Far from morbid preoccupation, preparation for a holy death is in fact the most important task of our lives. It lies at the heart of a fruitful spiritual life and a healthy recovery. It arises from the understanding that our mortal lives are not our own. Rather, they are a gift given to us to fulfill the will of God. The promise of eternal happiness entirely depends on the love and mercy of God and how well we have loved Him and our neighbor in return. Saint Charles Borromeo was known to have kept a skull on his desk as a reminder of his mortality and the daily call to repentance and conversion. Every day should be lived as if it were our last, motivated by the one and only desire to please God. “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us looking to Jesus” (Hebrews 12:1-2).

When we are spiritually dead in pride and addiction, we are in essence running from our suffering, our powerlessness, our mortality. The terrible irony is that the diabolical lengths to which we are capable of going to avoid suffering and death directly lead to non-redemptive suffering and unholy death. The only solution is turning to the Crucified and Risen Lord, to embracing our crosses with gratitude at the foot of His cross, staying on our knees every day in humility, surrender, and trust in the shadow of the cross. The secular, addicted culture in which we find ourselves violently revolts against the cross. It ceaselessly inundates us with distractions and illusions, tempting us to flee from suffering, deny our powerlessness and mortality, and risk being lost forever. To be a Catholic in Recovery is truly counter-cultural. We are called to suffer well so that we too might be given the grace of a happy death. So let us with courage and patience take up our crosses and die to self daily. Let us support one another to carry our crosses in recovery fellowship. Let us never lose sight of the goal, Christ Jesus. And may we be able to say at the end, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7).

Let us pray for all the faithful departed!

Reflection Questions

• How is your recovery preparation for a holy and happy death? How does “suffering well” give meaning to your recovery?
• Pray for the holy souls in Purgatory this month, and let it serve as a reminder for your daily conversion in humility, surrender, and trust.

Daily Mass Readings

First Reading: Wisdom 3:1-9
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6
Second Reading: Romans 6:3-9
Gospel: John 6:37-40

Reflection by Pete S.