The “good news” of the Gospel has a particularly tender yet exhilarating appeal to the person who has lived a life of enslavement to addictions. This New Covenant welcomes the broken and damaged soul into the reality of being a beloved child of God who is offered a new life in recovery and eternal life with the Father. It is, paradoxically and providentially, the very fact that we have lived such a desperate and tenuous life in our addiction that God can manifest His redemptive love with such abandon and zeal. He offers us a new life in Christ—a life of fulfillment, meaning, and purpose.

Reflection Questions

• In what ways can accepting your identity as a beloved child of God serve to bolster your life in recovery?
• How does your prayer and devotional life contribute to your commitment to seeking God and living out the 12-step program?

Daily Mass Readings

First Reading: Joel 4:12-21
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 97:1-2, 5-6, 11-12
Gospel: Luke 11:27-28

Reflection by Mark L.