A SLAVE TO DOPE
A
growing problem in our society is that of drug abuse. Those drugs that are
addictive, after giving temporary satisfaction, leave the user with a driving
need for more and more. The addict loses his freedom; he becomes a slave to
dope. If he finds no cure, he eventually becomes a dropout from his family,
from society, from everything.
One
can also become a slave of sin. Any sin gives only a temporary satisfaction.
Unless one turns immediately back to God, sin leaves a person with a driving
need for more and more in a blind, desperate search for happiness. Jesus said
in the Gospel today: "Everyone who lives in sin is a slave to sin"
(Jn. 8:34). Jesus came to set us free. The religious leaders who heard the
words of Jesus were insulted by His implying that they were slaves. They
protested that they were free because they were sons of Abraham, and they
thereby betrayed their mistaken belief that being a descendant of Abraham was
an automatic guarantee of salvation. Jesus indicated that such physical descent
was not enough, and that because of their selfish works they were really slaves
after all. As slaves they had in effect become dropouts from the household of
God.
As
I was reflecting on the Gospel, drug abuse came to mind because of a woman I
met a few years ago in South Dakota. The woman's name was Joyce. She was
putting in some volunteer time for community service that she had to serve. One
evening we had a shift together at the St. Francis' Homeless Shelter in Sioux
Falls. After our duties were done, we sat down and she and I talked. Joyce
shared her story with me. She was on drugs, cocaine, heroin, etc. She shared
about losing her daughter and husband; they had left her because of the drugs
and for her not caring for herself or for them. Joyce shared that things got so
bad that she ended up on the streets, got in trouble with the law and was put
in jail. She said God didn't love her anymore. That night there were lots of
tears. I asked her if she was seeking counseling and help for her addiction. She
said that she was. I asked her if she
was going to church and about her prayer life. She said, "God does not
love me." I told her, "God does love you. You are His child." Her eyes opened wide with a smile on her
face. I asked her if I scheduled some time for her to visit a priest, would she
visit with him. She said, "Yes." To make a long story short, today
Joyce is going to church and has been free from drugs for the past several
years of her life. She sees her daughter every weekend, and is holding a job. She lived in darkness and was a slave to
drugs. Turning to the Lord set her free!
The
lesson for us is obvious. We are sons and daughters of God by our baptism, but
being Catholic is no automatic guarantee of salvation. We too, amid all the
confusing enticements and mixed up values of our society, run the risk of
becoming slaves of our own addictions. It is never a sudden process, just as
the slavery of dope addiction is never a sudden process. Little by little, it
can get a hold on us until it is more serious and brings us great harm. One
thing leads to another until we are enslaved and I think that is what happened
to Joyce. We cannot afford the luxury of complacency. During this Lenten
journey, with the grace of God, we must constantly guard and nourish the love
of God in our hearts. May we renew our energy in this "freedom
journey." We know that this journey is made easier as we make it in union
with Jesus who gained our freedom, lest as slaves to worldly things, we become
dropouts from the family of God.
Blessed
are those who have kept the Word with a generous heart and yield a harvest
through perseverance!