Towards faith in Jesus Christ.

12 STEP CATHOLIC SPIRITUALITY SERIES.

I started this series in September 2018 and will continue with the series this year.  If you have not read the first posts, click here to read.  This series is based on the 12 Steps of AA and could have easily been called 12 Step Christian Anon programme.  However, I prefer to think of it as a 12 Step guide to Catholic spirituality

Today we continue on with Step 2: We Confess that Jesus Christ can lead us to the fullness of life.

 TOWARDS FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST (STEP 2 CONTINUED)

Many self-help groups require, a successful completion of this step, only that we acknowledge some higher power as a source of sanity and help.   This higher power does not need to be Jesus Christ, but for some, it may another person or thing.

In 12 step programme context, this second step helps to solve the problem. Iit offers hope to one whose first step has brought insight into powerlessness.  Step two assures us that our condition can be bettered, but only with help from outside of ourselves.  This is the true meaning of our higher power.

Unfortunately, the problem in giving others or a thing higher power status to someone else rather than Jesus Christ will lead to disappointment, since he or she or it cannot love unconditionally.

If I believe in Jesus as the one who can help us realise my human potential, we need to define what we mean by the word belief.  Belief can mean many things, but for now our we are encouraged to take the scope of belief that Jesus of Nazareth is a model of the God charged life.  We should be able to say with St Peter ‘’Lord to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life.  We have come to believe; we are convinced that you are God’s Holy One”.  (Jn 6:68-69).

In step 1 we saw that selfishness is anti-growth. Now we need only to recognise Jesus as the one who can lead us out of that smug death into spiritual health, vitality, and meaning.  It is probably obvious that this basic level of faith will have to be have learned in love again and again.  In truth, we are never completely finished with of the steps.  We can make real progress in in the depths of our growth. 

HOW THIS STEP CAN HELP PRACTISING CATHOLICS? 

For those of us who are practising Catholics who already acknowledge that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Saviour, we may think that this step is unnecessary.  However, we can always move our faith in Jesus Christ to a new level.  The season of Lent is a perfect time to renew our faith in Jesus Christ and to come back to him with all our hearts.  Perhaps with the spotlight on the catholic church, our faith may be weakened, and it may be tempting to stop praying, believing and attending mass.  This will be a big mistake.  We need to remain strong in our faith and belief in Jesus Christ.

Remember that this step provides an opportunity and to have a look at our lives and then examine how we can confess that Jesus Christ can lead us to the fullness of life.  This is what this step requires of us.  We have the Holy Spirit to help us deepen our faith in Jesus Christ been to a acknowledge that Jesus Christ can and does lead us to the fullness of life.