Seeds of Grace: A Nun's Reflections on the Spirituality of Alcoholics Anonymous

By Molly Monahan

When Sister Molly Monahan, a Roman Catholic nun, came to Alcoholics Anonymous she expected to find sobriety. What she hadn't counted on was finding a more meaningful relationship with God than she had ever experienced in her religious order. "What could AA teach me about spirituality?" she asks. "Going to meetings did not feel like going to church, or going on a retreat, or sitting at the feet of some guru in pursuit of lofty spiritual goals. It felt like to defeat to me, as it does to most." So of course Monahan was surprised to discover that alcoholism is indeed a "physical, mental, and spiritual disease," as the program states. Using the 12- step program as the basic structure, Monahan tells her own story of recovery alongside panhandlers, VPs, and soccer moms. Much more than a memoir, this is an elegant meditation on the power of the 12-step program, how it penetrates and guides the way that sober alcoholics live. What readers come to see, whether they are alcoholics or not, is that the AA program is indeed a significant spiritual contribution to the American landscape for all families, faiths, and walks of life. --Gail Hudson This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1573221759
• ISBN13: 9781573221757
• Release Date: March 2001
• Publisher: Riverhead Books
• Length: 176 Pages
• Weight: 0.71 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.4" x 8.3"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 12 and higher

Customer Reviews

Spirituality in Twelve Steps

This is a book for anyone who wants a better life -- spriritual or not. Live Molly's journey through each of the twelve steps with real people confronting real demons supported by real angels. In my prayer group, we use this book as a study guide to challenge us on our personal faith journey. Who are my angels? What demons do I have to overcome? Who helps me? Who do I forgive?I learned the twelve steps are universal (previously...

More than meets the eye

This book presents a cogent and insightful analysis of the spirituality of AA. However, it does far more. There is something valuable and helpful in the book for anyone interested in spirituality-- insights about forgiveness, thanksgiving, gratitude, humility, peace of mind and freedom. Monahan's breadth of vision is not surprising, since she believes that all of us, at some time in our lives, are powerless over something,...

Simple, Straightforward Story of Sobriety & Faith

Sister Molly Monahan is a member of AA who honors its traditions and so writes under a pen name. She does not write as an spokesperson for AA, but what she hands on is its essential and impolrtant message along with some sense of what is it like to follow its program and take part in its fellowship and meetings. In passing she explains also a lot of its slogans that are called clichés but are in reality informal shorthand...

A Must Read for Everyone

I am neither a Nun nor an alcoholic, but I read this fascinating, profound, and even humorous book in a single sitting. "Molly Monahan" is a wonderful writer, whose description of her own experience of alcoholism and recovery gave me some insight I never had before - "It's not about will power" - and a new understanding and appreciation for the power of the 12 Steps, not only for AA but for me, as well. And she does all this...