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awakening as the result of these cludes alcoholics already in AA, Steps.” Other kinds of nonalcoholic benders Breadth depends upon length. are overlooked, such as anxiety Length depends upon depth. binges, benders of hostility, resent- There are few finer human ex- ment, self-pity, confusion, insecurperiences than a sponsor’s gener- ity, etc. The longer one is in AA the osity and happiness in the progress more soul-trying these benders beof a prospect. These and the incred- come, the greater is the strength Three Dimensions of AA ulous gratitude of the prospect please the angels. Even greater in available in the Twelve Steps and the greater are the dividends. Here Heaven’s scales are the recaptured the dimension of breadth melts into By Edward Dowling, S.J. domesticities when the dimension of length. The breadth “. . .with the morn those angel faces of AA depends largely on the length smile and scope of its application. Which I have loved long since and “Practice these principles in all T WELFTH Step work sometimes covers only one-third of the works of the Twelfth Step in the AA lost awhile.” In addition to these fulfilling inter-personalities, the breadth dimenour affairs” suggests the length dimension. The Second Step speaks of program. The Twelfth Step indicates sion meshes quantity and quality, as restoration “to sanity,” opening up a three jobs that outline the three AA spreads from Akron’s May- tremendously significant scope. The ‘

dimensions of AA. They are: flower Hotel to the Seven Seas. It Third Step involves our whole lives. Breadth-“Carry this message to verifies the old philosophical axiom The Eleventh Step takes in everyother alcoholics.” that good diffuses itself: bonum est thing that is God’s will. Length-“Practiced these prin- diflusivum suit. I have felt at home I have seen the effectiveness of ciples in all our affairs.” with AA from Vancouver on Puget the AA Steps in many, many human Depth-“Having had a spiritual Sound to St. Stephen’s Green on the problems apart from alcohol. Liffey in Dublin, from the Arid Club As breadth depends on length, so in Phoenix to the old Beauregard in turn the length depends on AA’s House in New Orleans and the cozy final dimension of depth. . rathskeller club in Saskatoon. “Having had a spiritual awaken- One incident that I will never for- ing as the result of these Steps” inget happened in Ireland, in County dicates the depth dimension of AA, Roscommon, in the town of Kil- The deeper our spiritual experience rooski at the Cloonageerah cross- the greater the longitude of its aproads at Rattigan’s Pub in the back plication and the latitude of its exroom, where an AA book and a let- port. ter from an AA in America had re- On the surface one sees the power assured an Irish mother that her of AA. Yet as we dig deeper we find emigrant son had found sobriety in the confessed powerlessness of AA America. members. And deeper still the Ironically, “carry this message to Power greater than AA, God as we other alcoholics” sometimes ex- understand Him, God of the Second,

An AA member once told me you even greater help after making that he had been skeptical about the that offering? That’s the way that AA spiritual program until he re- AA has taught me to look at it,” he alized that it was the systematic ex- said. pression of an old Jesuit praycr he Since then 1 have not been afraid . had learned as a boy. The prayer of that prayer. This AA member was: had given me an understanding of “Take, Lord, and receive all my that old Jesuit prayer, which I had liberty, my memory, my intellect, not got in my thirty Jesuit years. and all my will – all that I have and A year later I met this AA friend possess. Thou gavest it to me: to and told him what our conversation Third, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, Elev- Thee, Lord, I return it! All is Thine, had taught me. “I also learned enth and Twelfth Steps. dispose of it according to all Thy something that night,” he said. “I The deepest explanation of the will. Give me Thy love and grace, noticed for the first time that last dynamism of AA is the power of for this is enough for me.” sentence of the prayer, ‘Give me God which Scripture promises to the I told my AA friend that I was Thy love and Thy grace, this is humble. afraid of that praycr. I feared that if enough for me.’ That meant that all Humility is a sane outlook of ing of the God-Man gives motive to I made that offering to God at eight wc were asking from God was nothmind, an attitude of will, toward my- the Sixth and Seventh Steps of AA, o’clock in the morning I would have ing, except everything. For with His self. The shortest cut to humility is which are probably the deepest spir- taken it back by ten o’clock. love and His grace, 1 do have everyhumiliation. We come closer to God, itual experiences of the program. “How do you know you’ll be thing,” my AA friend said. not in our proud achievements, but The Sixth Step goes beyond par- alive by ten o’clock?” he said. “How And that is the deepest dimension in our humiliating failures. tial acceptance of humiliation. It do you know but that God may give of AA — Cod’s love and His grace. This AA discovery is an echo of calls for “entire readiness.” The Sevtraditional Christian teaching. We enth Step goes beyond passive accome closer to God where He comes ceptance of humiliating suffering. It closest to us. The Christian feels that calls for active asking for the suffer- God’s perihelion is not the invisible, ings involved in removing our shortmysterious Trinity, but the visible, comings. This is discouragingly auslovable Christ. Not Christ trium- tere unless the God of our Third phant, but Christ of the humiliating Step also suffered and gave a re- Passion -fearful, lonely, discour- demptive significance to the Sixth, aged, futile -in Gethsemane. God Seventh, Eighth and Ninth Steps. If could not come lower. the Third Step leads me to Christ, And between the God-Man’s hu- then the motive and the method of miliations and ours, St. Paul says His suffering become mine. there is a bridge or ladder. St. Paul The Sixth and Seventh Steps go tells us that by our sufferings we can further than the Serenity Prayer. “fill up those things that are wanting These Steps would pray, “God grant in the sufferings of Christ.” This me the serenity to enjoy (not accept) participation in the motivated suffer- the things I cannot change.”