We can learn much from the apostles’ eagerness to serve. In doing so, we make ourselves available to our brothers and sisters looking for a spark of hope and freedom from addictions, compulsions, and unhealthy attachments. The apostles were bold and confident in their experience as they brought the faith to all corners of the globe.
This year we celebrate the Ascension of the Lord on Thursday, May 18 and will hear Jesus tell his disciples:
“All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.
And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”
This mirrors the spirit of Step Twelve and the calling of those who have had a spiritual awakening as a result of the Twelve Steps. We are called to share a message of hope with others by participating in meetings, connecting with our peers between meetings, taking on commitments to serve the group, offering to be a sponsor and guide others through the steps, or by accompanying newcomers to supplemental fellowships specific to a common addiction type or the family disease of addiction. Never underestimate your ability to help the addict or alcoholic who still suffers.
In their book The Spirituality of Imperfection, Ernest Kurtz and Katherine Ketcham attempt to describe the unique nature of relationships in recovery by noting, “In relationships of mutuality we give by getting and get by giving, recognizing that we truly gain only what we seek to give and that we are able to give only that which we are seeking to gain” (p. 83).
Whether we are embarking upon our first weeks of recovery or counting decades, we get an opportunity to return to the truth in God’s word. In our recovery from alcoholism, drug addiction, food-related addictions, gambling, porn and sex addiction, codependency, technology addiction, emotional challenges, grief, and other unhealthy attachments, we get the unique chance to experience a past that keeps us propelled toward a brighter future. We know the depths and darkness of what the world has to offer. We also get to know the blessings that our King wants to give us in abundance.
God is our answer. As faithful Catholics, we get to experience Him in the sacraments of healing and forgiveness. He surrounds us in the body of Christ that makes up our fellowship. We are in the world but not of the world, and we can make a home here while remaining in God and seeking to do His will. As C.S. Lewis noted, “Aim at heaven and you will get earth ‘thrown in’: aim at earth and you get neither” (Mere Christianity, p. 134).
Reflection Questions
- How does a healthy remembrance of the past keep you committed to recovery and doing the will of God?
- How do you remain of service to others in recovery? What impact does it have on your life?
- What does it mean for you to develop the appropriate attitude and behavior for living this particular day successfully?
Sunday Mass Readings (Seventh Sunday of Easter)
First Reading: Acts 1:12-14
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 27:1, 4, 7-8
Second Reading: 1 Peter 4:13-16
Gospel: John 17:1-11a
Printable General Recovery Meeting Reflection
Printable Family & Friends Recovery Meeting Reflection
Printable Lust Recovery Meeting Reflection
Download virtual meeting reflections: General Recovery, Family & Friends Recovery, Lust Addiction Recovery