Rene, an honor student in one of Asia’s best schools, somehow became a hard-line shabu addict. He had reached a point where he would steal appliances in the house to sell for drug money. Like most addicts, he would scream at his mother Joanne when he had no money for shabu, and would hit his younger sisters Monica and Jennifer. It reached a point where Rene was capable of destroying the entire family.
In despair, a few days before Christmas, Joanne went to Sister Raquel, the healer, together with her three children, in the hope that one who could heal stage 4 cancer could also heal stage 4 drug addiction. It was the last resort.
Joanne told Rene to stay away while she, Monica and Jennifer explained the ‘problem’ to Sister Raquel. They were half way through their story when Sister Raquel suddenly interrupted them. She could discern the ‘problem’. She said she perhaps knew why Rene turned to drugs. The three women froze, stunned by Sister Raquel’s fortune-teller style move.
Sister Raquel asked: could it be perhaps Rene turned to drugs because he never felt love from his family? The healing nun was actually guessing, but she hit a tender chord. The three women looked at each other, blushed, and bowed their heads without saying a word. Joanne started to cry.
Instantly, they knew the ‘problem’. The problem was them, not Rene. They forced him to turn to drugs by alienating him. The family became a ‘women’s circle’. And they knew it as plain as daylight.
Sister Raquel called Rene over and her mother embraced him right away, followed by the two sisters. No words were spoken. Tears speak better than words. As easy as the problem was discerned, it was solved. Mother and daughters began pouring their love on Rene. It was the best Christmas gift he ever had.
After a week, Rene called Sister Raquel and told her he has never taken any kind of drug since they visited her. He was instantly healed of drug addiction, not so much by the good nun but by his family. Like Jessie [a former drug addict], it was instant cold-turkey stuff. Strangely again, the spiritual gift of Love conquers hate — hate for one’s family, hate for one’s self.
(Editor’s note: This is a true story. Names were changed to preserve the dignity of the characters. The author can be contacted at