After he shared this, the room encouraged him to focus on keeping his sobriety the priority or, to quote Zig Ziglar, on “keeping the main thing the main thing.” The room encouraged him to establish personal and emotional boundaries with his friend and to tell him that if he couldn’t accept and respect those boundaries that their relationship couldn’t continue.

Jesus kept his focus on the singular goal of His salvific mission. He did not allow anyone or anything to detract Him from this—even the threat of death. As we read elsewhere in Scripture, “Therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame” (Isaiah 50:7). Like Jesus, our mission in recovery is to keep our “face like flint” to maintain sobriety and our relationship with God. If we lose this main focus then we risk losing our recovery and connection with our loving Father.

Reflection Questions

• Are there people in your life who are impeding your recovery? If so, are there actions you can take to ensure these relationships no longer pose a risk?
• What boundaries might you need to establish with others in your life to keep your focus on your recovery? What new spiritual practices can you adopt to keep this same focus?
  

Daily Mass Readings

First Reading: Isaiah 49:8-15
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 145:8-9, 13cd-14, 17-18
Gospel: John 5:17-30

Reflection by Kevin S.