When God ransomed me from my addiction to alcohol, it was as though I had been rescued from drowning by a lifeguard. The lifeguard physically pulled me out of the water, put me on dry land, and tended to my physical needs. And when my head cleared, the first thing I needed to do was not dash back into the water! In the same way, stopping drinking was just the very first action to stop the bleeding, so to speak. Within a few days, my head cleared, I stopped shaking, and I began to sleep better. The cloud lifted, and then I could begin the real work—the work that is much more than simply not giving in to whatever our addiction, compulsion, or unhealthy attachment of choice is. Indeed, it is this work of completing the Twelve Steps and frequenting the sacraments where we truly then begin practicing “obedience to the truth.”

Reflection Questions

• When you found recovery, did you feel that you were “ransomed from your futile conduct?” What was this experience like?
• Are you working the Steps and frequenting the sacraments to practice “obedience to the truth”? What can you do today to that end?

Daily Mass Readings

First Reading: 1 Peter 1:18-25
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 147:12-13, 14-15, 19-20
Gospel: Mark 10:32-45

Reflection by Kevin S.