In Catholic in Recovery, we come to recognize just how far we have strayed from the Truth, like Dante in the dark wood. Though we merit absolutely nothing in relation to our Creator, we nonetheless discover with surprising joy that we are actually beloved children of God, and that our worth and dignity are entirely founded on the grace of God who made us in His very image and likeness and who loves us beyond our wildest imagination. 

Wonderfully, we learn that we are “made” worthy because our God who is Love itself desires it. We learn we are “made” worthy by the grace and mercy He pours out upon us when we shed our pride and open our hearts in repentance, humility, and trust. We learn we are “made” worthy in communion with Him, in prayerful and sacramental relationship with His Divine Life and Most Sacred Heart. In sum, we learn we are “made” worthy by His initiative and our cooperation; our recovery is never primarily about us even if it most certainly involves us. What is truly saving to our souls is that we come to learn that from within the apparent humiliation of our own powerlessness (Steps 1-3), we actually find the happy road to divinely bestowed dignity and immeasurable worth that is the precious gift from our Higher Power.

So as we continue our journey of daily conversion, let us pray to our Blessed Mother, Mary Queen of the Universe, Our Lady of all Graces, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Our Lady Undoer of Knots: “Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.”

Reflection Questions

• Reflect upon your feelings of unworthiness prior to recovery. How did they reflect your pride and fuel your unhealthy attachments, compulsions, and addictions?
• How do the saints’ constant affirmations of their “unworthiness” before God help you in your recovery and your relationship with Christ?

Daily Mass Readings

First Reading: 1 Timothy 2:1-8
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 28:2, 7, 8-9
Gospel: Luke 7:1-10

Reflection by Pete S.