Court, Recovery, Family and Alcohol Abuse

Appearing at court recently, it seemed like an uphill battle securing a mother's child for her full custody.
A deal was worked out with the child's father, and, case closed, at least that day, for that time.

Days later, a concern was raised by the father of the gal who received custody and a family was restored.

He wrote this note to the archbishop with a copy to me praising the important work of recovery, and more:

"Sometimes I think the church does more to encouarage substance abuse than it does to help people recover from it. Just a couple weeks ago, the church a block away from our house held its annual festival and the number of inebriated people walking around the parish grounds and through our neighborhood made me embarrassed that my church could sponsor such debauchery in the guise of generating funds to spread the Gospel.

What we have is nothing less than scandalous.

We prey on weaknesses and vices and then we gather in our churches and join our voices in praise of God who loves the forsaken and downtrodden that we just took advantage of. How hypocrital! Shame on us!"

At a bon fire recently, participants shyly uncovered and shared their beer after they needed clearance from me to drink, it seemed. The reality is that drinking is as common as blowing one's nose in our culture. Shame on us! The reality is that alcohol dependency disorder has been festering too long without leadership banning the toxicity from entering one's living Temple. We wonder why our young people are attached.

Alcohol and other addictive attachments are all too common, and, tolerated. I see it daily as
addictions ruin relationships and families. How much of it is too much, too often?

Who will stand up?