“How long has it been since you’ve seen your family?”

“What family?”

“What, you don’t have a family?”

“My friend, I’ve smoked crack for fifteen years, which means I died fifteen years ago.”

This dialogue is part of a video, a little over five minutes long, titled Cracolândia, posted on YouTube. At first, slides with repetitive and anguished music describe the Cracolândia (Crackland) in the neighborhood of Santa Ifigênia, in the center of the city of São Paulo, where intense drug trafficking has developed, particularly crack cocaine, a drug that reaches the central nervous system in seconds and causes intense addiction and devastating health consequences.

When searching for information on the subject, images of abandonment, neglect, and despair abound on the Internet. Is there nothing that can be done? Instead of being frustrated by these appalling conditions, or even indifferent to them, there is something we all can do.

Jesus did not ignore any of the cases that confronted him. In his time a sad and neglected segment of society, which could be compared to those who make use of crack cocaine today, were the lepers. Considered sinful and unclean because the disease was contagious and visibly repugnant, their families expelled them. They lived in isolation, in a sort of underworld, having no contact with a society that feared even getting close to them. It was accepted that these people had probably done something very bad to deserve being “punished by God” in this manner and consequently had lost the right to a normal life. Doesn’t this sound similar to the example described in the dialogue at the beginning of this article?

The millions of people around the world who are involved with drugs are, in a way, crying out for freedom.

The healing ministry of Jesus is a great example of love for God and for one’s neighbor, of compassion and of healing. Jesus’ words, as well as his deeds, show his radical trust in God’s power to heal any and all kinds of diseases or conditions. Jesus did not ignore the lepers, he healed them. He did not condemn them, he gave them encouragement. The Gospel of Luke has a good illustration: “And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed” (17:11–14). These few verses say a lot. The men wanted to be purified, and they realized that Jesus was able to recognize them as worthy of compassion and mercy. Jesus heard them and told them to do something they wouldn’t normally do. They were obedient. On the way, the ten were transformed: The leprosy disappeared. They were healed.

We can follow this example. Today, not all of us can go and directly help people in the many places called cracolândia or to the spots where crack or any other chemical substances are sold or consumed. But we can all reach the people and respond to their needs through earnest prayer. Our prayers expressing compassion and acknowledgement of the dignity and pure and perfect spiritual identity of each drug addict and dealer can contribute to the healing of this widespread problem. The millions of people around the world who are involved with drugs are, in a way, crying out for freedom, and we can respond as Jesus did with the love “that reforms the sinner and heals the sick;” respond with our understanding and demonstration of the ever-present and healing Christ; respond with the understanding that “divine Love corrects and governs man;” respond as Christians, with the “Christ-spirit,” bringing freedom to the sick and sinning (see Mary Baker Eddy, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, pp. 1, 6, 138).

Each one of us can do our part, can pray to grow in grace and to better express the healing Christ, the divine manifestation of God that completely and permanently destroys the suggestion that anyone can be separated from good, harmony, and peace. In order to touch and heal the afflicted hearts, we must understand God deeply and rely unreservedly on the fact that divine Love gives to each one whatever is needed, as well as the ability to progress and to get out of circumstances that are opposed to one’s perfect spiritual nature. Chemical dependence or an uncontrollable attraction to easy money are no part of the pure being created by God. It is natural to love oneself and love one’s neighbor; it is natural to seek good for oneself and for one’s neighbor, and not otherwise. In the divine creation there are only pure and harmless ideas and all these ideas (men, women, and children) can only live in harmony and bring about good for themselves and others.

All of us, children, parents, relatives, can be aware of the problems, talk about them to each other in a Christian way, and be a part of the solution, especially with our prayers. There is nothing to be ashamed of, nothing to fear, only something to heal. Just as Jesus, without fear, touched the leper who was immediately clean (see Matthew 8:2, 3), we too can through the activity of the Christ in our thoughts and actions touch the hearts of those who are seeking—consciously or unconsciously—freedom from drugs and from financial dependence related to the sale of drugs. Love is able to correct, govern, liberate. As you acknowledge this, persist in your prayers and trust them to be effective. And you can expect to see good results.