One of the biggest problems of this crazy century we are living at the moment that occurs even in the middle of Christians and Catholics (if not mainly in their midst) is what we define by the word ADDICTION. Wikipedia defines it as 'a brain disorder characterised by compulsive engagement in rewarding stimuli despite adverse consequences.'
In other words, it is a false necessity that is created either to fulfil a big loss, to compensate for a big pain, or to relieve a big tension and distress. It is something so terrible, to which a person gives herself, that they cannot reclaim themselves except by a miraculous act of will or with the help of others.
You must have a family member, or a friend, or know someone, or have at least heard of someone who is at this stage. And it is so terrible: the person starts to go down this path, using things outside themselves — injecting, smoking, drinking, swallowing, snorting, or using whatever they can — and these things start to suck the life out of this person. We even start to call and to characterise such people by their addictions. It is a sad thing, and a victory for the evil one, because he knows the truth beneath it.
He knows that, at that point, the person is not using someone or something — they are being used. He knows the person spends their life, energy, money, their best, on an illusion — a brief illusion. He knows the person is sad inside, and that this path can only bring a false and euphoric joy. He knows their life is being diminished and shortened — and he wants these people to be called "addicted", so that they forget they are loved sons and daughters of God...
How many people have we seen or known who lost their lives at such an early stage to drugs? How many people have died because of their addictive habits with drink? How many have suffered convulsions during a party from the effects of ecstasy or other such pills, and now have irreversible effects on their brains that they will carry to their coffins?
It is certainly a sad road, a wide road of pleasures that ends in death, or in suffering and pain — not only for the person who is in it, but also for the family that is left vulnerable, for the marriages that are broken and destroyed, for the children who are brought up with traumas, for the friends who are ashamed of it, for everyone who knows these people and tries to help them, while they remain bitter, aggressive and violent with their loved ones — for all that matters is to fulfil their created needs, these disgraceful addictions.
Today we are bringing good news, and a light, to those who are on this path themselves, to those who are family members and do not know how to help, and to all those who work for their recovery: there is a way out, and there is a remedy for any kind or sort of addiction. It is called devotion!

"And you were dead, though the crimes and the sins which used to make up your way of life when you were living by the principles of this world, obeying the ruler who dominates the air, the spirit who is at work in those who rebel. We too were all among them once, living only by our natural inclinations, obeying the demands of human self-indulgence and our own whim; our nature made us no less liable to God’s retribution than the rest of the world. But God, being rich in faithful love, through the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our sins, brought us to life with Christ -- it is through grace that you have been saved- and raised us up with him and gave us a place with him in heaven, in Christ Jesus. This was to show for all ages to come, through his goodness towards us in Christ Jesus, how extraordinarily rich he is in grace". (Ephesians 2:1-7)
Yes, people still have to come to know how extraordinarily rich our God is in grace. His grace is on the whole Earth. His amazing deeds can be seen from one end of the universe to the other. His love is poured out every single day, through the power of the Holy Spirit, into the hearts of all his faithful. And it is the same Spirit who gives life and who renews the whole face of the Earth.
"Not only that; let us exult, too, in our hardships, understanding that hardship develops perseverance, and perseverance develops a tested character, something that gives us hope, and a hope which will not let us down, because the LOVE OF GOD has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit which has been given to us." (Romans 5:3-5)
Keep these words in mind: perseverance, tested character, hope, the love of God! If there is something we urgently need in the Church, it is people with perseverance — people who are forged in the midst of probation, but who do not give up because they are full of hope and their hearts are full of the love of God.
People nowadays tend to be more and more bitter, whether they call themselves believers or not. Society lives on appearances, and this "way of living" seems to be present, and very much present, in the Catholic Church — among lay people, religious, priests and bishops. It is a disgrace that, instead of making the difference and being sincere, the people of God have been choosing to wear masks and to be two-faced.
In some countries, Catholics have a tested character because the situation they are in is terrible. In other countries, they just go with the flow. And in other places, they just have an easy and good life, so they could not care less about God or the Church or their spiritual life.
You, Catholic, the world is in constant crisis; faith is vanishing, and the words of Jesus seem to make more sense when we look at this faithless world of today.
"But when the Son of man comes, will he find any faith on earth?" (Luke 18:8)
Some people give themselves entirely to their addictions, offer all of what they are and have to the devil on their free will. What about those who believe in Jesus Christ and his Church who barely live the commandments (or even know the commandments) or care about God’s laws? They are living a good life in their selfish ways worried about their earthly pleasures.
Having faith or not does not make any difference anymore. That is because our faith is too superficial, too hollow. We are too vain in our faith that it is more about an automatic habit than a way of life like in the start of the Church. Tertullian, one of the Christians on the primitive Church said "the blood of martyrs is the seed of the Church."
The need we have for sacrifice and bloodshedding is very great. People inside and outside the Church need to see this happening. This increases the faith and produces fruit in the hearts of everyone around. So it is time for us to raise our souls in prayer and to offer the sacrifice of our hearts and minds to the glory of Our Lord and God Jesus Christ. That is the only way these seeds are going to be planted.
So far we are talking about the devotion of the current Catholics and Christians that already believe in God and live a life of grace. But I said before that the DEVOTION IS THE REMEDY TO ANY ADDICTION. In order for us to understand it in a more effective way we need to understand what the word devotion means.
In its original Latin form, devovere means "to consecrate". The Google dictionary would translate "devotion" as love, loyalty, or enthusiasm for a person or activity; religious worship or observance; and even as prayers.
When someone starts on the road of drinking, smoking, taking drugs, having disordered sex, and giving themselves to all sorts of games and addictions, they have a kind of devotion to what they are doing — for all that matters to them is the object of their pleasure, whether something or a person, regardless of its value.
Many people would offer help to those who are addicted to smoking, for example, by giving them some sort of plaster to put on their bodies, or by giving them a sweet or a candy to have instead of a cigarette. In that sense, they are simply exchanging one addiction for another. True and complete healing can be reached only through a real and faithful devotion to God.
Stop spending your money and your life on someone and something that takes your life away, and start to dedicate yourself to Someone and to something that will give this life back, or bring it to the full. That Someone is called Jesus Christ; and that something is called devotion to him, consecration to him!
"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come so that they may have life and have it to the full". (John 10:10)
"Jesus said: I am the Way; I am Truth and Life. No one can come to the Father except through me." (John 14:6)
Let’s see what Jesus said about the addictions which are sins, with no exceptions. It is about a relationship of slavery: the person is the slave and addiction is the master where the former obeys their inner animal instincts to fulfil their false and created vices by the later.
"Jesus replied: In all truth I tell you, everyone who commits sin is a slave. Now a slave has no permanent standing in the household, but a son belongs to it for ever. So if the Son sets you free, you will indeed be free." (John 8:34-36)
If the Son of Man sets us free, we will be free indeed! This word is for you, who thought there was no hope anymore. This word is for you, who said it was impossible to get rid of that. This word is for you, who have already given up and were only waiting for your last breath... Jesus Christ the Lord has power to touch you and set you absolutely free from all your slavery!
The truth is, even if you want to be free, you have no power over the necessity that was created and put into your brain. First of all, you need to recognise that you are a slave, and that you cannot be free by yourself. You need to ask help from friends and family. A good start after that would be to consecrate yourself to God and to invite Him to live with you.
I will tell you about a couple of devotions and consecrations that I do have and do myself, that are powerful and increasingly being forgotten by Catholics. Let’s open our hearts to be reminded or get to know about these wonderful graces that flows abundantly from our beloved and Holy Church, One and Catholic.

"Everyone is to examine himself and only then eat of the bread or drink from the cup; because a person who eats and drinks without recognising the BODY is eating and drinking his own condemnation. That is why many of you are weak and ill and a good number have died." (1 Corinthians 11:28-30)
The Holy Mass is the greatest and most powerful prayer that exists on Earth. It is Heaven on Earth, according to our beloved Saint John Paul II. Many cradle Catholics still have not discovered such power and grace. Saint Lawrence Justinian used to teach as a bishop that "No human tongue can enumerate the favours that trace back to the Sacrifice of the Mass. The sinner is reconciled with God; the just man becomes more upright; sins are wiped away; VICES ARE UPROOTED; virtue and merit increases; and the devil’s schemes are frustrated".
Only by that we should know the importance to be devoted to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, to the Eucharist. All vices would be uprooted if we were more devoted and not Catholics in name only as we are.
One of the big Italian Saints, Saint Philip Neri, used to say to young people and that is very useful for us nowadays, "The devotion to the Most Holy Sacrament and to the Most Holy Virgin are, not the best, but the only way to conserve a pure heart at its 20 years old. There is no chastity without the Eucharist".
"It happened that as he was speaking, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said, 'Blessed the womb that bore you and the breasts that fed you!" (Luke 11:27)
The mother of Jesus was given to us, as one of the lines of the Testament of Christ, when he died in the cross. He said to his beloved disciple that represent each and every one of the faithful, 'This is your mother'. So Jesus wanted to give us his mother to be our mother also. We should be very devoted to Our Lady. Saint Catherine of Siena said that 'Who respect Mary, being holy or sinner, will not be taken for the evil one to hell.' And Saint Pio of Pietrelcina said that "If we are devoted to Mary we should imitate her."
Catholics tend to forget the beautiful devotions to the Holy Mother of God. Saint Augustine used to say that the common characteristic to all saints is that all of them were devoted to Our Lady. The very own Our Lady appeared in Fatima, Portugal, in 1917 and asked for us to pray the rosary. And many Catholics nowadays don’t even pray it anymore because they have no time...
Saint Louis de Montfort, one of Our Lady's greatest devotees, wrote a wonderful book called True Devotion to Mary, which I myself read and through which I came to know the power of being consecrated and devoted to Our Lady. I would hereby recommend you look up this book.
To finish up with a wonderful phrase of Saint Bonaventure, let’s be devoted of the Mother of God, because, as he said: 'Those who have their names down to the devotion to the Most Holy Virgin Mary will have their names written down in the Book of Life.'
"When your words came, I devoured them: your word was my delight and the joy of my heart; for I was called by your Name, Yahweh, God Sabaoth". (Jeremiah 15,16)
We know we only have the Sacred Bible as we know nowadays because of the Catholic Church. The Word of God is alive and powerful. If you don’t have a Bible in your home I would recommend you to buy one. This is a powerful medicine against any addiction! This is a healing instrument that we need to use in our favour. Many people were set free from their anguish and evil things by only reading its inspired books.
"The Word of God is something alive and active: it cuts more incisively than any two-edged sword; it can seek out the place where soul is divided from spirit, or joints from marrow; it can pass judgement on secret emotions and thoughts." (Hebrews 4:12)
We need to start the good habit of reading the wonderful Scriptures. Saint Pio of Pietrelcina used to say that "When we pray we talk to God, and when we read the Bible God talks to us." And there is a lovely indian priest Fr Rufus (in memoriam) who used to say that if we don’t know the Holy Scriptures God would not talk to us. So let’s have that devotion to the Bible!
"The message of the cross is folly for those who are on the way to ruin, but for those of us who are on the road to salvation it is power of God." (1 Corinthians 1:18)
Devotion to the Holy Cross is something that Catholics nowadays are afraid to have, because of human respect for Protestants — who do not believe in such things as we do. It is a powerful devotion for it is where Christ Our Lord gave his life and shed his precious blood for our salvation.
Saint John Vianney used to teach about this devotion: "The signal of the Cross is feared by the devil because we run away from him through it. We need to make it with the due respect. It starts with the head: the main, the creation, the Father; after that the heart: the love, the life, the redemption, the Son; at last the shoulders: the strength, the Holy Spirit. Everything reminds us of the cross. Even ourselves were made in the shape of cross."
Like those above, there are a million other devotions: to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, to the Divine Mercy of Saint Faustina, to the Holy Face of Jesus, to the Wounds of the Lord, to the Holy Spirit, to the saints — like Saint Pio, Saint Joseph, Saint Augustine, Saint Thérèse of Lisieux and others — to the angels and archangels, and many more.
Even though there are devotions to the Holy Mass and Our Lady, that we talked about above, that are common to everyone, there is a secret of the devotion that is to find the one that is right for yourself. Instead of spending your life and being a slave of many addictions, we should have the freedom of Christ and have a lot of devotions.
Instead of being slaves of multiple addictions, let us be free to consecrate ourselves to the Lord Jesus Christ, and to find our freedom in being his devotees. Make a commitment with God now to start or to get back to a spiritual life — with prayer, fasting, self-denial and hope. If you do that, the love of God will overflow in your heart, and no addictions will have power over your devotions.

"Christ set us free, so that we should remain free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be fastened again to the yoke of slavery." (Galatians 5:1)

May the Lord Jesus Christ give us the extraordinary grace of being open to his love. This love can transform our hearts, our minds, our souls, can change our habits, and can bring us back to the sort of life that pleases him. He is seeking us and waiting for us... He is thirsting for me and for you... He wants to be part of our lives... He is calling me and you now...

 God bless us and inspire our hearts to be devoted to his heart, so we will find our place!