This work has many titles – L’Abinsthe, Absinthe Drinker, In a Café. It was staged by Degas out of respect. An actress and artist are pictured here. It is a departure from this French Impressionist’s masterworks of ballerinas, racehorses, and his eye for the movement of living things. This oil painting is part of the permanent collection of the Musee d’Orsay in Paris.

This work may seem an unusual choice with our Advent candle of love just lit and our celebration of Christmas so near. Maybe. It is not a festive Christmas scene. It is rather a testament to the truth of addiction in every season and on every day.

Degas had probably witnessed the damage caused in the late 19^th by absinthe, a highly addictive liquor. It took people from their lives and set them down in the desperation and defeat pictured on this woman’s face. Absinthe with its ingredient thujone caused hallucinations, seizures, and blindness. It was a powerful temptation, one of a long line of these. Addiction is a ruinous illness that demands our best patience, faith and prayers for healing and survival. This painting could remind us of all who suffer addiction and push us to hold unconditional hope and love for them in God’s name. Maybe we could each imagine this woman getting up from the table and the glass in front of her and returning to the movement of life that Degas painted so often and so well. We could send this prayer throughout the seasons and even now. May it be so and amen.

In hope and faith,

Sandy Prouty

Minister of Children and Families

Montview Church