I remember wrestling with God, asking, “Why can’t you just take away my obsession to drink if I’m doing everything you ask of me in church?” That was the problem. I was putting my faith in religion, my own actions, and other people, not in Jesus Christ. In a way similar to what Saint Paul writes in today’s second reading, I was placing my trust in the law as opposed to having faith in Christ: “Before faith came, we were held in custody under law, confined for the faith that was to be revealed. Consequently, the law was our disciplinarian for Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a disciplinarian. For through faith you are all children of God in Christ Jesus…And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendant, heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3:23-29).

Letting go and truly allowing Jesus to take control was something I was freely given through my recovery. It transformed how I live my Christian faith. I used to think I had to prove myself to Jesus, to earn His love or His sacrifice. I lived like a Pharisee, thinking my religious deeds would secure my place in the Kingdom of God and bring fulfillment to my life. In recovery, I’ve come to know what it means to be an heir to God, according to His promise. When we have truly surrendered to Him alone, Jesus stands in the gap, doing for us what we could not do for ourselves. The freedom I’ve found by working the Twelve Steps and having Jesus as my Higher Power through Catholic in Recovery has broken the chains of trying to please others or prove myself to God. This is the miracle of our recovery—learning to let God truly be the God of our lives.

Reflection Questions

• What kept you (or still keeps you) from completely putting your trust in the hands of Jesus?
• Which AA promises have been fulfilled in your life as a result of your recovery and God’s grace?

Daily Mass Readings

First Reading: Galatians 3:22-29
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 105:2-3, 4-5, 6-7
Gospel: Luke 11:27-28

Reflection by Juan Carlos P.