I never tire of the liturgy. Some may say it could get routine and trite. Quite the opposite. The tradition, the ritual, the muscle memory of kneeling, standing, bowing are quite comforting. I see the same in the meetings. Walking through the Red Door, we begin our confession for all we have done and left undone. Have mercy on us and forgive us.

All someone has to say on a Tuesday night at 7pm is “God…” and everyone joins in with “God, grant me the serenity…” In many cases it’s the meeting’s version of the Lord’s Prayer. During the mass, all it takes is the priest to say “Our Father” and we all join in. In some meetings both the Serenity Prayer and the Lord’s Prayer are used. It’s hard to see a difference between the meeting and the mass if we’re all saying the Lord’s Prayer, isn’t it?

I remember the first time I heard the commendation that we observe a moment of silence for the “sick and suffering still outside this room.” I couldn’t help but hear “those on our thoughts and minds we remember them silently or aloud.” It was prayer. It was reverence. It was holding our loved ones in the Light in the meeting and in the mass. These were the prayers of the people.

“Someone read from Just for Today” sounds a lot like “A reading from the Book of Bill.” The words might be familiar, we might not be paying full attention and it may be just what our spirits needed to hear. In the church basement we hear supportive, life-giving words just like we do in the sanctuary. They are sacred texts.

The passing of the peace never struggles during the meeting. Mass could learn a thing or two. Even during COVID when we were fist bumping or waving from a comfortable six foot distance during mass, there were hardy, full body contact hugs, often unmasked, all throughout the meeting. The connection to another is a lifeline and can feel and look more genuine than the masked, sometimes sterile nods often shared Sunday mornings at 10:30.

While the celebration of the Eucharist is the highpoint of the mass, the culmination of the meeting is the celebration of “clean time.” At six months or one year, there is a processional to the front of the room. And great celebration. The chip becomes the host. We pause and remember and marvel in the mystery. “We who are many are one body” because we’ve all been on this road and those who get ahead of us in their recovery will be celebrated.

As mass comes to a close, we triumphantly declare “Thanks be to God!” after we are blessed by the priest. After the meeting, we leave with the hope of another day, several phone numbers of people to call if we need support and a greater connection to our Higher Power. Just like mass. 

Deborah M, MA, LPC
Lancaster, PA