Sometimes we intend to do good and take the right next step but we don’t actually take action. We can never reach our goals or be the person we desire to be if we fail to execute the steps necessary to get there. Taking action can seem overwhelming, which is why we might not begin in the first place. Yet, if we follow through with taking small steps every day, we make progress and realize that any action, no matter how small, is better than nothing. When we go to bed each night and take our personal inventory, we might ask ourselves: how have my actions (or lack of actions) today moved me toward or away from my addiction, compulsion, or unhealthy attachment?

The first reading reminds us that the “Lord is an eternal Rock” (Isaiah 26:4). Jesus must be our rock and the foundation upon which our life rests. We must build this strong foundation with our Lord so that everything else is supported and not easily shaken. If we build relationships on the foundation of our Lord, we will have good relationships. If we build our recovery on the foundation of our Lord, we can recover and experience freedom. It is only in keeping our Lord as our rock that our lives and sobriety won’t crumble. Keeping the Lord as our rock and resting everything upon Him will allow us to experience a life of meaning and joy. Then, as we take small actions to support our recovery and life each day, we can do so with the confidence of knowing the Lord is our strength and hope.

Reflection Questions

•  Are you taking daily actions to grow closer to God? Are you taking concrete actions to support your recovery or merely talking or thinking about doing so?
• Are you building your life on the foundation and rock of Jesus Christ and, if not, how can you begin doing so?

Daily Mass Readings

First Reading: Isaiah 26:1-6
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 118:1 and 8-9, 19-21, 25-27a
Gospel: Matthew 7:21, 24-27

Reflection by Jana I.