Friday of the 27th week of ordinary time

http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/101212.cfm

When an unclean spirit goes out of someone,
it roams through arid regions searching for rest
but, finding none, it says,
'I shall return to my home from which I came.'
But upon returning, it finds it swept clean and put in order.
Then it goes and brings back seven other spirits
more wicked than itself who move in and dwell there,
and the last condition of that man is worse than the first."

Acquainted as I am with the Twelve Step Program, Jesus’ parable of the homeless demon and his seven buddies sounds very familiar. It’s not unusual for people who have quit drinking to fall into another obsessive compulsive behavior which is as bad as, or worse than, drinking.

Alcoholism causes a lot of trouble for individuals, their families, churches and companies. Some users fall into a habit of blasting their brains and bodies with an alien chemical, a substance utterly foreign to the human body. It serves no useful purpose except to impair one’s ability to think clearly and move gracefully.

But, relieved of their ordinary inhibitions and habitual preconceptions, users feel entertained by the substance. They may experience emotions of joy or sadness which are ordinarily tightly repressed. They might feel a looseness in their joints and muscles which allows them to dance like Bojangles. They may become friendly toward their enemies and sentimental toward their friends. Maturity will teach the users they don’t need alcohol to enjoy such freedom. They should only lighten up a bit, relax and have fun. They’ll feel better in the morning, with neither the hangover nor the shame.

But once alcohol becomes enmeshed in one’s notions of freedom, entertainment and fun it’s hard to separate them. Many people suffer intensely the physical, mental, social and financial costs of alcohol abuse.

However – praise God – many people do sober up as they realize, “This isn’t working for me anymore. It’s not fun like it used to be.”

But again, being sober doesn’t mean they’re necessarily on the road to enlightenment and true freedom of the spirit. This is where the demon alcohol returns with his obnoxious brethren. Newly sober individuals may fall into other behaviors like gambling, shopping, overwork, over-exercise, fits of anger, depression etc. There is no end of human creativity for mischief. Some make an obsession of religion which does nobody any good. And then, to add insult to injury, they often take up the drink again.

Ancient philosophers taught: Virtus in medio stat (“Virtue stands in the middle.”) None of those behaviors, within moderation, is evil. People with a strong sense of values and purpose can often avoid the pitfalls of over-indulgence. The Lord, with a huge assist from the Holy Spirit, helps the rest of us to stand in the middle – rebalanced in, and reconnected to, reality.