The Idea of Faith
Do not let any prejudice you might have against spiritual terms deter you from honestly asking yourself what they mean to you. The idea of faith is a very large chunk to swallow when fear, doubt and anger abound in and around me. Sometimes just the idea of doing something different, something I am not accustomed to doing, can eventually become an act of faith if I do it regularly, and do it without debating whether it’s the right thing to do. When a bad day comes along and everything is going wrong, a meeting or a talk with another drunk often distracts me just enough to persuade me that everything is not quite as impossible, as overwhelming as I had thought. In the same way, going to a meeting or talking to a fellow alcoholic are acts of faith; I believe I'm arresting my disease. These are ways I slowly move toward faith in a Higher Power.

Twenty–Four Hours A Day
A.A. Thought For The Day
In A.A., we must surrender, give up, admit that we’re helpless. We surrender our lives to God and ask Him for help. When He knows that we’re ready, He gives us by His grace the free gift of sobriety. And we can’t take any credit for having stopped drinking, because we didn't do it by our own willpower. There’s no place for pride or boasting. We can only be grateful to God for doing for us what we could never do for ourselves. Do I believe that God has made me a free gift of the strength to stay sober?

Meditation For The Day
I must work for God, with God and through God’s help. By doing all I can to bring about a true fellowship of human beings, I am working for God. I am also working with God, because this is the way God works, and He is with me when I am doing such work. I cannot do good work, however, without God’s help. In the final analysis, it is through the grace of God that any real change in human personality takes place. I have to rely on God's power and anything I accomplish is through His help.

Prayer For The Day
I pray that I may work for God and with God. I pray that I may be used to change human personalities through God's help.

Walk in Dry Places
Example, not exception–Helping Others.
It's always heady stuff when others congratulate us on our victory over alcohol. Fair-minded people will have considerable admiration for what appears to be a bootstrap effort to make a comeback from despair and defeat. We can accept this praise with grace and modesty. At some point, however, we should emphasize that our recovery was an example of spiritual principles at work and that thousands have been able to follow in the same path. Sober AA members are not exceptions, they are examples of what the program can do in people’s lives. It is important to emphasize that we are ordinary people. The marvellous thing about the program is that it works for ordinary people like ourselves. Many people in the fellowship have great talent and ability, but those gifts have nothing to do with staying sober. The gifted person gets sober the same way anybody does… by admitting powerlessness over alcohol and by accepting the program. We are also helped most by people who can serve as examples in our lives. It is always inspiring to know that we can follow in their paths and find what has been given to them.

I want to provide a good example for others today. I will go through the day remembering that my sobriety is a gift that can be bestowed on anybody it was not an exception just for me.

Keep It Simple
When I see a bird that walks like a duck and swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, I call that bird a duck. Remember how we tried to make others think we were not in trouble? We walked and talked like addicts. We acted like addicts. Most everyone knew the truth but us. We were like ducks pretending to be eagles. We see ourselves as we really are. But sometimes we can’t see ourselves that way. This is normal. That’s why we need others to help us see what we can’t. We were addicts. We are now recovering addicts. We need friends, sponsors, and family members to tell us when we may be acting like addicts again. It may save our lives.
Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, give my friends and family members the strength to tell me when I’m acting like an addict.
Action for the Day: I’ll go to people whom I trust and ask them to tell me when I’m acting like an addict.

Father Leo’s Daily Meditation
Hypocrisy
“Hypocrisy: prejudice with a halo.” – Ambrose Bierce
As a religious person I could be such a hypocrite. I thought that my “Goodness” was dependent upon my judging others to be inferior. I was always putting other people down so that I could appear terrific. But a part of me always knew this was wrong. I ignored the religious teaching that emphasized forgiveness and acceptance and instead focused on judgment and condemnation. It was all part of my sickness. Inside I was hurting and feeling guilty but I hid these feelings with a mask of hypocrisy and respectability. Today I do not need to do this. I have a religion that can accept the non–religious and rejoice in the different cultures and creeds. I do not fear those who are different, and I am slowly beginning to accept my many imperfections. You, who have loved me through forgiveness, help me to forgive.

Daily Inspiration
Repeatedly remind yourself what a wonderful person you are. Lord, help me to believe in myself as You believe in me and focus on my goodness. God’s plans for you are beyond your imagination. Lord, may I not limit myself to my past experiences, but be willing to accept new opportunities and challenges into my life.