The Sacrament of Baptism is emblematic of the transforming journey we undertake in recovery. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church says of Baptism, “The Christian must enter into this mystery of humble self-abasement and repentance, go down into the water with Jesus in order to rise with him, be reborn of water and the Spirit so as to become the Father’s beloved son in the Son and ‘walk in newness of life’” (537). 

In so many ways, this captures the plunge we must make in the soul-searching and often gut-wrenching hard work of the Twelve Steps, where we die to our pride and self-deceit, give up all pretense of being the masters of our lives, and come face to face with our utter incapacity for the good without the grace of Christ our savior and Higher Power. The Sacrament of Baptism, bestowed upon us in a completely unmerited way, liberated us from the chasmic alienation from God caused by Original Sin and restored our hope for communion with Him. The Twelve Steps, for us as Catholics in recovery, are a type of living sacramental that dispose us in trust and humility to receive God’s grace in the sacraments. And this grace properly orients, sustains, and perfects our conversion in recovery. Our daily commitment to authentic recovery is nothing other than seeking to live a life worthy of our baptismal vows.

In his book The Twelve Steps and the Sacraments: A Catholic Journey Through Recovery, Scott Weeman writes the following about Baptism: “An essential part of Catholic spirituality is maintaining a connection with the brokenness inherent within us…it reminds us of our need to keep Christ—his life, passion, death, and resurrection—ever present in our lives. When we enter or exit a Catholic church, most of us make it a habit to dip our fingers into the holy water and make the sign of the Cross. The simple plunge into these waters is a way to bind us once again with the grace of the Sacrament of Baptism, through which we recognize our powerlessness and the unmanageability of our lives while giving thanks for the redeeming power of our Savior, Jesus Christ. This is our identity. It is who we are, and it is who God is for us.”

As a Catholic in recovery, making the sign of the cross with the holy water from the baptismal font is more than a mere symbolic gesture; it is an existential reaffirmation of who I am—one claimed as a beloved son of God.

Let us give thanks to God for the gift of the Sacrament of Baptism!

Reflection Questions

• Reflect on how you see your journey in recovery as similar and connected to the Sacrament of Baptism.
• How are the first three steps in recovery especially “baptismal”?

Daily Mass Readings

First Reading: 1 Samuel 24:3-21
Second Reading: Acts 10:34-38 or 1 John 5:1-9
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 29:1-2, 3-4, 3, 9-10 or Isaiah 12:2-3, 4bcd, 5-6
Gospel: Mark 1:7-11

Reflection by Pete S.