There is a word to describe the fruit of these interactions: hope. This Sunday’s Mass readings establish hope as an element of the Christian life that cannot be overlooked. Saint Paul does not mix words as he writes in this Sunday’s Second Reading:

We boast in hope of the glory of God.
And hope does not disappoint,
because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts
through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

The hope we pass along to each other can spur willingness and create a foundation for honesty and change. Once the possibility of a new life is established, we can begin imagining a life free of our addictive and compulsive behavior. Hope also strengthens us through challenges that we will inevitably face in our recovery.

Along with faith and charity, hope is one of three theological virtues. The Catechism of the Catholic Church notes, “The virtue of hope responds to the aspiration to happiness which God has placed in the heart of every [person]…. It keeps man from discouragement; it sustains him during times of abandonment; it opens up his heart in expectation of eternal beatitude. Buoyed up by hope, he is preserved from selfishness and led to the happiness that flows from charity” (1818).

This Sunday’s Gospel Reading tells the story of a woman meeting Jesus at a watering hole. “Give me a drink,” he requests of her. Filled with shame, secrecy, and denial, she rebukes Him. However, Jesus knows that the woman’s thirst is spiritual, not just physical. We can relate our own cravings with the gracious response of Jesus:

“Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again;
but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst;
the water I shall give will become in him
a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

Jesus then tells the woman her own story, an act which we may have experienced ourselves in a recovery meeting. She proclaims the fountain of life presented by Jesus and shares hope with her whole town. This is precisely how Christian hope and the message of recovery travels:

Many of the Samaritans of that town began to believe in him
because of the word of the woman who testified…
Many more began to believe in him because of his word,
and they said to the woman,
“We no longer believe because of your word;
for we have heard for ourselves,
and we know that this is truly the savior of the world.”

Reflection Questions

• What experience do you have with the forces of shame, secrecy, and denial?
• How was hope presented to you as you made the transition into recovery and a spiritual way of life?
  • How do you pass it along to others?
• How are you experiencing Jesus in the sacraments during this season of Lent?

Sunday Mass Readings

First Reading: Exodus 17:3-7
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9
Second Reading: Romans 5:1-2, 5-8
Gospel: John 4:5-42

Printable General Recovery Meeting Reflection
Printable Family & Friends Recovery Meeting Reflection
Printable Lust Recovery Meeting Reflection

Download virtual meeting reflections: General Recovery, Family & Friends Recovery, Lust Addiction Recovery