For “do you not know” the marvelous truth that the source and summit of our recovery, the Prime Mover in our getting well, is always God? And “have you not heard” the Good News that the one who will accomplish our transformation in love is the Holy Trinity if we humbly submit to the one God in obedience and trust, and selflessly seek His will in all things? The way to spiritual freedom always necessitates radical surrender to God no matter the circumstances and suffering in which we find ourselves. Indeed, we can learn from Saint Charles de Foucauld who teaches us to pray, “Father, I abandon myself into your hands; do with me what you will. Whatever you may do, I thank you. I am ready for all, I accept all. Let only your will be done in me, and in all your creatures. I wish no more than this, O Lord. Into your hands I commend my soul; I offer it to you with all the love of my heart, for I love you, Lord, and so need to give myself, to surrender myself into your hands, without reserve, and with boundless confidence, for you are my Father” (“Prayer of Abandonment”). This, at its essence, is the Gospel in recovery!
Our Lord ceaselessly encourages us, “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me…For my yoke is easy, and my burden light” (Matthew 11:28-30). I love this passage because it truly consoles me that with Christ I can bear all things in His mercy and justice. Pope Paul VI commented on this passage: “[Jesus’] attitude towards us is one of invitation, knowledge and compassion; indeed, it is one of offering, promise, friendship, goodness, remedy of our ailments; he is our comforter; indeed, our nourishment, our bread, giving us energy and life” (“Homily on Corpus Christi, June 13, 1974”).
Advent means “to come to,” and we tend to think of Advent as a season of expectation for the decisive coming of our Savior into the world and our lives, and certainly it is. But to encounter the living God also requires our intentional seeking after Him. As such, Advent always represents our choice “to come to” Jesus decisively in every aspect of our lives. This is absolutely key in recovery, so much so that refusing “to come to” Jesus, whether in whole or in part, will invariably perpetuate disorder and prevent real healing! In his book Jesus of Nazareth: The Infancy Narratives, Pope Benedict XVI emphasizes this point: “Man is a relational being. And if his first, fundamental relationship is disturbed—his relationship with God—then nothing else can truly be in order. This is where the priority lies in Jesus’ message and ministry: before all else, He wants to point man toward the essence of his malady, and to show him—if you are not healed there, then however many good things you may find, you are not truly healed.” The true Advent of recovery is the decisive choice we must make “to come to” Jesus as He comes to us.
Reflection Questions
- How do you understand God as the source and summit of your recovery, the Prime Mover in your journey to spiritual health? Give examples.
- In what ways do you live “Advent” every day of your life? What must you do in recovery to make a daily “decisive choice” for Christ in all things?
Daily Mass Readings
First Reading: Isaiah 40:25-31
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 103:1-2, 3-4, 8 and 10
Gospel: Matthew 11:28-30
Reflection by Pete S.