One way to think about this is to consider the concept of righteousness, an idea, or rather a state of being, that is mentioned many times throughout the pages of Scripture. Jesus Himself speaks of righteousness in the Gospels, most memorably in the Beatitudes: “Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied” (Matthew 5:6). What does it mean to be righteous or to hunger and thirst for righteousness? Our best clue is what Our Lord says repeatedly about Himself, that He comes to do the will of the Father, nothing more and nothing less. Jesus leaves no doubt that His sole purpose is to fulfill the will of the Father in everything (cf. John 4:34; John 5:30; John 6:38; and Luke 22:42). He cannot be or do otherwise. You might say that Christ unceasingly “craves” the will of the Father in all things. And so should we!
If our daily conversion in recovery is to become more Christ-like (cf. Romans 13:14; Galatians 2:20; Galatians 3:27; Colossians 3:10; and Ephesians 4:24), then we must learn to desire what Jesus desires. We have to radically exchange our self-will and our cravings for the things that are profane, base, and self-serving for Christ’s will (which is the Father’s will) and for the things that are sacred, holy, and God-serving. This is the only way our hunger and thirst will be truly satiated.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church gives a beautiful explanation of the meaning of righteousness in paragraphs 1987–2029, which are well worth a little lectio divina! But suffice it to say here that our becoming and being righteous is always first a work of God’s initiative, a process of conversion that comes through God’s forgiveness and which depends on our humility and surrender in accepting His mercy, and ultimately is a gift of grace that frees and heals us from sin. To be made righteous or justified (i.e. to be reconciled to God and made holy) is to live in the “rectitude of divine love,” to live in a manner that is altogether honest, morally correct, and honorable, which is precisely the opposite of everything that characterizes the selfish darkness, deceit, and disordered love of sin and addiction (CCC 1991). It is where the Twelve Steps lead us united with sacramental grace. God in His very nature always lives or exists, as it were, in the rectitude of divine love, or rightly-ordered love. And our participation in sacramental grace is the privilege we have as baptized Christians, as God’s children, to share in His perfect love, in His righteousness. That is why 12-step recovery is incomplete without the sacraments, sanctifying grace, and Christ Jesus as its foundation and goal. And that is why I believe recovery is really a program about learning to love rightly.
“To the upright I will show the saving power of God” (Responsorial Psalm).
Reflection Question
- Did you ever equate your addictions, compulsions, and unhealthy attachments with your fundamental identity as a person? How did this make you feel and/or affect your behavior? How has this changed in recovery, or if not, why not?
- What is your understanding of the difference between authentic righteousness versus self-righteousness? Were you ever self-righteous before recovery? Do you still struggle with being so?
Daily Mass Readings
First Reading: Amos 5:14-15, 21-24
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 50:7, 8-9, 10-11, 12-13, 16bc-17
Gospel: Matthew 8:28-34
Reflection by Pete S.