Thursday of the Sixth Week of Easter

In this way, it is very much like recovery. As many of us began our recovery journeys, we were filled with the same initial confusion as the disciples were. How would recovery be possible? How were the people we met in meetings who once shared our same grief now so full of joy? It was truly mystifying. Yet, underneath the despair and shame, our showing up revealed a crack of hope.

This hope began to take shape during Step Two as we came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. The “war” stories told by others who were once self-absorbed were completely relatable. The difference was that now, these same people were God-absorbed. God was the source of their joy! God was their sanity. And the most remarkable part was not only that the Lord had been waiting all along for us to receive Him in the sacraments but that our very powerlessness—our initial cause for grief—became our source of joy and healing. Without it, we would not know our greatest need, hope, and love—reconciliation with God through Jesus’ Most Precious Blood and an ongoing relationship with the Trinity!

 

Reflection Questions

  • Though you may not “see” how God’s goodness is working, how do you trust that God is laboring in the world and in your life for your good? How can you let go of a desire to understand intellectually and open your heart to the action of the Holy Spirit within you?
  • In times of difficulty, how can you maintain focus on Jesus rather than how long the trial might last?

 

Daily Mass Readings

First Reading: Acts 18:1-8
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 98:1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4
Gospel: John 16:16-20

Reflection by Stephanie N.