The month of October is many things: the peak of leaf-peeping season (if you're a New Englander like me), the time of year when all things pumpkin spice flavoured (or scented) appears in every store, the month of scarecrows and holiday anticipation.

But October can also boast one other very important claim -- it's Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

​The facts are shocking -- one out of every three women are being or will be abused within their own homes. This statistic is unyielding across demographics, including religion. What this means for us is that one out of every three women sitting in the pews within our parishes are being victimized within what should be the safety of their own  homes. Obviously men can—and are—also victims, but domestic violence “tends to harm women and children more,” as the USCCB points out. 85% of domestic violence targets are female victims of male partners. This is the reason for the focus on women in this review.

In 1992—updated in 2002—the USCCB issued a crucial document regarding the Catholic Church’s stance on domestic abuse. Yet “When I Call for Help: A Pastoral Response to Domestic Violence Against Women,” hasn’t received the attention it deserves. Unfortunately, it remains unknown by too many clergy and victims alike.
 
I’d like to help change that.
 
Many Catholic women suffering in abusive marriages feel like they have to tolerate the abuse. Their union is a sacrament, and the Church teaches that marriage is indissoluble (CCC 1664-1645). That means they’re stuck, right?
 
Actually, no. Not at all.

Because this is the most personal, difficult, and painful article I've yet written, I'm not going to begin with much introduction. All I want to say here is that I wrote this article during Adoration, in one big rush as I begged Jesus to release me from my suffering, to heal me from my pain.

Domestic abuse within an intimate relationship breaks a person apart -- but that's not necessarily a bad thing, even though it seems to be at first. Later, moving through the healing journey, I came to realize that the dismantling of self was an invitation from God to rebuild who I truly am. Made in His image. 

​However, before I could even begin to do that, I had to explore the root causes of my pain.

The Gospels record very few words from our Blessed Mother -- yet those she spoke embrace some of the deepest spiritual truths and lessons of our Catholic faith. Think of Mary's fiat (Luke 1:34,38), the inspired and gorgeously-poetic Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55), and ...

In this article, I'm presenting a different approach. I'm going to imaginatively take you back in time in order to help you realize your present situation -- and how to release the trauma bonds that may be tying to you to your abuser.

If you don't know what a trauma bond is, read on. If you do know about trauma bonds, but need more information or support, read on. Either way, please join me on this journey back to the year 1912. We're on board the glorious and gleaming new ship, the Titanic ...

It's about time I covered a difficult topic: spiritual abuse.

Spiritual abuse can come in many forms, but in this article I want to discuss the abuse of Sacred Scripture and how this is a violation not only against the target, but against God Himself.

One of the most popular verses an abusive personality uses to "prove" his superiority over his mate is Ephesians 5:22: "Wives, be subject to your husbands, as to the Lord."

Does this verse really mean that woman should just "shut up and put up," and do whatever her husband says? He's the king of the household, and what he says goes? Uh, hardly. If any man quotes this verse to justify his  controlling behavior, consider that a gigantic red flag. The Catholic Church teaches that a true marriage is one of mutual self-giving, not power-over and abrasive authority.

Ephesians 5:22 is an abused and misinterpreted verse. 

How can you tell if your relationship might possibly, by some sort of miracle, be on the mend? If your manipulative and abusive partner has suddenly turned a new corner and is claiming that he'll change his ways, how can you trust what he's saying to you?

Well ...  You can’t.

Until you can.

I understand that’s not at all helpful—but at the same time, it’s the truth.

​I could end this article right here—after all, what more is there to say? I can’t provide you with a definite, concrete answer to this dilemma, especially since everyone’s situation is different—and everyone’s partner is different. However, I can at least provide solid guidelines that will help you discern true change from more manipulation.

As promised, this week's article uncovers yet more myths about pornography use, showing how destructive it is to relationships, families, and individual lives. Both the abuser and the sexually betrayed partner find their lives desecrated by the sly, shameful use of pornography, so uncovering the myths and revealing them to the light is crucial for healing and repair.

Read about  four more pornography myths:

• Myth: Porn isn't addictive.
• Myth: Someone who uses pornography just needs more sex from his partner. It's her fault that he's forced to watch porn. 
• Myth: Pornography is harmless and easy to control.
• Myth: Once a betraying partner admits his pornography use and stops, his partner should be fine. Apologize, and no harm done.

How do you make sense out of nonsense? Gaslighting, crazy-making, circular talk ... They can all make you feel crazy, and cause you to wonder if everything is your fault. When you realize the fault is abuse, and not you, the deep sense of betrayal and trauma can be overwhelming. However, when you can make sense of your situation, you can then progress toward gaining clarity, clear-sighted vision, and hope for the future.