Thursday, February 19th
To complete today's challenge, find time to prayerfully read through the reflections below, attend a recovery meeting, and share what's on your heart and mind on today's discussion board.
REFLECT
Friday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time
“Brothers and sisters: I, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another through love, striving to preserve the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace; one Body and one Spirit, as you were also called to the one hope of your call; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all” (Ephesians 4:1-6).
Do you recognize the startling truth that you were “called” to conversion in recovery? God summoned you in order to heal you, restore your dignity, and form you in His love and mercy so that you in turn could bring His love and mercy to others. Recovery is never really about us at all. It is about God’s will and plan. We are asked only to cooperate with His mission to save souls, one soul at a time. As such, recovery is ultimately evangelical in nature, not a self-help program. And what we discover, if we answer the call of our Higher Power, if we surrender and trust in Christ Jesus, is that by His grace we gain power to throw off the shackles of our pride and attachments and joyfully become “prisoners for the Lord.” Therein lies our true freedom.
Conversion in recovery is carried forth in the practice of humility, gentleness, and patience with ourselves and others. These virtues counter the pride of the self-centered heart, the physical, emotional, and spiritual violence to self and others, and the reckless impulsivity so typical of life in addiction. In our self-obsessed narcissism, we cannot accept and bear to love righteously because we cannot accept and bear the truth about ourselves—our weakness, powerlessness, brokenness, and sinfulness. We must learn to see, forgive, and love ourselves as God sees, forgives, and loves us. This is how we are transformed in love.
The bond of peace is manifested to us in recovery with the gifts of sanity, sobriety, and serenity, given to us by the Holy Spirit if we invite Him into our souls. Recovery fellowship in the life of the Church teaches us that we are nothing special (what our pride rejects) and yet are nonetheless beloved (what God reveals in our humility). Therein comes the healthy integration of heart, soul, mind, and strength that enables us to love God and neighbor as one Body in one Spirit.
Christ Jesus is the source and summit of our lives, the very foundation and goal of our recovery, our everlasting mercy and strength. The sooner we embrace this truth, the sooner we become well. Our baptism confers upon us the indelible seal of an adopted child of God, and the program of recovery in union with the sacramental life of the Church “confirms,” as it were, our sacred adoption, thereby empowering us to give witness to the experience, strength, and hope that is within us (cf. 1 Peter 3:15).
There is nothing more important in the spiritual program of recovery than death to our self-will and union with God’s will. This is the “metanoia” of recovery, the fundamental realignment of our entire lives to the love of God and neighbor, and the affirmation that the “one God and Father of all” is the Lord of our lives and will satisfy our deepest desires for happiness, belonging, and love if we let Him—if we truly and passionately “let go and let God.”
Reflection Questions
- How have you come to be “a prisoner for the Lord” in recovery? How have you embraced the virtues of humility, gentleness, and patience?
- Consider how the program of recovery has prepared you to “to justify the hope that is in you” (1 Peter: 3:15b). What are some examples of how your recovery journey has “confirmed” your belovedness as an adopted child of God?
Daily Mass Readings
First Reading: Ephesians 4:1-6
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 24:1-2, 3-4ab, 5-6
Gospel: Luke 12:54-59
Reflection by Pete S.
Saint John of Capistrano, Priest
(1386-1456) — The “Soldier Saint,” designated as patron saint of military chaplains by Pope Saint John Paul II, was the son of a knight in Capistrano, Italy. He became a lawyer in Naples, then the governor of Perugia, Italy. Just before war broke out with a neighbor of Perugia, John had gotten married but never consummated the marriage. He tried to broker peace, ended up a prisoner of war, and while in prison, was inspired by a dream of Saint Francis to become a Franciscan. After his release, John’s marriage was declared null, he became a Franciscan priest, and had Saint Bernardine of Siena as his mentor. At age 70, he preached a crusade against the Ottoman Turks after the fall of Constantinople and helped lead the soldiers to their initial victory before falling victim to the bubonic plague.
Saint John challenged people to live holy lives in order to be salt and light to the world around us (cf. Matthew 5:13-16). Steps 10-12 challenge us to put the principles gained in the previous Steps into action, to “practice these principles in all our affairs.” How is this done in your recovery?
“The Lord who made the beginning will take care of the finish!” (Saint John of Capistrano).
Reflection by Brad Farmer
Other Saints
Discuss
Share your thoughts and connect with others on this journey.
Log in to join the discussion.
While living a life in active addiction and alcoholism I squandered my Talents, I lived a life of spiritual sloth and I received what was expected. However, while in recovery I learn the skills necessary to invest and multiple my Talents putting them to good use. A use focused and dedicated towards God. Prosperity is the life I have achieved for myself only when I put my Talents to good use for myself but others first.
“The Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected
by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,
and be killed and on the third day be raised.”
Lord forgive me for not seeking you always!
When I converted to Catholicism in 2014, it was one of the greatest moments of my life. My whole family was there, and I felt supported, hopeful, and finally grounded in something that gave me purpose. But as the years went on and I tried to live out the faith sincerely, things changed. Little by little, some of my family began to see me as “too Catholic,” and the rejection that followed cut deeply. It hurt even more because during the same time, I was fighting to become a recovering addict, and I needed their support more than ever.
My brothers don’t speak to me anymore, and that loss has weighed heavily on me. But through all of it, I’ve learned what it means to carry a heavy and burdened Cross. I’ve learned that my place is to walk faithfully, even when misunderstood, and to remember that I am in the world, not of the world.
May God bless you all. 🙏🏻 Peace be with you!