Addiction can be a false idol, distancing us from the Body and Blood of Jesus as well as dehumanizing and isolating ourselves from one another.

"Remember how for forty years now the LORD, your God,

has directed all your journeying in the desert ...

He therefore let you be afflicted with hunger,

and then fed you with manna.”

“The cup of blessing that we bless,

is it not a participation in the blood of Christ?

The bread that we break,

is it not a participation in the body of Christ?”

The context of the second reading this week discusses how there used to be a belief that demons resided in food, and by partaking of that food, you had the demon within you. The teaching, then, talked about how that could not co-exist with the Eucharist.

When we have an addiction to something, it’s like allowing that demon or enslavement into us. Those things cannot co-exist with our Christian life. However, from a psychological standpoint, we tend to want to compartmentalize ourselves: we can try to hold our Christian self and tuck away this addiction into another part of us in order to hold onto it.

The problem is that once that addiction seeps into the rest of our lives, it can overwhelm our entire selves and systems, drawing us into relationship issues, shame, and other serious problems.

We need to bring out that part of us, at least to ourselves and to our confessor and admit this addiction is an enslavement and not compatible with the whole. We need integration of self. Watch for the two bad fruits of addiction: dehumanization and isolation.

If possible, have a priest come bless your home. However, Dr. Gerry shares a short prayer you can use to sanctify your devices and living space, turning them over to God’s service. Dr. Peter suggests that you explore any negative reaction to saying such a prayer over a particular item or place, which can give you insight to a potential attachment or addiction.