The little church downstairs has a good problem: it needs more chairs. Every day of the week, sometimes twice a day, its growing congregation gathers in our church hall basement to share stories and a common identity. Sometimes they cry. Often they laugh. Usually, there’s applause. They mix it all up with a good pot of coffee, and somehow healing happens. Alcoholics Anonymous (...)
Columnists
The Church Downstairs
WHAT CATHOLICS CAN LEARN FROM ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS
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Thanks Father! I have been a member of that "'church downstairs" for 33 years,11 months and some days now - only by the Grace of a Merciful God. It is because of that downstair congregation that I have been back as an active, fully participating and more Loving member of the Church upstairs and one who tries to go out into God's world to see what He wants me to do.
Great article - I'll save it and make copies for others. God Bless us all.
John M
"<i>…that we’re not so good with people who live or love differently from the dictates of the marriage canons.</i>"
Father has a great point to make, but I fear he misses it. My understanding is that AA is always accepting of members who come to their meetings. But AA is dogmatic in not accepting the excuses people have for returning to the drink. They've heard all the ways the alcoholic lies to himself about why it's ok for him to have one drink---why it's downright unreasonable to expect him never to drink again (after all, why did God make him with this desire if He did not want him to fulfil it, and often)--and they put up with none of it. Analogously, one hopes the pastor always accepts the sinner back, but unwaveringly proposes to him the Truth inherent in, for example, the marriage canons of the Church, unyielding as that Truth might be.