To finish today's module, find time to pray, read through the reflections below, complete the five daily habits, attend a recovery meeting, and share what's on your heart and mind on today's discussion board.
PRAY
Serenity Prayer
God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time, enjoying one moment at a time, accepting hardship as the pathway to peace.
Taking, as Jesus did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it.
Trusting that You will make all things right, if I surrender to Your will.
That I may be reasonably happy in this life, and supremely happy with You forever in the next. Amen.
Third Step Prayer
God, I offer myself to Thee – to build with me and to do with me as Thou wilt.
Relieve me of the bondage of self, that I may better do Thy will.
Take away my difficulties, that victory over them may bear witness to those I would help of Thy Power, Thy Love, and Thy Way of Life.
May I do Thy will always!
Throughout this Easter season, we have reflected on how the risen Christ meets us in fear, walks with us in confusion, leads us as our Good Shepherd, reveals Himself as the way forward, and places His Spirit within us. This week, the Easter journey turns outward. In many dioceses, the Church celebrates the Ascension of the Lord on this Sunday, while others observe it on Thursday. In either case, we are invited into the same mystery: Christ ascends to the Father, not to leave us behind, but to send us forward.
This is an important truth for those of us in recovery. Healing is never meant to end with us. The freedom we receive is not something to hide or hoard. It is meant to be shared. Just as the disciples were formed by walking with Jesus, we too are transformed by journeying with Him—and then called to help others find the same hope we have received.
Before ascending into heaven, Jesus gives His disciples a clear mission (Matthew 28:18-20): “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations… teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” Notice that Jesus gives both a commission and a promise. He sends them out, but He does not send them alone.
This mirrors a central truth in recovery. None of us were healed in isolation. Someone shared honestly in a meeting. Someone reached out when we were struggling. Someone welcomed us, sponsored us, challenged us, or sat with us in our pain. At some point, what was freely given to us became part of our own healing. Then, often before we feel fully ready, we begin recognizing that what we have received is meant to be passed on.
This is the heart of Step Twelve: having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these Steps, we tried to carry this message to others, and to practice these principles in all our affairs. Carrying the message does not always mean dramatic gestures. Often, it looks like faithful presence—showing up to meetings, making coffee, leading a reflection, taking a newcomer’s call, offering sponsorship, or simply speaking honestly about where God has met us in our weakness.
In The Spirituality of Imperfection, Ernest Kurtz and Katherine Ketcham write, “In relationships of mutuality we give by getting and get by giving” (p. 83). This is deeply true in recovery. We discover that service is not an obligation placed upon us, but a gift that keeps us spiritually alive. We keep what we have by giving it away.
The first readings throughout Easter have shown us the transformation of the apostles. They were ordinary people who were fearful, confused, and imperfect, yet became bold witnesses through the power of the Holy Spirit. Peter, who once denied Jesus, became a courageous leader. The disciples were not chosen because they had everything together. They were chosen because they were willing to be transformed and willing to go where Christ sent them.
The same is true for us. We do not need to wait until we feel spiritually polished or emotionally perfect before being useful to God and others. Our wounds, honestly shared, become places where grace can reach another person. Our story becomes part of someone else’s hope.
As Easter draws near its close and Pentecost approaches, we are reminded that recovery is not only about freedom from addiction, compulsion, or unhealthy attachment. It is about becoming men and women who live differently—people shaped by grace, strengthened by fellowship, and sent forth with purpose.
Christ has ascended, but He has not abandoned us. He remains with us always—in the Eucharist, in prayer, in fellowship, and through the Spirit alive within us. What we have received is meant to be shared. As we continue in recovery, we are invited not only to follow Christ, but to help others discover the freedom that He offers.
Reflection Questions
Who helped carry hope to you in your early recovery, and how did that shape your journey?
In what ways are you being invited to carry a message of hope, healing, or encouragement to others today?
How have service, fellowship, or accompaniment strengthened your own recovery over time?
Sunday Mass Readings
First Reading: Acts 1:1-11 Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 47:2-3, 6-7, 8-9 Second Reading: Ephesians 1:17-23 Gospel: Matthew 28:16-20
(1540-1592) — Born on Pentecost in Spain, celebrated by the Spanish as the Pasch (or Passover) of the Holy Ghost, this saint was named Paschal. In love with the Holy Eucharist from childhood, Saint Paschal was a shepherd until age 24 and then a Franciscan brother. He was known for his care of the poor, courtesy, and deep devotion to the Blessed Sacrament. Several miracles, including prophecies, were attested by eyewitnesses in the process of his canonization.
An essential step in recovery is to seek “through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out” (Step 11). Have you considered the power of spending time adoring Jesus in the Eucharist as a part of that?
“God is as really present in the consecrated Host as He is in the glory of Heaven” (Saint Paschal Baylon).
Reflection by Brad Farmer
Other Saints
Saint Simon Stock
May 16, 2026
Saint Isidore the Farmer
May 15, 2026
Saint Matthias, Apostle
May 14, 2026
Our Lady of Fatima
May 13, 2026
Saint Epiphanius of Salamis
May 12, 2026
Saint Gengulphus of Burgundy
May 11, 2026
Saint John of Avila, Doctor of the Church
May 10, 2026
Saint Pachomius of Tabenna
May 9, 2026
Saint Boniface IV, Pope
May 8, 2026
ACT
Practice the five daily habits:
Start your day with prayer
Attend a recovery meeting (click here to find a meeting)
Connect with people in recovery outside of meetings
Read some recovery literature and Scripture
Give thanks to God at the end of the day
Discuss
Share your thoughts and connect with others on this journey.
PRAY
REFLECT
ACT
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