In the spring of 2018, and in response to the number of people in our region living with substance addictions, the Parish of the Resurrection in South River initiated a Narcotics Anonymous Group. The intention was to form an NA group in which the priest could be pastorally present and available as a form of outreach to the region. Since June of last year, what is now called the Baccilieu Trail Recovery Group has emerged and continues to take root.
There are pastoral and spiritual benefits to my presence in the meetings each week, but mostly I am a listener, learning from the wisdom of those who are walking the difficult path of recovery. In addition to the regular meetings, Twelve Step Spirituality is also part of the NA AA program. Twelve Step spirituality is not just about staying clean or sober, but even more importantly it is about spiritual enlightenment. One of the many things that I have learned from the weekly meetings, is that twelve step spirituality is not just for recovering addicts. A member pointed this out to me when he said that twelve step spirituality is a spirituality for everyone because it is a program for life. And he is right.
The word “addiction” is only used in step one, with the truth remaining that we are all powerless over our lives and that we need to believe in a Power greater than ourselves in order to be restored to sanity. All of the twelve steps are spiritually relevant to all people of our culture today, but two in particular stand out for me. The first is step two, the invitation to believe in a Higher Power, whatever that may be for you. This is brilliant. The Twelve Steps is not telling the seeker what to believe in. The invitation is one to spiritual exploration and discovery. When someone is intentional in seeking God or your higher power, God always shows up. “Seek and you will find.” So religion or creeds or doctrines are not obstacles to be put in the way of someone beginning to seek out a spiritual path to wholeness.
The other step that stands out for me is step eleven, the use of meditation to improve our conscious contact with God. The various forms of meditation, across traditions and cultures, are pathways for us to deepen our conscious sharing in a Larger Life, our higher power. The path to enlightenment or spiritual freedom is learning and practicing how to get out of our addictive thinking minds. All of us are addicts, minimally to our own addictive thinking patterns. Step eleven invites us to go deeper than our thinking, to discover a deeper conscious contact with our Higher Power, where we are liberated from the prisons of our thinking minds. For the Christian, to follow the Twelve Step Spirituality is to put on the Mind of Christ. Twelve Step Spirituality is worth a try. In case you or someone you know were interested, on Sunday nights at 7pm at the Resurrection, we offer an Alternative Spiritual Community where we gather to learn about Twelve Step Spirituality and to learn and practice meditation.
