[1]The history of Alcoholics Anonymous
clearly indicates, it was working with others who were still suffering that
kept Bill W. and Dr. Bob sober. The same principle is true for all members of
12 step groups: "to
keep it you have to give it away."
The last of the 12 Steps is to
carry the message to others and to put the principles of the program into
practice in every area of your life. For those in recovery programs, practicing
Step 12 is simply "how
it works," as the founders of the fellowship discovered for
themselves in those early days.
What is Step 12? In Alcoholics
Anonymous the twelfth step reads "try to carry the message to alcoholics" and in Al-Anon
it says "try to carry
the message to others." But the principle is the same. In
order to work all 12 of the steps, you must try to help others. Carrying the message
to others by sharing experience, strength, and hope reinforces the spiritual
principle of the 12 steps in the person being 12th-stepped as well as the one
doing the sharing. Step 12 also calls for members to put the spiritual growth
they have found to work—not only within the fellowship but it all aspects of
their lives. It requires practicing these principles in all your affairs.[2]
Noah is best known for his
construction of the ark that would serve to carry the remnant of creation,
carved out by God after he vowed to destroy “the wickedness of human beings.” (Gn
6:5) Peter uses the image of the ark to discuss God’s patience as he waited
for Noah to complete the ark’s construction that alludes to God’s patience in
waiting for sinners to turn to the cleansing waters of Baptism.
The forty days spent by Noah
riding on the waters of the flood, like the forty days Moses would spend on the
mountain with God, like Jesus’ forty days in the wilderness, like our 40 days
leading to the glory of the Easter glory, represents the time of preparation
necessary to receive fully the promise of a new creation.
After Jesus’ Baptism, “the Spirit immediately drove him out
into the wilderness.” (Mk 1:12) In some
way, this sojourn into the wilderness resembles the journey people make when
they are trying to turn their lives around and make a fresh start. Some are
quite dramatic as the person who suffers from alcoholism or any other addiction
going into a treatment center. They leave their homes, their families, their
work, and their friends, submitting themselves to a routine of solitude,
discipline, and self-examination, where they face themselves and their past. To
emerge, from this time of testing, with a resolve to make a new beginning[3]
a new life.
Jesus, in taking on all of our
humanity, didn’t travel straight from baptism to the glory of the
transfiguration or his ascension into heaven. He went to the wilderness,
because it’s a place that haunts our fragile humanity, no matter where we are,
and it demands redemption. Jesus’ redemption of humanity begins with the incarnation,
but we see it advance in his obedience, unlike Adam and Eve, to the will of God
and in his steadfastness to resist temptation. The model Jesus presents to us
is one grounded in the reality of human life. Life can be hard, life can be unfair,
and life can knock you to the ground. A promise to relax in the car, on the way
to work, can deteriorate into cursing against the first driver cutting us off, or
a promise not to drink, all the hard work accomplished in rehab, can fall apart
in one visit to the bar, resulting in a sense of frustration and ineptitude. The
evil one is crouching nearby, to tempt us in our struggles, our losses, and our
sufferings.
The Church was built for this ongoing battle. When evil threatens to overcome us and drive us into the wilderness alone. Recall how Jesus emerges from the wilderness, proclaiming “This is the time of fulfillment. The Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the Gospel.” (Mk 1:15) Repentance is a sign of why the Church was built: for salvation. It is Christ, through his battle with evil in the wilderness, his suffering and death, his resurrection; who has gained salvation for us[4] and all who will submit themselves to a routine of solitude, discipline, and self-examination.
In this time of preparation, we are encouraged to fearlessly grasp our baptismal mission, including repentance when we stumble in our personal life. For you, who are seeking Baptism, whom we are sending to our beloved Bishop who will welcome your decision to join this family of faith. Baptism “is not a removal of dirt from the body, but an appeal to God for a clear conscience through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” (1Pt 3:21) This life of faith is something we all must continually work at, seeking the guidance of the Spirit of Life, to be working Step 12 in such a way to safeguard our own spiritual awareness as we carry the message to others by sharing: our own faith experience, the strength drawn from this faith, and the hope of salvation.
[1] New American Bible Revised. Genesis 9:8-15; 1 Peter 3:18-22; Mark 1:12-15
[2] Verywellmind.com. “A Study of Step 12
of the 12-Step Program”, by Buddy T.
Medically reviewed by John C. Umhau, MD on January 14, 2021
[3] Sundays with Jesus. “This is the Time
of Fulfillment” by James DiGiacomo,
SJ. © 2008.
[4] The Word on the Street. “In the Wilderness”, by John W. Martens © 2017.
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