The ingestion of brain-altering chemicals - legal or illegal -

Hear, O children of wisdom, the words of Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone: “The ingestion of brain-altering chemicals—legal or illegal—cannot be categorized as good stewardship of our earthly lives.” In these words lies a solemn reminder that life is a sacred gift, entrusted to us not for squandering, but for cultivating. To be a steward is to be a guardian, one who tends with care what has been given by the Creator. When the mind, the very seat of reason and soul, is clouded by chemicals, the gift of life is dishonored, and the noble task of stewardship is betrayed.

From the beginning of the ages, men have sought ways to escape suffering through drink, herb, or potion. Yet the ancients also knew that intoxication is a double-edged sword: it dulls pain, yes, but it also darkens the spirit, making the wise foolish and the strong weak. To alter the mind is to risk the loss of clarity, and to lose clarity is to stumble upon the path meant for light. Thus, Cordileone’s cry is both moral and practical, warning that even if a substance be legal, it does not mean it is righteous, and even if it be illegal, its danger is not in its status, but in its power to enslave the mind.

Consider the tale of Alexander the Great, who conquered lands from Greece to India. He was mighty, brilliant, and unstoppable, yet he fell not to an enemy’s spear but to his own indulgence. In the midst of feasting, clouded by wine, he struck down his friend Cleitus in rage. Later, his body weakened, and many say his death was hastened by excess drink. Here lies the lesson: the greatest general in history, master of empires, was mastered by his own intoxication. Even the strongest fall when their minds are enslaved by chemicals.

But let us not think only of kings and conquerors. Look also to the poor and the humble, whose lives have been shattered by addiction. In cities across the world, families have been broken, children abandoned, and futures wasted because a parent or brother gave themselves over to the false comfort of drugs. What began as an escape from sorrow became a prison of despair. Here too Cordileone’s words shine like a warning beacon: true stewardship is not escape, but endurance; not numbing the soul, but strengthening it through virtue, discipline, and faith.

Yet take care, O listeners, to hear the message with compassion. For those who fall into such snares are not demons but brothers and sisters who have stumbled. To condemn the act is not to abandon the person. Indeed, good stewards of life are also stewards of mercy, offering help and healing to those who have lost their way. For as the ancients taught, “Physician, heal thyself,” but also, “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of love.”

The lesson, therefore, is clear: guard your mind as you would guard a sacred temple. Do not pollute it with poisons that dim the flame of thought and soul. Your earthly life is not yours alone—it is entrusted to you by the Creator, and it is bound to the lives of others. To weaken yourself is to weaken the chain of community, but to keep yourself whole is to strengthen all.

Practical action lies before you: flee from those substances that promise joy but deliver chains. Choose clarity over cloudedness, discipline over indulgence. When you are weary, seek solace in prayer, music, fellowship, or the beauty of nature, not in the false refuge of intoxication. And when you encounter those enslaved by addiction, extend your hand, not in judgment, but in compassion, for the path of healing is never walked alone.

So let it be remembered: brain-altering chemicals are not the path of stewardship, but of neglect. To be a true steward of life is to honor the gift of the mind, to keep it sharp, clear, and strong, for in the mind lies the power to serve, to love, and to fulfill the destiny for which each soul was born. Guard this treasure well, and your life shall shine as a beacon for generations yet to come.