Even with an addiction, God doesn't forget you.

He was born in 19th-century China into a Christian family. A respected physician with a comfortable life, he treated the poor free of charge. By all appearances, he lived an exemplary life.

However, a stomach illness led him to use opium, which was a common medical treatment at the time. Over the years, he developed a severe addiction. In those days, addiction was not understood as an illness but simply as a moral vice, and this would deeply shape the rest of his life.

He tried to quit again and again. He went to confession, relapsed, and tried once more. His confessor, not fully understanding the nature of addiction, eventually concluded that he lacked a genuine intention to change. As a result, he refused him absolution and told him not to return until he had overcome his addiction.

Many people would have abandoned the faith under those circumstances. He did the exact opposite. He continued attending church, remained faithful in prayer, and persevered in his faith for nearly thirty years, even though he was unable to participate fully in the sacramental life of the Church.

As time passed, he began to think that if he could not overcome his addiction, perhaps God would ask him to prove his faithfulness in another way. At that time, Christians in China were facing intense persecution, and he prayed for the strength to remain faithful if that day ever came.

That day finally arrived. In 1900, during the Boxer Rebellion, he was arrested together with his son, daughters-in-law, and grandchildren for refusing to renounce the Christian faith. One might expect that someone who had struggled with such a weakness for so many years would be the first to give in. Instead, the opposite happened. He remained steadfast until the end. Neither threats nor violence could make him deny Christ.

He requested to be executed last so that he could accompany his family until the very end, and his request was granted. Tradition holds that as he was led to his execution, he sang the Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary. He died a martyr after witnessing the execution of his loved ones, having been unable to receive Holy Communion for decades, yet never abandoning his faith.

That man was Saint Mark Ji Tianxiang, canonized by Pope Saint John Paul II in 2000 as one of the 120 Martyrs of China. His life reminds us that holiness is not about never falling, but about never ceasing to rise again and remaining faithful to Christ until the very end.

Never forget this. Even if you fight against all the evils of the world, keep your faith strong. When you have nothing left, you can still be a saint.