What does his witness teach us in recovery? That we must leave everything and everyone behind that separates us from the will of God! Today’s Gospel passage speaks to this truth. To follow Christ in recovery is to let go of every last excuse, hesitation, and prideful instinct that blocks the grace of God in our souls and inhibits the honesty necessary for authentic recovery. Saint Francis consistently quotes Luke 9:62 in the various versions of the Rule of Life he wrote for his followers: “No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the kingdom of God.” Every sin, disordered desire, unhealthy attachment, compulsion, and addiction that has dominated us arises from our pride, resentments, and the traumas and abuses we have suffered and will not let go of. When we journey on the road of recovery, we cannot hold on to the past and our former lives and expect to also get well.
In 1206, Saint Francis knelt before an icon of Christ on the Cross in a ruined chapel in San Damiano, Italy, bewildered and unhappy. He implored the Lord, “What do you want me to do? Show me what you want me to do with my life.” He clearly heard Christ’s voice respond, “Francis, go and rebuild my church which, as you see, is falling down.” Isn’t that us in recovery? Isn’t that our call to conversion? Aren’t we the Church, the ones who need our brokenness rebuilt? “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?…For God’s temple is holy, and that temple you are” (1 Corinthians 3:16, 17b). So, let us go forth in recovery and rebuild His Church!
Saint Francis of Assisi, pray for us!
Reflection Questions
- How are you and God rebuilding the Church and “that temple that you are,” which is holy in your recovery?
- Reflect on Saint Francis of Assisi’s prayer before the San Damiano Crucifix. How does that resonate with your prayer in recovery?
Daily Mass Readings
First Reading: Baruch 4:5-12, 27-29
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 69:33-35, 36-37
Gospel: Luke 10:17-24
Reflection by Pete S.