Questioning as Spiritual Practice

Sor Juana's theology embraced questions over certainty; her faith was sharpened through rigorous doubt. In recovery, addiction often involves false certainty (the substance will solve this) or learned helplessness (nothing matters). Her model suggests that healthy recovery includes capacity for genuine questioning: What do I believe? What do I value? Who am I becoming? What is worth building? These aren't signs of instability but marks of mature, honest engagement with existence. Spiritual practice in recovery—whether religious or secular—deepens through questions that refuse easy answers. Sor Juana's tradition teaches that rigorous inquiry is not opposed to faith or identity; it is the path through which authentic identity and commitment form.