The first Monday of every month, clients of the Guiding Light Recovery program travel to St. Mary’s Cathedral in downtown Grand Rapids to attend Taizé.
Gathered in the presence of Christ, the men joined the congregation singing uncomplicated, repetitive songs, allowing the mystery of God to become tangible in through the beauty of simplicity. Prayer in the Taizé spirit often involves songs in more than one language, including Latin, “uniting us with Christians around the world.” At the most recent service, the visual focus points for prayer were the icons of Christ the Lifegiver and The Holy Trinity. The icons contribute to the beauty of worship. They are like “windows open on the realities of the Kingdom of God, making them present in our prayer on earth.” The men participated in chanting, and were invited to light a candle in the presence of these icons and say a prayer.
“It’s kind of embarrassing but I started crying,” said one client. “This is the first time in years that my head has been clear enough for me to feel my feelings, and being there in that church was just an unreal experience.” At Guiding Light, we try to show men the path, not force it on them. The concept of developing spirituality in recovery from addiction is, we believe, one of the most important aspects of long-term sobriety. But spirituality is subtle. It cannot be analyzed and learned in the traditional sense. It is not a one-size-fits-all concept. It is something every individual must develop deeply within him or herself. At Guiding Light, we give clients the space to develop themselves on their own spiritual journey. “I’ve never been a very religious person, and honestly I’m still not,” according to another client. “But being here has taught me that there is a big difference between religion and spirituality, and I’m so grateful to be able to participate in things like this. I would have never tried attending anything Taize in my life if I wasn’t here.”
We believe that coming to terms with and taking real action to deal with one’s problems in addiction requires one to look inwards and be willing to heal all aspects of themselves; mind, body and spirit. Men enrolled in the Guiding Light Recovery program attend an average of 144 spiritual engagement sessions during their stay. For so many clients, it is the first time they have ever participated in anything remotely resembling this. It is often the first time they have ever been introduced to the concept that addiction, perhaps, is just as much a spiritual malady as much as it is a physical or mental one. We would like to thank our generous donors and volunteers for making it possible for men to experience this. For so many, it is the first time in their life they have had a chance to form a relationship with God, and we are so grateful to be able to facilitate it. From all of us, clients and staff alike, thank you so much for all that you do for us at Guiding Light.
