We invite you to reflect on the readings and how they may resonate in your journey of a spiritual awakening in the 12 steps of recovery, and in particular the 11th Step – “Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.”
“What is the essence of meditation? What is it really about? It is learning to stand back and to allow God to come into the forefront of your life. So often in our experience, we find that we are the center of our world. So many of us see reality revolving around us. We think quite naturally of situations and of people primarily in terms of “how is this going to affect me?”
Now that’s all right as far as it goes. But if we really imagine that we are at the center of the world, then we are never going to see any situation, or any person, or ourselves, as we really are. Because, of course, we are not at the center of the world. God is at the center.
Now, meditation is trying to take that step away from self-centeredness to God-centeredness. The result is that we find our own place in the world.
We find where we should be. We find our relationships in the right order – our relationships with one another, our relationship with creation, and our relationship with God.”
Hunger for Depth and Meaning – Leaving the Ego Behind – John Main OSB
“Now and then we may be granted a glimpse of that ultimate reality which is God’s kingdom. And we will be comforted and assured that our own destiny in that realm will be secure for so long as we try, however falteringly, to find and do the will of our own Creator..
The actual experience of meditation and prayer across the centuries is, of course, immense. The world’s libraries and places of worship are a treasure trove for all seekers.
It is to be hoped that every A.A. who has a religious connection which emphasizes meditation will return to the practice of that devotion as never before.”
12&12 Step Eleven, p.98
Passages from the Big Book Alcoholics Anonymous and the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions are reprinted with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc. The A.A. Preamble, copyright © The A.A. Grapevine, Inc., is reprinted with permission. Permission to reprint does not in any way imply affiliation with or endorsement by Alcoholics Anonymous or The A.A. Grapevine, Inc.
