Kicking Spouse Out as a sign of mercy

[Ordway]

My wife’s father is causing a whole bunch of problems for his wife and the immediate family that lives near them. They are located in another country (Spanish speaking). Years ago I remember listening to a talk about mercy and the Sister giving the talk used as an example how kicking someone out of the home with a drinking problem that does not want to do anything about is a sign of mercy.

My wife’s mother is really struggling with this. She has been dealing with these issues for over 40 years. Recently the issues involved some serious violence (not in the home, but as a result others may come knocking). I would love to get her some information that is line with Catholic teaching. Ideally I would love to find that talk, especially if it’s in Spanish, but if not my wife can listen and basically communicate that to her mother.

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Kathleen18]

Have you talked with your Priest about this? He may be able to point you in the right direction. Also, after 40 years of being an enabler to the alcoholic…your mother-in-law may not kick out your father-in-law. Be prepared that if the authorities do come, she may make excuses.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

I am sure there are Spanish language written materials from a Catholic perspective about dealing with a loved one’s addiction. Your priest may be able to get you some or send you to a resource group that will provide them. However, they might not specifically instruct the reader to kick the person out of their home. That’s not a one-size-fits-all answer for every situation.

In addition, the reality is that with you and your wife in a different country from where this is happening, you’re limited on what you can do from a distance.

Your wife’s mom really needs a support that is there on the scene with her, such as Al-anon. Also, if she’s enabling her husband’s problem, she will need to make the choice herself how to deal with it. There are many reasons why a wife might not choose to just kick her husband of decades out of the house.