Monday, March 16th

The key to a deeper conversion has been Catholic in Recovery. What this ministry revealed to me is that my conversion was incomplete, that at the root of my addictions was a deep and pernicious pride that had rendered my heart black with distrust and fear, from which was born my compulsions to cope with the pain. Most amazingly, I learned that my self-pity was in fact the most insidious form of pride of all. My self-pity was the wall I had erected against God and neighbor, and it was the accelerant always fanning the fire of my compulsions anew. It was literally my spiritual coffin, and I chose to lie in it for far too long.

Happily, by following the path of 12-step recovery and experiencing the honesty, openness, and willingness of others in CIR fellowship, I have literally been spiritually raised from the dead. Within me, at last, is a real integration of head and heart, of total surrender (Step One), and the realization that from within my utter powerlessness comes His wonderful and amazing power. And the proof is in the pudding—my compulsions have been lifted and in its place is a daily yearning to be with Christ in prayer, adoration, and the sacraments. At last, I am on the path to loving God and neighbor with head and heart.

Saint Bonaventure, pray for us!

Reflection Questions

• Consider how recovery has been a path of conversion for you. What have you discovered to be the barriers blocking the light and love of the Lord in your heart?
• An essential truth in recovery is that resentment is fatal to sobriety. Consider your resentments. How do they contribute to fanning the flames of disordered desires, unhealthy attachments, and outright addictions in your life?

Daily Mass Readings

First Reading: Isaiah 10:5-7, 13b-16
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 94:5-6, 7-8, 9-10, 14-15
Gospel: Matthew 11:25-27

Reflection by Pete S.

(1221-1274) — The Doctor Seraphicus, or the Seraphic Doctor, was cured from a disease in childhood by the prayers of Saint Francis of Assisi, and he joined the new Franciscan order in his early twenties in his native Italy. He studied and taught theology and philosophy in Paris, where he became friends with Saint Thomas Aquinas and Saint Louis IX, King of France. Bonaventure carefully collected documents and interviews of Saint Francis and wrote the official biography. He also wrote commentaries on the scriptures and textbooks for philosophy and theology, earning him the title of Doctor of the Church.

Teaching was one of Saint Bonaventure’s great charisms, a gift that helps build others and the Church. While we don’t all have the expertise to be a Doctor of the Church, any person with experience in the Twelve Steps can help accompany another where they have been themselves. This is a gift both for sponsor and sponsee. What is your relationship to sponsorship?

“When we pray, the voice of the heart must be heard more than that proceeding from the mouth” (Saint Bonaventure).

Reflection by Brad Farmer