The Beatitudes and the 12 Steps

 

Blessed are the poor in spirit,

    for theirs in the kingdom of heaven.

1. We admit we were powerless over our addiction.
2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.

Blessed are those who mourn,

    for they will be comforted.

4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.

Blessed are the meek,

    for they will inherit the earth.

5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for rightousness,

    for they will be filled.

6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.

Blessed are the merciful,

     for they will be shown mercy.

8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.

Blessed are the peacemakers,

     for they will be called children of God.

9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.

Blessed are the pure of heart,

     for they will see God.

10. Continues to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our concious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of rightousness,

    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics and to practice these principles in our affairs.