methods. Make use of them. They comprise individuals who have been where you are now, they have suffered through it and now have a life that no longer wants the crutches of the drink or the drug. If you fear how difficult it might be to live a life clean and sober, they will teach you.

Recovery programs are like the practice fields athletes use before going out onto the actual field of play. On the recovery field you will learn the life skills you need and how to keep from returning to the addictive drug or drink of choice to cope.

Help from Fellow Catholics and Other Like-minded People

The Calix Society is a prime Catholic organization offering assistance to alcoholics. “The society is an association of Catholic alcoholics who are maintaining their sobriety through affiliation with and participation in the Fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous,” says a line from calixsociety.org.

While Alcoholics Anonymous is not a Catholic organization, its early history reveals the influence of Catholics. AA’s Twelve Steps were developed with the assistance of a Jesuit priest, Fr. Ed Dowling of St. Louis. The steps are closely related to the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola in their exposition of faults, the amendment of life, and growing closer to God.

Sr. Ignatia, who worked with AA co-founder “Dr. Bob” in his hospital, awarded Sacred Heart badges to alcoholics who successfully left treatment. This initiated the tradition in AA groups of giving monthly and annual chips or medallions to people after periods of self-proclaimed sobriety.

My blog, “Sober Catholic” (found on sobercatholic.com) contains links to many useful resources for anyone who is looking to apply their Catholic faith in seeking assistance for addictions. It has been online since January 2007, and I have endeavored to maintain links to useful resources on it. I believe Jesus, the Divine Physician, established the Catholic Church and its resources, including  the liturgical and sacramental life, ministries, and lay apostolates. Our Church, in my view, therefore can be an effective partner for the alcoholic and addict in staying clean and sober. I am not a certified recovery specialist, just a sober guy with a blog. But my application of my Catholic faith has been primarily responsible for keeping me sober for many years. I have published two devotional booklets, The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts, and The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics (for information and to order, see sobercatholic.com). The former carries the reader through all twenty mysteries of the rosary with reflections on each one and how they relate to the alcoholic. The latter does the same with the Stations of the Cross. The reader goes on a healing journey as the old person is cast off and the new person emerges.

The Catholic faith, with its rich traditions of the sacraments, especially the Eucharist and reconciliation, can assist with sobriety. Perhaps not completely on its own. Sometimes the sick need resources that deal specifically with an illness. In that regard, you or your loved ones should make responsible use of qualified professionals, from clinical recovery specialists to treatment centers or therapists. But there is an inexhaustible fount of graces and healing flowing from our Church. With those, the glories of sobriety—for your loved one or you if you suffer with addiction—are within reach.

 

Dealing with Drug and Alcohol Addiction During a Pandemic

After reading some postings on our Venerable Matt Talbot Resource Center site, a reader and his team offered us the opportunity of re-posting the following article: https://detoxofsouthflorida.com/drug-and-alcohol-addiction-during-a-pandemic/.

INTRODUCTION

Drug and Alcohol Addiction During a Pandemic: COVID-19 pandemic has hit differently compared to many other epidemics that have occurred before. It will get marked in history as an era of pain, anxiety, panic, and depression. In case we survive this pandemic as we pray and hope for the very best, the world will be all changed. This pandemic has impacted the restriction of social gatherings, thus no attending the churches, schools got closed, businesses are dissolving every day. And each new day there is an introduction to more and more restrictions which are stricter than the previous ones. This pandemic has even turned the economy upside down. Social distancing means sometimes we do not have to be close to our loved ones like before, It also means people are not even attending their jobs hence financially disabled.

Research says many people may turn into abusing drugs, also let’s only consider the rates of people who have lost their jobs in the United States currently. After the pandemic, we may face addiction more than even the economic crisis. Just like the coronavirus has affected the world both socially and financially also, it has changed the domain of recovery and addiction. The wave of anxiety and fear that is wafting during this pandemic has contributed to a lot of individuals holding back from continuing or seeking addiction treatment and therapies.

EFFECT OF COVID-19 ON THE ADDICT BODY

Generally. addiction affects the body of the user in various means, it weakens the immune system and also alters the functioning of the inner organs. For example, the long term and frequent use of alcohol cause inflammation, pancreatitis, liver cirrhosis, fibrosis, alcohol hepatitis and it’s known for causing various types of cancer and brain damage. These health conditions which are brought by alcohol causes the user to be more vulnerable to the COVID -19 symptoms.

Prolonged abuse of opioids such as heroin, fentanyl, codeine, and hydrocodone causes pulmonary and respiratory complications. Smoking of drugs such as marijuana or tobacco drastically weakens the lungs thus putting long term smokers into a risk of being profoundly affected by the coronavirus. According to the research from the national institute on drug abuse, they reported individuals with substance use disorder and smoker’s coronavirus is a significant threat to them. When COVID-19 infects an individual. It begins with weakening the cells on the lining of the lungs.

Thus the pre-symptoms of coronavirus are fever, headache, fatigue, and dry cough, shortness of breath and muscle pain. The symptoms get more severe after the infection reaches the lower respiratory tract. An individual who has a healthy immune system may be able to recover from the virus when it’s in the upper respiratory tract. However, coronavirus may cause severe impacts in the body such as pneumonia, and bronchitis, in more severe instances which is rare COVID-19 may cause acute respiratory distress syndrome. A healthy individual can fully recover from COVID-19 however if an individual has health complications such as chronic diseases, pulmonary abnormalities then they are at a high risk of not improving or more vulnerable to get severe illness.

CORONA VIRUS IMPACTS TO INDIVIDUALS WITH MENTAL HEALTH COMPLICATIONS.

Before I even jump into the effects of COVID-19 to mental health patients, let me point out that mental health and substance abuse are closely linked. Thus approximately fifty percent of individuals with mental disorders are as a result of prolonged use abuse of substances.

When an individual has substance abuse disorder and mental health issues. the condition is referred to as dual diagnosis or co-occurring disorder. Basing this conclusion on research, most individual’s abuse drugs to calm down and cope with their mental health. Some individuals confess that after using alcohol. smoking or other drugs, they get temporary relief from anxiety and stress, and they go in the state of nirvana ‘as they say. Fifty-three percent of substance abusers are said to have severe mental disorders, however, thanks to the rehabilitation centers, which offer services of treating the co-occurring condition. Actually, with the increased tensions and stress on the coronavirus, it’s the best time to seek treatment.

The increase of COVID 19 pressure may lead to worry and fear of loved one’s health and individual’s health Changes in eating and sleeping patterns more use of tobacco. alcohol and other drugs.

Therefore individuals with mental disorders, should continue receiving treatment and pay attention to worsening or new symptoms. WHO has requested people to limit news about coronavirus, which may cause more anxiety and instead get information from the trusted sources. WHO recommends the caregivers, media experts, doctors and first responders to the COVID 19 patients that in the process they may experience emotional toll and develop secondary traumatic stress. Thus in case, they experience fear, social withdrawal, illness, fatigue or guilt they should pull away from the media and allow themselves time for self-care to unwind.

ACCESSING TO ABUSE TREATMENT DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC. With the environment surrounding this pandemic such as the social distance, risk of substance use may increase, due to stress, isolation, and anxiety caused by COVID19. Therefore the addiction treatment should remain accessible.

OUTPATIENT TREATMENT

This program is for individuals with a mild addiction, they attend rehab during the day, but they go home. Upon arrival, they are screened for Covid-19 symptoms, in case they test positive they are isolated, and a telehealth treatment plan gets initiated. The patients who don’t have Covid-19 symptoms continue or begin addiction treatment while observing physical distance and sanitation.

VIRTUAL 12-STEP MEETINGS

This is a crucial stage for individuals who are in the recovery stage of drug abuse disorder such as the narcotics anonymous and alcoholics anonymous. These meetings currently have stipulated measures such as physical distancing, and sanitary precautions, thus individuals no longer shake or hold hands and hugging. The 12 step meetings are still available through most individuals are afraid of attending them.

Remembering Venerable Matt Talbot

Venerable Matt Talbot has been and is being remembered and celebrated as “Saint of the Day,” “Feast Day of Matt Talbot,” “Remembrance Day” or  other similar heading on June 7, June 18 or June 19 depending on the source.
 

Rather than select one specific date, each of us may choose to be inspired and learn from Matt Talbot each and every day and to share his life with those who are addicted.

The Transformation of Venerable Matt Talbot

We sincerely appreciate this article written by K. V. Turley and published by the National Catholic Register. (We have changed the title above.)

The Mystery of Venerable Matt Talbot

Posted by K.V. Turley on Sunday Jun 7th, 2020

Matt Talbot walked the streets of Dublin as a mystic soul and an ambassador for Christ.

https://www.ncregister.com/blog/kturley/the-mystery-of-venerable-matt-talbot

On June 7, 1925, an elderly poorly dressed man collapsed in Granby Lane, Dublin.

Subsequently, he was taken to Jervis Street Hospital where he was found to be dead. Although his identity was as yet unknown, a curious discovery was made: He was wearing heavy chains, some wrapped around his legs, others around his body. Mortuary staff puzzled over not just who he was but also the meaning of the chains. 

The man was eventually identified as Matt Talbot.
 
Born in 1856 into a large Catholic family living in semi-poverty in Dublin, Talbot left school, barely literate, aged just 11 years old, going to work full-time as an unskilled laborer. By his teenage years he was hopelessly addicted to alcohol. Although he had the reputation of being a hard worker, his work ethic was simply the means by which to finance his "hard-drinking."

It is perhaps fitting, therefore, that the next phase of his life began outside a pub. That summer’s day in 1884, he had no money. He hoped that one of his fellow drinkers would stand him a drink. As each acquaintance filed past him into the pub, no one offered to buy him anything. Something then occurred that was to change Matt Talbot forever. Humiliated by the indifference of his erstwhile friends, he turned and walked straight home. His mother was surprised to see him at that early hour, and even more surprised to see him sober. He proceeded to clean himself up before announcing he was going to a nearby seminary to ‘take the pledge’ – a promise to abstain from all alcohol. His mother was mystified by this – and fearful. She knew that pledges made to God were not something to be taken lightly. She counseled him against doing any such thing unless he was intent on persevering. He listened and left.

Talbot did take the pledge that day. He also went to Confession. These actions were to prove the hallmarks of a genuine conversion, one as sincere as it was needed. Nevertheless, the first step of conversion takes but a moment, the work of sanctification a lifetime: after years of drunkenness, still besetting him was a weakness of character and a working world centered on alcohol.

After his conversion, not much changed, outwardly at least: Talbot continued with his employment in the Dublin docks. He continued to work hard, now respected more than ever by his fellow workers and employers who noticed that he had started to give his wages to his mother rather than straight to a publican. Previously, when not working, he had spent his time in public houses, but now he turned his back on all that. He had been ‘born anew’, but like a newborn was vulnerable to the world he inhabited. With little to cling to, he turned inward, to the Spirit that seeks to dwell within each baptized soul. And, as he did so, he commenced upon an interior journey that few could have imagined possible.

From then on, along the Dublin streets there began to move a mystic soul. Each morning, at 5 a.m., Talbot knelt upon the stone pavement outside a city church waiting for the doors to open and for the first Mass to begin. After the Holy Sacrifice, he would pray for a time before going to one of the timber yards near the docks. There he labored all day just like the rest of his fellow workers; but there were periods in the day when lulls and breaks would occur. Whilst the other workers gossiped or smoked, Talbot chose to be alone, kneeling in prayer in a hidden part of a workshop until the call came to return to his labors.

Each evening, when work was finished, Talbot walked home with his fellow workers. They all knew their companion’s free time was spent praying in a city church before the Blessed Sacrament. Often he asked them to join him in making a visit to Our Blessed Lord. Some did. After a short while, however, they would leave, while Matt still knelt in the gathering twilight. Eventually, when at night he did return home, it was to yet more prayer – and mortification. His bed was a plank of wood, as was his pillow. Although respected by those among whom he lived and worked, and although he was not unfriendly, he had few visitors. Those who did encounter him felt he was not quite of this world. They were right; he was traveling ever inwards on a journey to freedom he could never have envisaged when trapped in a never-ending alcoholic stupor.

When his belongings were found after his death, what surprised many was the number of books he owned. Inquires soon revealed that he had slowly, but determinedly, taught himself to read and, as he did so, effectively begun a course of study that included the spiritual classics, the lives of saints, doctrinal books, and works of mystical and ascetical theology. When asked by a friend how he, a poor workman, could read the works of St. Augustine, John Henry Newman and others, his reply was as straightforward as it was telling. He said he asked the Holy Spirit to enlighten him. And so he grew in an intellectual understanding of his faith that, in turn, deepened the prayer and penance he undertook.

His life ran alongside momentous events in Irish history. It was a time of cultural renaissance and nationalist fervor, of a Great Strike in 1913 and of open revolution in 1916, of the Great War and a war for independence, yet throughout it all Talbot’s life remained largely unchanged. He knew all too well that kingdoms rise and kingdoms fall, but that he had set his face to serve a different Kingdom, one shown him in 1884 when he confessed all and cast himself into the hands of the Living God.

Talbot never married; held no position of note, was unknown outside his small circle of family and friends — only one blurred photograph has survived him — and, yet, this was a rare man: one who had taken the Gospel at its word and lived it.

By 1925, Talbot was 69. He had been in poor health for some time. Out of necessity, he tried to continue working as there was only limited relief for the poor and elderly, but his strength was failing. However, even then, he persisted in his prayer and penance. On June 7, 1925, whilst struggling down a Dublin alleyway on his way to Mass, he fell. A small crowd gathered around him. A Dominican priest was called from the nearby church, the one to which Talbot had been hurrying. The priest came and knelt over the fallen man. Realizing what had happened, the priest raised his hand in a last blessing for a final journey.

Talbot died on Trinity Sunday; he was buried on the feast of Corpus Christi.

In 1975, Pope Paul VI bestowed a new title upon this humble workman: Venerable. Now Talbot is a heavenly patron for all those with addictions, alcohol or otherwise.

Still to this day there is a large trunk in the safekeeping of the Archdiocese of Dublin. It contains the books owned by the now Venerable Matt Talbot. A veritable treasury of spiritual theology, one of the books contained therein is True Devotion to Mary by St. Louis de Montfort. In its pages, de Montfort reflects on the choice of being a slave to this world or of the Blessed Virgin. For those that choose the latter path, it recommends, after due recourse to a spiritual director and suitable enrolment, that a chain be worn to symbolize that that soul no longer belongs to the powers of darkness but is instead now a child of the light.


On that June day in 1925 when Matt Talbot fell upon a Dublin street, his chains were those denoting nothing less than a slave to Mary and an ambassador for Christ.

95th Anniversary of Venerable Matt Talbot's Death

Today is the 95th anniversary of the death of Matt Talbot. Matt was on his way to Mass in St. Saviour’s on Trinity Sunday, June 7, 1925, when he collapsed and died on Granby Lane, Dublin.

Fifty years later, Pope Paul VI (now Saint Paul Vl)  gave him the title "Venerable." He is known as a patron of alcoholics and workers. 

Prayer for the Canonisation of Venerable Matt Talbot

 Lord, in your servant, Matt Talbot
you have given us a wonderful example
of triumph over addiction, of devotion to duty,
and of lifelong reverence for the Most Holy Sacrament.

May his life of prayer and penance
give us courage to take up our crosses
and follow in the footsteps
of Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

 Father,
if it be your will that your beloved servant
should be glorified by your Church,
make known by your heavenly favours
the power he enjoys in your sight.

We ask this through the same
Jesus Christ Our Lord.
Amen.

Venerable Matt Talbot's Shrine is located in Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Dublin.

Praying with Matt Talbot

We are very grateful to Father Don, CP, for writing and posting this homily on January 22, 2020 at https://www.stpaulofthecrossmonastery.com/homilies-reflections/praying-with-matt-talbot

Someone once said to me, “We are all addicts”. I have worked for a long time with people in AA. I know some people in NA and OA, and even SA.

Addictions… Plentiful

In an article by Richard Rohr, a modern spiritual writer, he describes how we are all addicts. He describes two of our generalized addictions… One he names ‘stinking thinking’. Do we always have to be right? Are our opinions set in concrete? Are we addicted to our habitual way of thinking and doing?

Rohr also points out another general addiction… All societies are addicted to themselves, to what they consider valuable and worthwhile. We Americans like to buy new stuff, money back guarantee, to make our lives easier or happier. How much of that stuff ends up in our garage? Are we addicted to ‘consumption? 

Rohr believes that only a life lived with a spiritual depth can get us beyond these generalized addictions. A developing prayer life plugs us into something deeper and richer than our social environs, commercials and the internet. Rohr calls this ‘divine therapy’. (See R. Rohr, Daily Meditations, Sunday, December 8, 2019)

There are also individual addictions we can suffer from. Some become addicted to alcohol and pills, others to shopping, others to the internet and porn. Some millennials become addicted to their smart phones… a recent study found that millennials check their smart phones on an average of 87 times a day. So much information… so little meaning. Many suffer from FOMO – a new dis-ease – Fear Of Missing Out. Would that we would lift our minds and hearts to God 87 times a day. Would that we suffered from FOMG – Fear Of Missing God.

Are you aware of any addictions in your life? How long have you had them? How do you deal with them?

Many people deny their addictions.  ‘I can stop internet shopping any time I want to’. Can you? Try it for two weeks. ‘I can stop porn any time I want to’. Can you? Try stopping for two weeks.

Remember, you can’t heal what you do not acknowledge.

The first step in dealing with our addiction… own up to it. We need to honestly recognize our activity as an addiction. Shortly I will be describing the life of Matt Talbot. At age 28 he had a ‘moment of clarity’ when he recognized how important booze was to him… he couldn’t stop drinking. He was in bondage to booze.

As I tell Matt’s story I will at times compare his experiences with those of people in AA.  In AA, for example, this ‘moment of clarity’ leads to the First of the Twelve Steps. 

‘We admitted we were powerless over alcohol… that our lives had become unmanageable.’ 

That’s what Matt Talbot experienced.

What about us? Instead of alcohol we might put drugs, food, sex, shopping, porn, or the way that our society believes that ‘stuff’ will make us happy. 

Remember, you cannot heal what you do not acknowledge.

How can we rise above our addiction (s)? What happened to Matt Talbot that began to change his life? As we go thru the life of Matt Talbot notice both the physical and the spiritual parts of his dealing with his alcoholism. Matt dealt with his alcoholism toward the end of the 1800’s, well before the publishing of AA’s Big Book in the 1939, which introduced the world to AA.

Heroes and Saints

Before looking at the life of Matt Talbot I would like to look at the topic of heroes and saints. This might help us understand why we’re even considering Matt Talbot and Praying with Matt Talbot.

Heroes…  19th Century

In an interesting book entitled A Call to Heroism by Harvard History Professor Peter Gibbon, he notes that in the 19th century our country paid homage to many heroes who it looked up to: George Washington, Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Abe Lincoln, Lewis and Clark.  Such heroes were larger than life. They inspired and challenged people. Heroes were distinguished by their achievements, by a certain largesse of soul. They participated in heroic events with courage and bravery.  Heroes enhanced life, they inspired and stretched our imagination. They showed nobleness and moral bravery, calling us to search for our better selves. They challenge us to “surmount adversity and fight despair.  Human beings become heroic when, against all odds, they persist; when despite their flaws, they achieve.”  (p. 183)

Heroes show us that we humans can overcome our frailties and flaws and follies, our ignorance and illnesses… that courage and patience can create something great.

As we examine the life of Matt Talbot, we see a hero who struggled with his alcoholism with courage and patience and certainly with God’s help.

Heroes show us that life is more than being a happy consumer, deluged in entertainment and in bondage to the constant need to consume more "stuff". Heroes challenge us to move beyond ‘my life is all about me’.

What happened to "heroes" in the 20th century?

With the wealth of information about past heroes now available, biography gave way to pathography. Biography used to celebrate talents and achievements, virtue and inspiring character traits. In the 20th century biographies of heroes began to highlight their quirks and their "dark sides." Heroes were debunked as their character defects and their foibles were intimately described.  The "clay feet" of heroes became all too visible. Today there is much cynicism and skepticism regarding so-called "heroes".  We live in a society that tends to look upon our leaders with skeptical eyes. We tend to be suspicious of anyone who might be considered as great or heroic.  

I find it interesting that Matt Talbot and many people in AA today own up to their addiction and their character defects. They witness to the action of God in their lives. Their lives are now spent in service to others. Prayer becomes important in Matt Talbot’s life and in the lives of AA people today.  AA’s Step 11 points to the importance of prayer in our life.

Step 11… Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out. (Big Book, P. 59)

Our modern society seldom if ever recognizes or encourages this.

As we present Matt Talbot’s life, we will see the heart of this Step 11 in his life as he developed his spiritual life. 

For us Catholics we look to our family of saints for examples of heroism. Saints are members of God's family who have passed from this life to the banquet of life in the presence of God.  They are still an important part of our faith journey thru this life. We believe that even now they care for us by interceding for us before God.  But the saints do more. They are examples and challenges.

The saints show us how God's grace can transform peoples' lives. Matt Talbot’s life shows us how God's grace can enter a person's life and transform that life. Saints help us to glimpse God's glory present among us. 

The saints also exemplify for us the human response to God's grace.  Matt Talbot shows us how to respond to God's gracious call and live as God’s people in our world.  Matt Talbot gives us encouragement and even guidance in facing the challenges of addiction in our own time and culture as we ponder the story of his life and how he met its challenges. 

Matt Talbot… A Modern Saint

Now we come to the main topic of our reflections… Praying with Matt Talbot.

First let me say that Matt Talbot is not a saint – yet. He is a Venerable… on the path to being declared a saint by our Church. Let’s look at the life of Matt Talbot… why he is a Venerable and why he is the patron of those addicted to alcohol. Indeed, his life can help us deal with all of our addictive behaviors. That’s why we want to ‘Pray with Matt Talbot’.

Matt Talbot was born in Dublin, Ireland, on May 2nd, 1856. His family was large… 11 siblings, 7 boys and 4 girls. All but one of the boys died young. Matt survived. His father was a heavy drinker. His family was poor. The family moved often. 

At age 10 Matt went to school. He left two years later, still unable to read and write. At age 12 he got a job at Porter and Stout Bottling Co. His drinking career began. By age 14 he was drinking whiskey. By age 16 he regularly came home from work drunk. 

As he developed his drinking career, every evening after work he trekked to his ‘watering hole’, O’Meara’s Pub. Drink was his only interest. When his wages were spent, he borrowed, pawned his clothes and did extra work at small jobs for more money to drink. Matt was an alcoholic.

By age 28 he was well on his way to destruction. One Saturday morning in 1884 Matt waited outside of O’Meara’s without a penny to his name. He had been unemployed that week. When he had money, he would share it generously with his drinking friends. Now he thought his ‘friends’ would help him out. Surprise… they passed him by, one by one… basically ignoring him. He was just a drunk.

Matt was stunned and hurt and angry. But it was a ‘moment of grace’. People today in AA call it ‘a moment of clarity’. Matt thought about his predicament and realized he was totally enslaved to booze. He was powerless.  He decided to ‘take the Pledge’ for three months… no booze for three months – period.  He went home and told his mother, ‘Ma, I’m going to take the Pledge’. He was 28 years old. (The Pledge was a promise common in Ireland to avoid drinking – no drink - for a certain period of time.)

The next three months were sheer hell for Matt. He stopped drinking ‘cold turkey’, as folks in AA describe it today. The withdrawal symptoms from his addiction - hallucination, depression and nausea - were extremely painful for Matt, but he stuck to it. Here began the physical part of Matt’s recovery. It was tough. In his day and age there was no detox or rehab centers. 

To fill in the time he’d spend at O’Meara’s, Matt went for a walk every evening after work. He was tempted to stop into the old watering hole… Once he stopped into another bar… but was not served immediately as the barman was busy serving regulars. Matt stormed out and went into a Jesuit Church. Here begins the spiritual part of Matt’s recovery.

Dropping into a Church during his evening walks became a habit. Gradually he began to pray, to ask God for help. This would be considered Step Two of AA’s Twelve Steps:

Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.

This was something new for Matt… he was not a man of prayer. He had been raised Catholic but had not practiced. To find the strength to remain sober he decided to attend Mass every morning before work and to receive Communion. Daily Communion was not common practice in those days. Catholics went to Mass on Sunday only and waited til Easter and Christmas to receive Communion.

Matt broke the mold. His life began to change. His spiritual life began to grow. This would be comparable to Step Three of AA:

Made a decision to turn our lives and our wills over to the care of God as we understood Him.

Matt Talbot never married. After he took the Pledge he lived in a number of tenement flats. Matt’s mother died. Matt decided to live as an Irish monk lived in the 6th century… A simple life. His flat was like a Monastery room in the 6th century… Modest and spartan.  His meals were simple and small. He slept only 5 hours a night. He rose at 5 AM to go to Mass. 

Matt worked in the lumber yard of T & C Martin where he was employed as a laborer. He was a hard worker. Matt became concerned about the rights of workers in an age when workers’ rights were not a major concern.

Matt joined several religious associations, from the Third Order of St. Francis to the Workingman’s Sodality. He attended a meeting almost every evening. These organizations centered around prayer devotions and doing charitable works. AA also stresses service, especially to other alcoholics.

Matt learned to read and write. He came home every evening between 9 and 10 PM and would begin his spiritual reading for several hours until he went to bed. Matt developed the habit of reading Sacred Scripture. His reading was guided for most of his life by Dr. Michael Hickey, Professor of Philosophy in Clonliffe College. Under Dr. Hickey's guidance Talbot's reading became wider. He laboriously read the Bible and the lives of saints, The Confessions of St. Augustine, the writings of St. Francis de Sales and others. When he found a part difficult to understand, he asked Professor Hickey or a priest he knew to help him understand. He had a lively devotion to Mary, the Mother of Jesus. He loved St. Therese of Lisieux and her simple way of doing ordinary things extraordinarily well for the love of God. Matt was immersed in God.

Matt was known as a happy man, quiet and with a good sense of humor. He was generous and would help fellow workers who needed some money to buy clothes or shoes for their kids. He never insisted on getting his money back.

At age 67 Matt had his first serious illness. He was under a Doctor’s care for the next two years. At age 69 Matt died of a serious heart attack on the way to Mass on Sunday, June 7, 1925. 

As word of Matt Talbot spread he rapidly became an icon for Ireland's temperance movement, the Pioneer Total Abstinence Association. His story soon became known to the large Irish emigrant communities. Many addiction clinics, youth hostels and statues have been named after him throughout the world from Nebraska to Warsaw to Sydney.

Let’s look at the various aspects of Matt’s spiritual life. Here we can talk about ‘Praying with Matt Talbot’. What are the spiritual parts of Matt’s life?

• Matt began to spend time in prayer… stopping in a Church every evening and asking God for help. He realized he could not resist alcohol under his own power. 
• He began to attend daily Mass and Communion… he ‘practiced his religion’. This was a beautiful way to develop his spiritual life.  He uses what is at hand to deepen his journey with his God.
• Matt led an austere life. His life was no longer about taking care of Matt first. His life was not about ‘stuff’. 
• He began to read SS and the lives of the saints to feed his spiritual life. He was challenged by the lives of the saints… The saints show us that we humans can overcome our frailties and flaws and follies, our ignorance and illnesses… with the help of God’s grace our courage and patience can create something great.
• Matt joined spiritual organizations which he attended most evenings a week. Here he was embedded with spiritual people – people not perfect, but certainly trying to lead good and faithful lives. 
• These spiritual organizations centered around devotional prayer and doing works of charity… reaching out to be of service to others in need.

Summary of the spiritual life of Matt Talbot…

• Time for prayer everyday
• Practice your religion if you have one
• Keep your life as simple as possible
• Feed your spiritual life with Sacred Scripture and the lives of the saints or the lives of other good people… 
• Find a mentor to help you… (in AA this could be a sponsor)
• Don’t do it alone… plug into others who are spiritual people… (in AA this could be other folks in the AA Program who exhibit a spiritual life and who lead lives of service)

Addictions are part of our society’s sickness and darkness. 70,000 opioid ODs in 2018 is a chilling statistic.

I have tried to address two general addictions we all encounter, then specific addictions prevalent today. How might we deal with addictions? 

I briefly described Richard Rohr’s ‘divine therapy’ approach to generalized addictions. Then I turned to specific addictions. I briefly dealt with heroes and saints as people who can help us. I believe we need heroes and saints today to whom we can look for encouragement and some answers.

Matt Talbot is a wonderful example of a life of a heroic and saintly individual who struggled with his alcoholism. When we look at his life and how he dealt with his alcoholism we see a number of the principles of today’s AA Program which helps so many alcoholics today. 

Their 12 Steps have been successfully applied to other addictions which burden our society. I believe Matt Talbot’s spirituality parallels in a number of ways the spirituality of the AA Program. Then we examined elements of Matt Talbot’s spirituality which can help those in bondage to addictions today…  a ‘divine therapy’ in the words of Richard Rohr, a modern spiritual writer and teacher.

Read the final paragraph of the Big Book of AA, P. 164

“Abandon yourself to God as you understand God. Admit your faults to Him and to your fellows. Clear away the wreckage of your past. Give freely of what you find and join us. We shall be with you in the Fellowship of the Spirit, and you will surely meet some of us as you trudge the Road of Happy Destiny.”

May God bless you and keep you – until then.

Father Don, CP

Januar

Praying with Matt Talbot
"By Father Don, CP

January 22, 2020

https://www.stpaulofthecrossmonastery.com/homilies-reflections/praying-with-matt-talbot

Someone once said to me, “We are all addicts”. I have worked for a long time with people in AA. I know some people in NA and OA, and even SA.In an article by Richard Rohr, a modern spiritual writer, he describes how we are all addicts. He describes two of our generalized addictions… One he names ‘stinking thinking’. Do we always have to be right? Are our opinions set in concrete? Are we addicted to our habitual way of thinking and doing?

Rohr also points out another general addiction… All societies are addicted to themselves, to what they consider valuable and worthwhile. We Americans like to buy new stuff, money back guarantee, to make our lives easier or happier. How much of that stuff ends up in our garage? Are we addicted to ‘consumption? 

Rohr believes that only a life lived with a spiritual depth can get us beyond these generalized addictions. A developing prayer life plugs us into something deeper and richer than our social environs, commercials and the internet. Rohr calls this ‘divine therapy’. (See R. Rohr, Daily Meditations, Sunday, December 8, 2019)

There are also individual addictions we can suffer from. Some become addicted to alcohol and pills, others to shopping, others to the internet and porn. Some millennials become addicted to their smart phones… a recent study found that millennials check their smart phones on an average of 87 times a day. So much information… so little meaning. Many suffer from FOMO –a new dis-ease – Fear Of Missing Out. Would that we would lift our minds and hearts to God 87 times a day. Would that we suffered from FOMG – Fear Of Missing God.
  
Are you aware of any addictions in your life? How long have you had them? How do you deal with them?

Many people deny their addictions.  ‘I can stop internet shopping any time I want to’. Can you? Try it for two weeks. ‘I can stop porn any time I want to’. Can you? Try stopping for two weeks.

Remember, you can’t heal what you do not acknowledge.

The first step in dealing with our addiction… own up to it. We need to honestly recognize our activity as an addiction. Shortly I will be describing the life of Matt Talbot. At age 28 he had a ‘moment of clarity’ when he recognized how important booze was to him… he couldn’t stop drinking.He was in bondage to booze.

As I tell Matt’s story I will at times compare his experiences with those of people in AA.  In AA, for example, this ‘moment of clarity’ leads to the First of the Twelve Steps.

 ‘We admitted we were powerless over alcohol… that our lives had become unmanageable.’ 

That’s what Matt Talbot experienced. What about us? Instead of alcohol we might put drugs, food, sex, shopping, porn, or the way that our society believes that ‘stuff’ will make us happy.

Remember, you cannot heal what you do not acknowledge.

How can we rise above our addiction (s)? What happened to Matt Talbot that began to change his life? As we go thru the life of Matt Talbot notice both the physical and the spiritual parts of his dealing with his alcoholism. Matt dealt with his alcoholism toward the end of the 1800’s, well before the publishing of AA’s Big Book in the 1939, which introduced the world to AA.

Heroes and Saints

Before looking at the life of Matt Talbot I would like to look at the topic of heroes and saints. This might help us understand why we’re even considering Matt Talbot and Praying with Matt Talbot.

Heroes…  19th Century

In an interesting book entitled A Call to Heroism by Harvard History Professor Peter Gibbon, he notes that in the 19th century our country paid homage to many heroes who it looked up to: George Washington, Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Abe Lincoln, Lewis and Clark.  Such heroes were larger than life. They inspired and challenged people. Heroes were distinguished by their achievements, by a certain largesse of soul. They participated in heroic events with courage and bravery.  Heroes enhanced life, they inspired and stretched our imagination. They showed nobleness and moral bravery, calling us to search for our better selves. They challenge us to “surmount adversity and fight despair.  Human beings become heroic when, against all odds, they persist; when despite their flaws, they achieve.”  (p. 183)

Heroes show us that we humans can overcome our frailties and flaws and follies, our ignorance and illnesses… that courage and patience can create something great.

As we examine the life of Matt Talbot, we see a hero who struggled with his alcoholism with courage and patience and certainly with God’s help.

Heroes show us that life is more than being a happy consumer, deluged in entertainment and in bondage to the constant need to consume more "stuff". Heroes challenge us to move beyond ‘my life is all about me’.

What happened to "heroes" in the 20th century?

With the wealth of information about past heroes now available, biography gave way to pathography. Biography used to celebrate talents and achievements, virtue and inspiring character traits. In the 20th century biographies of heroes began to highlight their quirks and their "dark sides." Heroes were debunked as their character defects and their foibles were intimately described.  The "clay feet" of heroes became all too visible. Today there is much cynicism and skepticism regarding so-called "heroes".  We live in a society that tends to look upon our leaders with skeptical eyes. We tend to be suspicious of anyone who might be considered as great or heroic.  

I find it interesting that Matt Talbot and many people in AA today own up to their addiction and their character defects. They witness to the action of God in their lives. Their lives are now spent in service to others. Prayer becomes important in Matt Talbot’s life and in the lives of AA people today.  AA’s Step 11 points to the importance of prayer in our life.

Step 11… Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out. (Big Book, P. 59)

Our modern society seldom if ever recognizes or encourages this.

As we present Matt Talbot’s life, we will see the heart of this Step 11 in his life as he developed his spiritual life. 

For us Catholics we look to our family of saints for examples of heroism. Saints are members of God's family who have passed from this life to the banquet of life in the presence of God.  They are still an important part of our faith journey thru this life. We believe that even now they care for us by interceding for us before God.  But the saints do more. They are examples and challenges.

The saints show us how God's grace can transform peoples' lives. Matt Talbot’s life shows us how God's grace can enter a person's life and transform that life. Saints help us to glimpse God's glory present among us. 

The saints also exemplify for us the human response to God's grace.  Matt Talbot shows us how to respond to God's gracious call and live as God’s people in our world.  Matt Talbot gives us encouragement and even guidance in facing the challenges of addiction in our own time and culture as we ponder the story of his life and how he met its challenges. 

Matt Talbot… A Modern Saint

Now we come to the main topic of our reflections… Praying with Matt Talbot.

First let me say that Matt Talbot is not a saint – yet. He is a Venerable… on the path to being declared a saint by our Church. Let’s look at the life of Matt Talbot… why he is a Venerable and why he is the patron of those addicted to alcohol. Indeed, his life can help us deal with all of our addictive behaviors. That’s why we want to ‘Pray with Matt Talbot’.

Matt Talbot was born in Dublin, Ireland, on May 2nd, 1856. His family was large… 11 siblings, 7 boys and 4 girls. All but one of the boys died young. Matt survived. His father was a heavy drinker. His family was poor. The family moved often. 

At age 10 Matt went to school. He left two years later, still unable to read and write. At age 12 he got a job at Porter and Stout Bottling Co. His drinking career began. By age 14 he was drinking whiskey. By age 16 he regularly came home from work drunk. 

As he developed his drinking career, every evening after work he trekked to his ‘watering hole’, O’Meara’s Pub. Drink was his only interest. When his wages were spent, he borrowed, pawned his clothes and did extra work at small jobs for more money to drink. Matt was an alcoholic.

By age 28 he was well on his way to destruction. One Saturday morning in 1884 Matt waited outside of O’Meara’s without a penny to his name. He had been unemployed that week. When he had money, he would share it generously with his drinking friends. Now he thought his ‘friends’ would help him out. Surprise… they passed him by, one by one… basically ignoring him. He was just a drunk.

Matt was stunned and hurt and angry. But it was a ‘moment of grace’. People today in AA call it ‘a moment of clarity’. Matt thought about his predicament and realized he was totally enslaved to booze. He was powerless.  He decided to ‘take the Pledge’ for three months… no booze for three months – period.  He went home and told his mother, ‘Ma, I’m going to take the Pledge’. He was 28 years old. (The Pledge was a promise common in Ireland to avoid drinking – no drink - for a certain period of time.)

The next three months were sheer hell for Matt. He stopped drinking ‘cold turkey’, as folks in AA describe it today. The withdrawal symptoms from his addiction - hallucination, depression and nausea - were extremely painful for Matt, but he stuck to it. Here began the physical part of Matt’s recovery. It was tough. In his day and age there was no detox or rehab centers. 

To fill in the time he’d spend at O’Meara’s, Matt went for a walk every evening after work. He was tempted to stop into the old watering hole… Once he stopped into another bar… but was not served immediately as the barman was busy serving regulars. Matt stormed out and went into a Jesuit Church. Here begins the spiritual part of Matt’s recovery.

Dropping into a Church during his evening walks became a habit. Gradually he began to pray, to ask God for help. This would be considered Step Two of AA’s Twelve Steps:

Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.

This was something new for Matt… he was not a man of prayer. He had been raised Catholic but had not practiced. To find the strength to remain sober he decided to attend Mass every morning before work and to receive Communion. Daily Communion was not common practice in those days. Catholics went to Mass on Sunday only and waited til Easter and Christmas to receive Communion.

Matt broke the mold. His life began to change. His spiritual life began to grow. This would be comparable to Step Three of AA:

Made a decision to turn our lives and our wills over to the care of God as we understood Him.

Matt Talbot never married. After he took the Pledge he lived in a number of tenement flats. Matt’s mother died. Matt decided to live as an Irish monk lived in the 6th century… A simple life. His flat was like a Monastery room in the 6th century… Modest and spartan.  His meals were simple and small. He slept only 5 hours a night. He rose at 5 AM to go to Mass. 

Matt worked in the lumber yard of T & C Martin where he was employed as a laborer. He was a hard worker. Matt became concerned about the rights of workers in an age when workers’ rights were not a major concern.

Matt joined several religious associations, from the Third Order of St. Francis to the Workingman’s Sodality. He attended a meeting almost every evening. These organizations centered around prayer devotions and doing charitable works. AA also stresses service, especially to other alcoholics.

Matt learned to read and write. He came home every evening between 9 and 10 PM and would begin his spiritual reading for several hours until he went to bed. Matt developed the habit of reading Sacred Scripture. His reading was guided for most of his life by Dr. Michael Hickey, Professor of Philosophy in Clonliffe College. Under Dr. Hickey's guidance Talbot's reading became wider. He laboriously read the Bible and the lives of saints, The Confessions of St. Augustine, the writings of St. Francis de Sales and others. When he found a part difficult to understand, he asked Professor Hickey or a priest he knew to help him understand. He had a lively devotion to Mary, the Mother of Jesus. He loved St. Therese of Lisieux and her simple way of doing ordinary things extraordinarily well for the love of God. Matt was immersed in God.

Matt was known as a happy man, quiet and with a good sense of humor. He was generous and would help fellow workers who needed some money to buy clothes or shoes for their kids. He never insisted on getting his money back.

At age 67 Matt had his first serious illness. He was under a Doctor’s care for the next two years. At age 69 Matt died of a serious heart attack on the way to Mass on Sunday, June 7, 1925. 

As word of Matt Talbot spread he rapidly became an icon for Ireland's temperance movement, the Pioneer Total Abstinence Association. His story soon became known to the large Irish emigrant communities. Many addiction clinics, youth hostels and statues have been named after him throughout the world from Nebraska to Warsaw to Sydney.

Let’s look at the various aspects of Matt’s spiritual life. Here we can talk about ‘Praying with Matt Talbot’. What are the spiritual parts of Matt’s life?

• Matt began to spend time in prayer… stopping in a Church every evening and asking God for help. He realized he could not resist alcohol under his own power. 
• He began to attend daily Mass and Communion… he ‘practiced his religion’. This was a beautiful way to develop his spiritual life.  He uses what is at hand to deepen his journey with his God.
• Matt led an austere life. His life was no longer about taking care of Matt first. His life was not about ‘stuff’. 
• He began to read SS and the lives of the saints to feed his spiritual life. He was challenged by the lives of the saints… The saints show us that we humans can overcome our frailties and flaws and follies, our ignorance and illnesses… with the help of God’s grace our courage and patience can create something great.
• Matt joined spiritual organizations which he attended most evenings a week. Here he was embedded with spiritual people – people not perfect, but certainly trying to lead good and faithful lives. 
• These spiritual organizations centered around devotional prayer and doing works of charity… reaching out to be of service to others in need.

Summary of the spiritual life of Matt Talbot…

• Time for prayer everyday
• Practice your religion if you have one
• Keep your life as simple as possible
• Feed your spiritual life with Sacred Scripture and the lives of the saints or the lives of other good people… 
• Find a mentor to help you… (in AA this could be a sponsor)
• Don’t do it alone… plug into others who are spiritual people… (in AA this could be other folks in the AA Program who exhibit a spiritual life and who lead lives of service)

Addictions are part of our society’s sickness and darkness. 70,000 opioid ODs in 2018 is a chilling statistic.

I have tried to address two general addictions we all encounter, then specific addictions prevalent today. How might we deal with addictions? 

I briefly described Richard Rohr’s ‘divine therapy’ approach to generalized addictions. Then I turned to specific addictions. I briefly dealt with heroes and saints as people who can help us. I believe we need heroes and saints today to whom we can look for encouragement and some answers.

Matt Talbot is a wonderful example of a life of a heroic and saintly individual who struggled with his alcoholism. When we look at his life and how he dealt with his alcoholism we see a number of the principles of today’s AA Program which helps so many alcoholics today. 

Their 12 Steps have been successfully applied to other addictions which burden our society. I believe Matt Talbot’s spirituality parallels in a number of ways the spirituality of the AA Program. Then we examined elements of Matt Talbot’s spirituality which can help those in bondage to addictions today…  a ‘divine therapy’ in the words of Richard Rohr, a modern spiritual writer and teacher.

Read the final paragraph of the Big Book of AA, P. 164

“Abandon yourself to God as you understand God. Admit your faults to Him and to your fellows. Clear away the wreckage of your past. Give freely of what you find and join us. We shall be with you in the Fellowship of the Spirit, and you will surely meet some of us as you trudge the Road of Happy Destiny.”

May God bless you and keep you – until then.