In the months following that revelation, a radical healing and recovery journey began in my life, initiated by “honesty, willingness, and openness.” I knew I did not possess the agape love of Christ, the Blessed Mother, Saint Ignatius of Antioch, Saint Justin Martyr, and the martyrs we commemorate today. Today’s first reading alludes to the primary ingredient needed to love with the agape love of Jesus. Paul asks his readers, in short, that if what he and his companions preached were not true then what is the point of modeling our lives after Christ in faith? Therefore, we need faith, yes, but where would we get that kind of faith—the type of faith capable of leading one to die for Christ? I found a beautiful answer in the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

“Faith is a gift of God, a supernatural virtue infused by him. ‘Before this faith can be exercised, man must have the grace of God to move and assist him; he must have the interior helps of the Holy Spirit, who moves the heart and converts it to God, who opens the eyes of the mind and “makes it easy for all to accept and believe the truth”’” (CCC 153).

Now that is good news! God infuses this supernatural virtue of faith in our souls so that we may cooperate with His grace and grow interiorly right here and now, one day at a time. Whenever we surrender to His will and embrace our identity as beloved children of God, He gives us the necessary graces to grow spiritually and bear good fruit! This is how the martyrs were capable of such a sacrifice—they cooperated with God in receiving the extraordinary grace to die for Him. And there is more good news: by partaking in the sacramental life of the Church and using our 12-step framework, we too can open ourselves up to receive the same grace of sacrificial faith!

Reflection Questions

• What graces moved you to begin and continue your journey in recovery and healing?
• How has the Holy Spirit moved your heart and converted it to God? How has He opened the eyes of your mind in recovery and increased your faith?

Daily Mass Readings

First Reading: 1 Corinthians 15:12-20
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 17:1BCD, 6-7, 8B AND 15
Gospel: Luke 8:1-3

Reflection by Talitha R.