Addiction and Grace: Love and Spirituality in the Healing of Addictions

by Gerald G. May

Jesus’ words about attachment are far too numerous to quote here. They are, however, absolutely relentless and unequivocal. They begin with the two greatest commandments and proceed to the call to love one’s neighbor even unto death; to relinquish possessions, occupation, and even family in order to follow God; to take no thought of the morrow, to have no worries about food, clothing, or even what one is to say or do; to become like little children, to lose oneself in order to find one’s true self; to die in order to be reborn. Jesus addressed addiction in every conceivable aspect of life, including aversion addictions: prejudices, phobias, and the like. He picked a despised Samaritan as the hero of his story about the love of neighbor; he continually affronted the sensitivities of his peers by trafficking with the most abhorred people; he attacked fear as evidencing lack of faith and went so far as to advocate loving one’s enemies.