As Easter people, we rejoice in our risen Lord but shall not forget the pain and sacrifice experienced by Jesus for the sake of our own resurrection and freedom from death. As we commit to a program of recovery, one day or moment at a time, we may acknowledge the pain brought on by our condition over many years – oftentimes in the form of mental, emotional, and spiritual anguish.

In many cases, we have been conditioned to avoid small moments of suffering by acting out or reaching for our drug of choice. Addiction forms when these coping patterns remove the personal choices that we have, making our lives unmanageable and diminishing our ability to love God, ourselves, or our neighbor. Acting against the grain of our addictive impulses is a difficult but necessary part of trusting that God will restore us to sanity.

We can see similar transformations take place in the lives of the disciples, particularly noting the new life within them after the Resurrection of our Lord. Peter wanted a Christ without the cross and denied Him three times before His death. When Jesus returned, Peter had an amends to make:

When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter,
“Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?”
Simon Peter answered him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.”
He then said to Simon Peter a second time,
“Simon, son of John, do you love me?”
Simon Peter answered him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
Jesus said to him, “Tend my sheep.”
Jesus said to him the third time,
“Simon, son of John, do you love me?”
Peter was distressed that Jesus had said to him a third time,
“Do you love me?” and he said to him,
“Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.”
Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.”

We see the fruit of Peter’s recovery when he is face-to-face with the same authorities who had previously frightened him to betray Jesus. Emboldened by a second chance to love and serve his Lord, Peter accepts his mission and shares the good news with others, regardless of the cost. “We must obey God rather than men,” Peter proclaims in this Sunday’s first reading. By choosing to face the truth and accepting the path ahead of us, we are given a similar opportunity to tend the flock of Jesus and align ourselves with God’s will.

Reflection Questions

• How have you relied on God’s help to deal with moments of temptation and suffering?
• What kinds of addictive impulses and attachments have you been healed of as a result of your recovery and surrender to Jesus?
• What second chances has Jesus given you?

Sunday Mass Readings

First Reading: Acts 5:27-32, 40b-41
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 30:2, 4, 5-6, 11-12, 13
Second Reading: Revelation 5:11-14
Gospel: John 21:1-19

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General Recovery
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Lust Addiction Recovery

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General Recovery
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Lust Addiction Recovery