That all changed with my attendance to a CIR retreat in 2021. In fact, my experience there is not unlike that of the jailer in today’s first reading:
“‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’ And they said, ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus and you and your household will be saved.’ So they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to everyone in his house” (Acts 16:30-32).
The people I met at CIR “spoke the word of the Lord” to me, they showed me “what I must do to be saved.” The authentic witness they gave about addiction, destruction, and redemption unquestionably seized my soul:
“…the foundations of the jail shook; all the doors flew open, and the chains of all were pulled loose” (Acts 16:26).
The foundations of my pride crumbled, the closed doors of my distrust flew open, and the chains of my compulsions were pulled loose. Nothing short of a miracle. Glory to God in the highest! The hard work of recovery, of course, goes on one day at a time but the ongoing fellowship and witness and wisdom I receive in my local recovery and CIR groups and with the larger CIR community keeps my “heart of flesh” from reverting to a “heart of stone.” It keeps me sober and alive in Easter joy!
Reflection Questions
- How has your experience of recovery shaken your foundations? What has your conversion in recovery looked like?
- What do you say when others affected by addiction come to you and ask, “What must I do to be saved?”
Daily Mass Readings
First Reading: Acts 16:22-34
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 138:1-2ab, 2cde-3, 7c-8
Gospel: John 16:5-11
Reflection by Pete S.