June 20, 2024 • 36 mins
🕊️✨ Welcome to "Salve Maria," the podcast of the Heralds of the Gospel! In this insightful episode, we explore a common yet complex question: "Can Catholics Drink?" Join us as we dive into the Catholic Faith and its teachings on alcohol consumption. We discuss the virtue of temperance, drinking in moderation, and the fine line between enjoying a drink and falling into vice.
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Episode Transcript
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(00:00):
very clear. And he mentions those who cannotenter the kingdom of God. The thieves, the
greedy, the drunkards. So the drunkards, whatit is, it's not the person who drinks with
moderation, it's the person who drinks withoutmoderation. Can I drink and how much? When
is it a sin? When it becomes a vice? Metabolismsconcerning alcohol. Of course. Some cultures,
(00:22):
they have very little or it's very weak andthey have to be conscious of that reality.
It's a reality that And if it is, I could sayit would be a certain type of cross that they
have to carry, and which alcohol is not forthem. It's just not a possibility. In the same
way, there are some people who are very sensitiveto sugars and they become diabetic very easily.
(00:44):
So let's go to three, three scenarios in whichwe could write apply this. And one, the first
one, what happens when we go to a wedding andthen there's a wedding celebration, of course
there is wine there, there is champagne, thereis this, there is that. practical advice that
we can follow. Welcome to Salve Maria, the podcastof the Heralds of the Gospel.
(01:19):
Salve Maria Father. Salve Maria. Salve MariaBrother Justin. Salve Maria. Do not look at
wine when it is red, when it sparkles in thecup and goes down smoothly. In the end, it
bites like a serpent and stings like the other.And this comes from the proverbs, so very on
(01:41):
topic today because we are talking. Well, basicallywelcome to all the listeners to this episode
where we put we place this question can Catholicsactually drink and So we're going to see some
theological discussions some Catholic doctrineas well. And also we're going to provide some
(02:02):
advice to our people because there are many,many questions, Father, that they were sent
over, you know, the different, the WhatsAppand everything else, people ask, okay, can
I drink and how much? Or some others, right,when is it a sin? When it becomes a vice? And
all these questions, I think, are very, veryimportant. But Father, I would like to turn
the microphone to you because, okay, what theCatholic doctrine on alcohol tells us and what's
(02:26):
the guidance in the Catholic doctrine regardingthe top? I think the first thing we should
see is that the Catechism of the Catholic Church,on point 2290, it says that the virtue of temperance
disposes us to avoid every kind of excess. So,wine in itself is good, it's obvious, it's
(02:49):
good. It was done by our Lord Jesus Christ Himself.He transformed water into wine. And the first
thing that Noah did after the great flood wasto do wine actually, but he didn't know its
effects. So he knew that it was something wonderful,the fact is that he drink it. Obviously he
(03:12):
liked it, it was good and of course since thenwine has refined a lot, a tremendous variety
of wines etc. But everything depends on howit is used. So I think we need to be very clear
on how to drink actually. This is very beautifulas you were commenting, the wine and the mass
(03:32):
is present there and God chose wine to representhis sacred, well, his divine blood, soul, divinity.
So he has chosen two elements, done by man,both are done by man, one is wine and the other
is bread. So he has chosen wine, so wine itselfis good. Very likely before original sin, wine
(03:58):
didn't have the bad effects that they have todaythat we have when we drink wine. Maybe the
wine was possible to be drink without thosebad effects that destroy our personality. That's
good, but further also, and Brother Jetin, no,because we have this phenomenal mystery, luminous
(04:21):
mysteries where we talk about the transformationof water into wine at the wedding feast of
Cana. And well, for some people, it may be alittle bit already a help to realize that our
Lord goes, assists to a wedding party, and thenwhen wine runs out, if it had been something
(04:42):
evil or something bad, intrinsically speaking,he would not have transformed. According to
the studies, it's 600 liters. That's a lot.Yeah, it's quite a tremendous amount of wine.
Actually, you know, the feast... last one weekso it was the wine for the week. These were
people who drank on a regular basis becausewine through its processes was good to drink.
(05:07):
Water on the other hand because they didn'tunderstand the role of bacteria microbes and
all the good things, it was dangerous it wouldmake you very sick. So that's where it comes
from and that's actually the origin of manyof the of the drinks that exist. For example,
drinks like wine or beer or spirits, becausethe groundwater was corrupt. So they had to
(05:35):
find a way of cleansing it, but they didn'tunderstand that part. And they made those drinks.
So. Even in the monastery, they were doing alcoholas a medicine. Oh yes. So Benedictine, chartreuse,
et cetera, chartreuse, was a medicine for themonks when they were feeling sick. feeling
down because of the weather, of course the winteris very intense etc. The medicine was to have
(05:59):
a little bit of chartreuse you know every night.In the northern climates it was stronger drinks
such as whiskies and even vodka. So I mean thosehave roots in the religious houses, all of
them. So beer? Beer absolutely no questionsbut I'm saying they all do so we can't separate
(06:19):
the two. But apparently there is a misunderstanding,no? Because we're talking about, of course,
moderation, about temperance. And the fact thatwe use doesn't mean to abuse. Oh, yeah. So
Latin has a very nice saying. Today we're seeingwith our students in the school, uti non abuti.
It rhymes and also it's good to remember because,of course, the problem I think, no? Maybe we
(06:44):
can guide towards there is the fact that, notnecessarily speaking because we are drinking
sort of, you know, that means we automaticallyhave to get drunk? That's a conception that
is... There's an element which is a lack oftemperance, right? So a person who drinks,
(07:05):
it's almost as though you're having dinner,you have a glass of wine, but some people can't
comprehend that. So if they're having a dinner,they have to have a couple bottles of wine.
There's no temperance involved. It's the sameidea as food. Can you eat moderately or is
it that you have to just clean off 12 plates?Five pounds of chocolate, right? Yeah, but
(07:32):
I think that's a problem. People forget theidea of moderation in all things. Even at work,
you can become a workaholic, let's say. Whichis a sin. Yeah, but working itself is good.
It is, but that's a problem. I had a studenttoday, we were talking about moderation and
he was saying, well. The Catholic position ishe gets a ruler, right? And it's the balance
(07:55):
position in the middle. Whenever you get offthe balance point, that's when you offend God
because something is out of, out of sorts. Andthat's what the problem is. It'd be an alcohol,
be it chocolate, be it, uh, I don't know, potatochips, um, name what you wish. Anything out
of balance is a problem. Absolutely. It isn'tjust alcohol. God creates his nice things in
(08:20):
nature is to ask to use them and to appreciatethem as things that come from the hands of
God. Because otherwise our Lord Jesus Christwould have committed sin by giving those people
the opportunity to drink, overindulge possibly,the wine that he gave, the best wine probably
(08:42):
this earth's ever seen. Absolutely, absolutely.So that would have been sin, but not just sin
by the ones who did it. but sinned by the onewho provided it. Of course. So our Lord is
a sinner. Precisely, because He will give inthe opportunity. But it's so bad with certain
Protestant groups that I saw this in a children'sBible. A child was given it for Christmas,
(09:05):
I think, and showed it to me that the storyof the wedding feast of Cana, it's not wine.
It was grape juice. It was grape juice. Again,so let's skip to that, right? Yeah, and then
the child asked me, but doesn't grape juicego bad? And I told her, I says, it's not a
gift. That was a curse. I gave you 600 litersof grape juice in a place that doesn't have
(09:30):
refrigeration. That's not a gift. Next day,you know. You got flies, you got everything.
So no, when they try to get around this problem,it's a question of moderation. But this is
also beautiful about moderation. Saint ThomasAquinas has this comment that says, as moderation
is a pathway to virtue and holiness. So it'san instrument and maybe we can use these beautiful
(09:53):
things that God has created and maybe to helpus in order to attain holiness. So this is
something. But the problem here it seems isthe excess. So we had put together, this is
what's more, I think we still have a littlebit more of time, Father, maybe we can get
into it because the Holy Scripture is very clearabout. problem of excess in drinking. And this
(10:14):
is not just, okay, because God has created thisand it's beautiful and it's nice and he uses
it for mass, does it mean now that we can haveit in excess? Right? So I think we could guide
our audience today towards what the scripturehas to say about this. Yes, for example, in
the letter to the Corinthians, St. Paul is veryclear. He says that, he mentions those who
(10:38):
cannot enter the kingdom of God. the greedy,the drunkards. So the drunkards, oh, what it
is, it's not the person who drinks with moderation,it's the person who drinks without moderation.
Because don't forget, St. Paul says that, buthe himself drank wine. Of course, yeah. Right,
that was a part of the meal ceremony you hadwith people. If he didn't drink, he would be
(11:00):
the oddest man in the Mediterranean basin. Andhe also goes now, and because of course, the
early Christians, the early communities he founded.When you see the letters, you see that they
had a lot of problems, a lot of issues. Andone of them was the sins of the flesh. And
St. Paul completely warns about this tendencythat people have to gluttony, eat in excess,
(11:26):
and also on drunkenness. Absolutely, becausethey were pagans and they didn't have the virtue
of moderation, the virtue of temperance, asthe Catechism teaches that we need to have.
So St. Paul comes and puts things in the rightplace and puts the balance. So that's extremely
(11:48):
important to it applies to alcohol but it appliesto everything actually in life. Things have
to be done according to the good use and thegood objective. And all along the Bible, especially
for those who I'm sure are going to be veryangry when it comes that the heralds of the
(12:08):
gospel here in the podcast talk about the Bibleand everything else, especially when they have
different perspectives from the Catholic Church.But it is very beautiful because here in the
Galatians, Galatians 5.21, of course, St. Paullists it, that Brother Justin was saying, the
drunkenness is a work of the flesh. And thereforehe says, and when people are, well, get drunk,
(12:33):
There is no possibility of any spiritual focus,no possibility of any spiritual clarity. And
in the end of the story, our will gets so weakenedthat we practice in virtue. How is it going
to be possible? And besides that, it destroysyour health. So. Absolutely. So the person
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goes down in his mental capacities, he goesdown in his human dignity. Becomes violent.
He becomes violent, he becomes almost an animal.he or she, no, because we're always saying
here, but equal opportunity. Both sides. It'syes. So, but in the country, right, to be able
(13:13):
to appreciate something that a good spirit,a good alcohol, et cetera, helps the soul to
understand higher things that if somebody doesn'tknow, I never had drank some very tasty and
beautiful things that... are in nature createdby God for us to use them in order to elevate
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our mind and our thinking to God. And this iswhy in the European cultures and other cultures
also, it was a way of accompanying a conversationto have a nice glass of wine or a liquor or
alcohol, a Benedictine, a chartreuse, a grandmarnier, etc. And there's also something for
(13:55):
that. that St. Paul insists a lot, right, whichis the life of the Holy Spirit in us. Then
he says that we are led by impulses. And thisis, of course, if the person cannot govern
himself or herself and has to drink compulsively,right, that what is that? Because some people
were asking, okay, when drunkenness becomesa vice, when it's so compulsive that one cannot
(14:18):
control oneself. And then that's an issue, notonly of will, but also could be a chemical
dependence. Yes, and then it becomes very serious.Yes. And then basically we're saying, okay,
the life and the Holy Spirit, how is the HolySpirit going to live in our soul if we are
giving up to these vices and impulses? Of course.And it depends on each person. Each person
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has to know his limits, and it varies. Somebodywho is, let's say, very big, very strong, etc.,
or somebody who is more used to drink, for example,the German, they're used to drink beer. and
they don't get drunk, but then they drink anincredible amount of beer and they're okay.
Different cultures have different metabolismsconcerning alcohol. Of course, yeah. Some cultures,
(15:05):
they have very little or it's very weak, andthey have to be conscious of that reality.
It's a reality that they have, and if it is,I can say, it would be a certain type of cross
that they have to carry, which alcohol is notfor them. It's just not a possibility. In the
same way, there are some people who are verysensitive to sugars and they become diabetic
(15:25):
very easily. Others have very sensitive, verysensitive to salt in foods and have to avoid
it because it causes various health problems.Everyone's got defects. That's the valley of
tears we live in here on earth. And at the sametime, this question was posed by someone who
said, ladies who are in expectancy, right? Andof course, right, it should be treated as a
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penance, this is us, or as consideration forthe, well, the future motherhood. And that,
obviously, Father, I don't know, what can wesay about that? No, of course, each one has
to drink according to his function and his needsand his abilities and his work, et cetera.
So obviously, a mother who is expecting hasto be very careful because whatever she does
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has a consequence on another person, very dearto her, which is her child. So obviously the
person has to restrain in a very special wayfor the good of the others. That's an observation,
no? That expectant mothers, the more acts ofvirtue they practice, the more... is going
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to have an influence in the children. The moreprayers, the more adoration to the blessed
sacrament when the time of gestation is coming,right? How important is this? It shows that
the education of a person starts even beforeher birth. The person is already being educated
by the parents and by the atmosphere that isat home, et cetera, everything has a tremendous
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impact on the future education of the person.But unfortunately there's a defect in our society
which has it that if you're going to drink,
you've got to feel it. So it's like if you'reonly going to have a glass of wine, what's
the use? You've got to be, you've got to walkaway staggering from the table, unable to feel
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your face. That means you had a good evening.You don't remember the evening afterwards,
but it was a good evening. But there's a problem.is that we have something that's marked and
entrenched in the society of intemperance. Andif you're not intemperant, then you have no
part in us. No, the way we advertise, we ingeneral, I mean, in the society nowadays, when
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you say advertising, advertising never appealsto your virtue. It always appeals to vice,
appeals to your weaknesses, because then they'regonna make a sale. On some hat. But what a
misconception in the end, what a misguidanceof society. We are always advertising and advertising
insights, not our best parts, but. But everythingis in the extreme. There's no balance, there's
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no moderation. So if you look at a brand, it'sextreme this or extreme that or, what about
moderate? No, there's no moderate, it's justextreme. Basically drinking is not a goal.
It's an accident that will. a company, somethingthat you're doing, like a meal or a conversation,
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et cetera. Let's go into, specifically, father,some practical advice. Let's go to a quick
pause here, and then we come back, stay withus, because now it comes practical applications
to our daily life. So when we're in a party,when we're with friends, when we are watching,
I don't know, maybe some sports, how to do andwhat to do in order to, at the same time, be
(19:03):
a virtuous person. a temperate person and yeta Catholic who understands the role of drinking
and how. Salve Maria! I'm Fr. Ryan Murphy ofthe Heralds of the Gospel and I'm delighted
to extend an invitation to each and every oneof you. In the midst of our busy lives, it's
(19:24):
crucial to take a moment of reflection, of soullessend of prayer. That's why I would like to personally
invite you at 3pm for a special and powerfuldevotion, the Divine Mercy Chaplet. The Divine
Mercy Chaplet is a beautiful prayer that embodiesthe boundless compassion of our Lord. It's
(19:49):
a time to come together as a community, regardlessof where we are, and lift up our intentions,
our hopes, and even our burdens to the heartof Jesus. Imagine all around the world. countless
voices uniting in prayer at this very hour.It's a moment of connection, of spiritual unity,
(20:12):
and of seeking God's mercy in a troubled world.So mark your calendars, set your alarms, and
make a commitment to join us each day at 3 p.m.Tune in and experience the transformative power
of the Divine Mercy Chaplain. Let this be asanctuary of peace amidst the noise of life.
(20:37):
Thank you for being a part of our Herald's CanadaYouTube channel. Together let's embark on this
journey of faith, hope, and mercy. I'm lookingforward to praying with you every day at 3pm.
May God's love and mercy shine upon you always.And until we meet again, may Almighty God bless
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you, the Father and the Son. and the Holy Spirit.Amen. So welcome back to this episode about
Can Catholics drink? You know, in these contemporarytimes, Catholics find themselves navigating
serious social occasions, social situations,where alcohol is present, right? And so what
(21:20):
we are talking about in this segment is, okay,how to discuss and how individuals, what individuals
can do in order to keep temperance, keep moderationin everyday life, particularly in social gatherings,
family events and public celebrations. So, Father.Actually a patriarch, very holy, called Noah.
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Nevertheless, at some point in his life, hewas cultivating grape for the first time and
he pressed the juice of the grape and he fermented,et cetera. And... He find it delicious. And
he had it a certain amount, but he didn't knowof the effects. So actually, did he sin? No,
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because he didn't know that this will have thistype of effect. So he had wine in a certain
amount that was above his limitations, but withoutknowing. So he didn't sin. So we only sin when
we do it on purpose. When let's say that somebodyis drinking and not paying too much attention
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and suddenly he feels a little bit, you know,dizzy or kind of falling asleep, et cetera.
Well, if he didn't know, he's not sinning. Hedidn't know his limit, but he has to stop.
But to drink in itself is something good, butin the right proportion. So sometimes we have
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actually to drink in social events. Sometimeswe have an obligation to participate in a party,
et cetera. And we have to know that we haveto find the right equilibrium, the right moment
in which we have to slow down, et cetera. Andthis is something that we need to be very careful
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because on one hand, we have to give the exampleof somebody. participates in the joy of getting
together, et cetera. But on the other side,we know our limit and we respect the limit
and we have to give the example of knowing whereto stop. Well, we have put together three characteristics,
right? That are very, very on point, let's say,because, okay, when a situation comes and we're
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going to see what happens on a wedding, whathappens when we are with friends, what happens
in a cooperative event, right? but there arethree things, and one is the setting, then
the implications of overindulgence, what arethe consequences going to be, and the third
one is the personal and social responsibilitiesinvolved. So these three main elements, I think,
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are very, very interesting because they willgive us some boundaries and also a strong guidance
when it comes to say, well, what kind of behavior,right, we're going to do. But Justin, before
we go into the three, and I'm always afraidthat we're going to run out of time. You were
mentioning, because Irish are very famous inthese endeavors. And so there is a saint, right?
(24:33):
That is a very nice example. And I think everybodywould love to hear about. He's a venerable.
Venerable Irish. Irish, very Irish from Dublin,poor. And he's a fascinating character because
he almost could be a cutout of the worst aspectsof the Irish people. and he ends up being an
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individual who is very poor. He works in a distillery.He works in various manual labor type things.
And he becomes, he starts to drink at a veryyoung age. We're talking six, seven years old.
And by the time that he's 12, he's an alcoholic.He is bombed drunk. But what happens is that
he ends up having a moment in which he encountersGod after an evening of heavy drinking. And
(25:24):
encountering it, that soul awakens and that'sit. Cold turkey, he gives up alcohol, gives
it up. And he realizes that for him, that lackof moderation, that brokenness in his life,
he needed to do something to make restitution.So he begins to make incredible penances, but
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no one knew about it. They just knew he wasa good person. So. This period goes forward
and He's this young man in his 30s who is goingto mass, incredibly pious. Every day. Making
all types of penances. So at one point, he'son his way to work. And this is interesting.
(26:13):
He was an incredible ascetic, but it didn'tmean it detached from his day-to-day responsibilities.
He worked every day, he worked very hard, andhe ends up dying, walking to work. right? And
they have a monument in on the road that hedied on, which is Granby Lane in Dublin. Um,
(26:35):
and when they took a look at his body, he wasemaciated, but he had put chains on himself
to do penance for his past sins. And
He had wanted to be in love with God. He hadthat love, that sense of, it's almost the element
(26:58):
of the confessions where Augustine figures outthat he has missed God, he has missed, and
he makes up for that. So much so that he's avenerable. He was made venerable in 1975. the
name of the way is Matt Talbot. Matt Talbot,and he became an example for those who have
that type of problem. Exactly, and there's housesof Mount, of the Talbot houses all around the
(27:20):
world to help those people. Another point that'sreally interesting, and I don't wanna go too
far because running out of time, again, it'salways our problem, but even the one which
is very secular, incredibly secular, but inits basis, the Alcoholics Anonymous, the two
professors who, made up the system based onthe spiritual exercises of a very close friend
(27:43):
of theirs who was a Jesuit priest who went througha process, this is the process you had need
to get so that the person has a conversion.So unfortunately today the AA system is very
secularized. But if you look at it, it's gotseeds that are very, very Catholic. Because
a person falls into these vices because theylack self-knowledge. and that element of understanding
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why you were in this situation is very important.And lastly, one last thing is that there's
four cardinal virtues, which are moral virtues,which are elements that hinge our lives. And
these four are so important in our lives. Andwhen we have these issues, when we're talking
about, oh, is it okay to drink this much orthat much? The reality is, is that we're not
(28:29):
practicing the virtues. So the fact that we'reasking the question. means that we've already
overshot the mark, right? We're lacking thatinternal balance and internal compass. So really
important when we look at this, and we can askVenerable Talbot to guide us if we have these
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issues, if we know someone who has these issues,to intercede so that they can become self-aware
and have an encounter with Christ. His intercessionis very powerful. He has created a lot of,
he had made a lot of miracles for people toget out of that situation, which is at a certain
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moment, the life of the person becomes extremelypoor. Dark. Dark and without hope and without
happiness anymore. Because at a certain momentof the vice, the vice is a lie. And the vice,
instead of making you happy, makes you everytime more and more and more depressed and sad
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and then, and, and we came a, uh, zero. That'strue. So it is good to remember that we can
get out of that type of situation. And everyonecan get out, of course, with the help of God
is much easier, but even by your own effort,you can also get out because a person has a
(29:53):
possibility to control himself. And that's withvirtue, practicing virtue. And that becomes
a virtue. So let's go to three. three scenariosin which we could right apply this. And one,
the first one, what happens when we go to awedding and then there is a wedding celebration,
of course there is wine there, there is champagne,there is this, there is that. What are the
practical advice that we can follow in ordernot to do something that would be very wrong?
(30:18):
I would say that you have to go slowly in thebeginning, especially. Moderation. Because
the problem is that If you are in a party, youhave to understand that you have to be drinking
during maybe the whole evening, it could bea long evening. So you have to start very slowly
(30:42):
and start by things that are, you know, witha small degree of alcohol that can allow you
to drink and carry on. So it's, you have toexercise, you know, wisdom. and temperance
at the same time. Here are practical advicethat you give is, okay, let's say you establish
(31:05):
that throughout the whole event, you're gonnahave maybe two glasses of wine or no more.
And the kind of setting you set for yourself,because in the end of the story, I mean, you're
there in the wedding to pay attention to thepeople who are there, to pay attention to the
happy, well, the happy couple that is gettingmarried, right? and how detrimental it would
(31:27):
be that we attend there and the last thing wepay attention is on the people who are around.
And you should never mix, you know, for example,wine and beer, no? Because it becomes much
more stronger. The effect is much more terrible.And dinner with friends, father, what will
happen? That's another thing that people ask.Okay, what happens? We go to a dinner with
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friends and then what do we do there? Well,to drink while you're eating. is much better
because the food helps you to digest the badeffects, the effects, I think, that there are
the effects of original sin in the drinks, inthe alcohol, the wine, etc. Unfortunately,
(32:13):
it has that a Lord allows for us to preciselyto practice this virtue that we had lost because
of original sin, so we have to recover our temperance.But it is obvious that you have to, in a dinner,
you will be having maybe some white wine inthe beginning, then some red wine, then some...
(32:37):
It's one kind of wine for each course. Champagne.What do we do? I think the key is moderation.
You keep it moderate. You see some people whojust go into a meal and they just, they're
looking at multiple bottles. there's a lackof moderation. And just because it's an event
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doesn't mean that you're supposed to come upwobbling. And you have to know that you have
to give the example of moderation. If for youto drink, let's say, as you said, two glasses
of wine is fine, maybe for somebody else, no.And maybe for somebody else, he can drink three
(33:19):
glasses of wine or four, has not a problem,but. You have to give the example of moderation
so that you have to be prudent. Yes, and whatabout corporate networking events? Don't drink.
Don't drink at all. No, again, there are, youknow, this is the setting, right? The implications
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of overindulgence, and finally the personaland social responsibilities involved. So if
you're there to network, obviously you haveto have clear ideas and professionalism, right?
Yeah, it's all. Don't drink. Everyone's heardstories. It's just not, don't do it. No, if
somebody had a problem and he's getting out,of course he has to be very careful. If he
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goes to a wedding, a party, et cetera, in whichthere is going to be beer, wine, and other
alcohols, he has to know that for him can bean occasion to sin. So he has to say, if possible
to say, look, sorry I cannot go or I have amedical problem and the doctor told me this
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and this and that etc. I'm very sorry but avoidthe occasion. And also father it has to do
with the social thing no? When you have goodfriends those good friends are going to support
you of course the practicing of virtue. If weget together with a crowd that is not a good
friendship they are going to advise and to actuallypush us into things that are not good. And
(34:51):
so the more we keep clean our circle of friends,the more we're going to be able to practice
temperance and good things. The bad friendsare even worse than a bottle of wine. Oh no.
Because the bottle of wine at least, you know,will respect you, et cetera, but the bad friend
will not respect you and will push you to godown. So you need to be very careful. So maybe
(35:14):
we can ask venerable Matt Talbot, Father. Exactly,to help all those who maybe, you know, they
know somebody or maybe themself who are listeningto this program. Struggle. They have a problem,
look, there is a way out. It is possible toget out of this. You have to get out of this
because this is horrible for you, for your life,for your spiritual life. And I think also with
(35:37):
Matt Talbot, there's an interesting elementwhich he recourse to the blessed sacrament.
He recourse to prayer. And through those twoelements, he rescued himself with the grace
of God, right? It was, that was the path. Soif any of us have people or ourselves are having
issues and difficulties, there's always a solution,but we need to have recourse to the blessed
(36:02):
sacrament. So let's give you a blessing forall those who are listening to us and all those
who are in trouble and difficulties, we're goingto give them a blessing. that the Blessed Virgin
Mary, the guardian angel, Matt, will help youto get out of the problem. The blessing from
(36:25):
the Almighty God, Father, Son, and Holy Spiritcome upon you and remain with you forever.
Amen, amen.
very clear. And he mentions those who cannotenter the kingdom of God. The thieves, the
greedy, the drunkards. So the drunkards, whatit is, it's not the person who drinks with
moderation, it's the person who drinks withoutmoderation. Can I drink and how much? When
is it a sin? When it becomes a vice? Metabolismsconcerning alcohol. Of course. Some cultures,
(00:22):
they have very little or it's very weak andthey have to be conscious of that reality.
It's a reality that And if it is, I could sayit would be a certain type of cross that they
have to carry, and which alcohol is not forthem. It's just not a possibility. In the same
way, there are some people who are very sensitiveto sugars and they become diabetic very easily.
(00:44):
So let's go to three, three scenarios in whichwe could write apply this. And one, the first
one, what happens when we go to a wedding andthen there's a wedding celebration, of course
there is wine there, there is champagne, thereis this, there is that. practical advice that
we can follow. Welcome to Salve Maria, the podcastof the Heralds of the Gospel.
(01:19):
Salve Maria Father. Salve Maria. Salve MariaBrother Justin. Salve Maria. Do not look at
wine when it is red, when it sparkles in thecup and goes down smoothly. In the end, it
bites like a serpent and stings like the other.And this comes from the proverbs, so very on
(01:41):
topic today because we are talking. Well, basicallywelcome to all the listeners to this episode
where we put we place this question can Catholicsactually drink and So we're going to see some
theological discussions some Catholic doctrineas well. And also we're going to provide some
(02:02):
advice to our people because there are many,many questions, Father, that they were sent
over, you know, the different, the WhatsAppand everything else, people ask, okay, can
I drink and how much? Or some others, right,when is it a sin? When it becomes a vice? And
all these questions, I think, are very, veryimportant. But Father, I would like to turn
the microphone to you because, okay, what theCatholic doctrine on alcohol tells us and what's
(02:26):
the guidance in the Catholic doctrine regardingthe top? I think the first thing we should
see is that the Catechism of the Catholic Church,on point 2290, it says that the virtue of temperance
disposes us to avoid every kind of excess. So,wine in itself is good, it's obvious, it's
(02:49):
good. It was done by our Lord Jesus Christ Himself.He transformed water into wine. And the first
thing that Noah did after the great flood wasto do wine actually, but he didn't know its
effects. So he knew that it was something wonderful,the fact is that he drink it. Obviously he
(03:12):
liked it, it was good and of course since thenwine has refined a lot, a tremendous variety
of wines etc. But everything depends on howit is used. So I think we need to be very clear
on how to drink actually. This is very beautifulas you were commenting, the wine and the mass
(03:32):
is present there and God chose wine to representhis sacred, well, his divine blood, soul, divinity.
So he has chosen two elements, done by man,both are done by man, one is wine and the other
is bread. So he has chosen wine, so wine itselfis good. Very likely before original sin, wine
(03:58):
didn't have the bad effects that they have todaythat we have when we drink wine. Maybe the
wine was possible to be drink without thosebad effects that destroy our personality. That's
good, but further also, and Brother Jetin, no,because we have this phenomenal mystery, luminous
(04:21):
mysteries where we talk about the transformationof water into wine at the wedding feast of
Cana. And well, for some people, it may be alittle bit already a help to realize that our
Lord goes, assists to a wedding party, and thenwhen wine runs out, if it had been something
(04:42):
evil or something bad, intrinsically speaking,he would not have transformed. According to
the studies, it's 600 liters. That's a lot.Yeah, it's quite a tremendous amount of wine.
Actually, you know, the feast... last one weekso it was the wine for the week. These were
people who drank on a regular basis becausewine through its processes was good to drink.
(05:07):
Water on the other hand because they didn'tunderstand the role of bacteria microbes and
all the good things, it was dangerous it wouldmake you very sick. So that's where it comes
from and that's actually the origin of manyof the of the drinks that exist. For example,
drinks like wine or beer or spirits, becausethe groundwater was corrupt. So they had to
(05:35):
find a way of cleansing it, but they didn'tunderstand that part. And they made those drinks.
So. Even in the monastery, they were doing alcoholas a medicine. Oh yes. So Benedictine, chartreuse,
et cetera, chartreuse, was a medicine for themonks when they were feeling sick. feeling
down because of the weather, of course the winteris very intense etc. The medicine was to have
(05:59):
a little bit of chartreuse you know every night.In the northern climates it was stronger drinks
such as whiskies and even vodka. So I mean thosehave roots in the religious houses, all of
them. So beer? Beer absolutely no questionsbut I'm saying they all do so we can't separate
(06:19):
the two. But apparently there is a misunderstanding,no? Because we're talking about, of course,
moderation, about temperance. And the fact thatwe use doesn't mean to abuse. Oh, yeah. So
Latin has a very nice saying. Today we're seeingwith our students in the school, uti non abuti.
It rhymes and also it's good to remember because,of course, the problem I think, no? Maybe we
(06:44):
can guide towards there is the fact that, notnecessarily speaking because we are drinking
sort of, you know, that means we automaticallyhave to get drunk? That's a conception that
is... There's an element which is a lack oftemperance, right? So a person who drinks,
(07:05):
it's almost as though you're having dinner,you have a glass of wine, but some people can't
comprehend that. So if they're having a dinner,they have to have a couple bottles of wine.
There's no temperance involved. It's the sameidea as food. Can you eat moderately or is
it that you have to just clean off 12 plates?Five pounds of chocolate, right? Yeah, but
(07:32):
I think that's a problem. People forget theidea of moderation in all things. Even at work,
you can become a workaholic, let's say. Whichis a sin. Yeah, but working itself is good.
It is, but that's a problem. I had a studenttoday, we were talking about moderation and
he was saying, well. The Catholic position ishe gets a ruler, right? And it's the balance
(07:55):
position in the middle. Whenever you get offthe balance point, that's when you offend God
because something is out of, out of sorts. Andthat's what the problem is. It'd be an alcohol,
be it chocolate, be it, uh, I don't know, potatochips, um, name what you wish. Anything out
of balance is a problem. Absolutely. It isn'tjust alcohol. God creates his nice things in
(08:20):
nature is to ask to use them and to appreciatethem as things that come from the hands of
God. Because otherwise our Lord Jesus Christwould have committed sin by giving those people
the opportunity to drink, overindulge possibly,the wine that he gave, the best wine probably
(08:42):
this earth's ever seen. Absolutely, absolutely.So that would have been sin, but not just sin
by the ones who did it. but sinned by the onewho provided it. Of course. So our Lord is
a sinner. Precisely, because He will give inthe opportunity. But it's so bad with certain
Protestant groups that I saw this in a children'sBible. A child was given it for Christmas,
(09:05):
I think, and showed it to me that the storyof the wedding feast of Cana, it's not wine.
It was grape juice. It was grape juice. Again,so let's skip to that, right? Yeah, and then
the child asked me, but doesn't grape juicego bad? And I told her, I says, it's not a
gift. That was a curse. I gave you 600 litersof grape juice in a place that doesn't have
(09:30):
refrigeration. That's not a gift. Next day,you know. You got flies, you got everything.
So no, when they try to get around this problem,it's a question of moderation. But this is
also beautiful about moderation. Saint ThomasAquinas has this comment that says, as moderation
is a pathway to virtue and holiness. So it'san instrument and maybe we can use these beautiful
(09:53):
things that God has created and maybe to helpus in order to attain holiness. So this is
something. But the problem here it seems isthe excess. So we had put together, this is
what's more, I think we still have a littlebit more of time, Father, maybe we can get
into it because the Holy Scripture is very clearabout. problem of excess in drinking. And this
(10:14):
is not just, okay, because God has created thisand it's beautiful and it's nice and he uses
it for mass, does it mean now that we can haveit in excess? Right? So I think we could guide
our audience today towards what the scripturehas to say about this. Yes, for example, in
the letter to the Corinthians, St. Paul is veryclear. He says that, he mentions those who
(10:38):
cannot enter the kingdom of God. the greedy,the drunkards. So the drunkards, oh, what it
is, it's not the person who drinks with moderation,it's the person who drinks without moderation.
Because don't forget, St. Paul says that, buthe himself drank wine. Of course, yeah. Right,
that was a part of the meal ceremony you hadwith people. If he didn't drink, he would be
(11:00):
the oddest man in the Mediterranean basin. Andhe also goes now, and because of course, the
early Christians, the early communities he founded.When you see the letters, you see that they
had a lot of problems, a lot of issues. Andone of them was the sins of the flesh. And
St. Paul completely warns about this tendencythat people have to gluttony, eat in excess,
(11:26):
and also on drunkenness. Absolutely, becausethey were pagans and they didn't have the virtue
of moderation, the virtue of temperance, asthe Catechism teaches that we need to have.
So St. Paul comes and puts things in the rightplace and puts the balance. So that's extremely
(11:48):
important to it applies to alcohol but it appliesto everything actually in life. Things have
to be done according to the good use and thegood objective. And all along the Bible, especially
for those who I'm sure are going to be veryangry when it comes that the heralds of the
(12:08):
gospel here in the podcast talk about the Bibleand everything else, especially when they have
different perspectives from the Catholic Church.But it is very beautiful because here in the
Galatians, Galatians 5.21, of course, St. Paullists it, that Brother Justin was saying, the
drunkenness is a work of the flesh. And thereforehe says, and when people are, well, get drunk,
(12:33):
There is no possibility of any spiritual focus,no possibility of any spiritual clarity. And
in the end of the story, our will gets so weakenedthat we practice in virtue. How is it going
to be possible? And besides that, it destroysyour health. So. Absolutely. So the person
(12:53):
goes down in his mental capacities, he goesdown in his human dignity. Becomes violent.
He becomes violent, he becomes almost an animal.he or she, no, because we're always saying
here, but equal opportunity. Both sides. It'syes. So, but in the country, right, to be able
(13:13):
to appreciate something that a good spirit,a good alcohol, et cetera, helps the soul to
understand higher things that if somebody doesn'tknow, I never had drank some very tasty and
beautiful things that... are in nature createdby God for us to use them in order to elevate
(13:35):
our mind and our thinking to God. And this iswhy in the European cultures and other cultures
also, it was a way of accompanying a conversationto have a nice glass of wine or a liquor or
alcohol, a Benedictine, a chartreuse, a grandmarnier, etc. And there's also something for
(13:55):
that. that St. Paul insists a lot, right, whichis the life of the Holy Spirit in us. Then
he says that we are led by impulses. And thisis, of course, if the person cannot govern
himself or herself and has to drink compulsively,right, that what is that? Because some people
were asking, okay, when drunkenness becomesa vice, when it's so compulsive that one cannot
(14:18):
control oneself. And then that's an issue, notonly of will, but also could be a chemical
dependence. Yes, and then it becomes very serious.Yes. And then basically we're saying, okay,
the life and the Holy Spirit, how is the HolySpirit going to live in our soul if we are
giving up to these vices and impulses? Of course.And it depends on each person. Each person
(14:42):
has to know his limits, and it varies. Somebodywho is, let's say, very big, very strong, etc.,
or somebody who is more used to drink, for example,the German, they're used to drink beer. and
they don't get drunk, but then they drink anincredible amount of beer and they're okay.
Different cultures have different metabolismsconcerning alcohol. Of course, yeah. Some cultures,
(15:05):
they have very little or it's very weak, andthey have to be conscious of that reality.
It's a reality that they have, and if it is,I can say, it would be a certain type of cross
that they have to carry, which alcohol is notfor them. It's just not a possibility. In the
same way, there are some people who are verysensitive to sugars and they become diabetic
(15:25):
very easily. Others have very sensitive, verysensitive to salt in foods and have to avoid
it because it causes various health problems.Everyone's got defects. That's the valley of
tears we live in here on earth. And at the sametime, this question was posed by someone who
said, ladies who are in expectancy, right? Andof course, right, it should be treated as a
(15:54):
penance, this is us, or as consideration forthe, well, the future motherhood. And that,
obviously, Father, I don't know, what can wesay about that? No, of course, each one has
to drink according to his function and his needsand his abilities and his work, et cetera.
So obviously, a mother who is expecting hasto be very careful because whatever she does
(16:19):
has a consequence on another person, very dearto her, which is her child. So obviously the
person has to restrain in a very special wayfor the good of the others. That's an observation,
no? That expectant mothers, the more acts ofvirtue they practice, the more... is going
(16:42):
to have an influence in the children. The moreprayers, the more adoration to the blessed
sacrament when the time of gestation is coming,right? How important is this? It shows that
the education of a person starts even beforeher birth. The person is already being educated
by the parents and by the atmosphere that isat home, et cetera, everything has a tremendous
(17:06):
impact on the future education of the person.But unfortunately there's a defect in our society
which has it that if you're going to drink,
you've got to feel it. So it's like if you'reonly going to have a glass of wine, what's
the use? You've got to be, you've got to walkaway staggering from the table, unable to feel
(17:29):
your face. That means you had a good evening.You don't remember the evening afterwards,
but it was a good evening. But there's a problem.is that we have something that's marked and
entrenched in the society of intemperance. Andif you're not intemperant, then you have no
part in us. No, the way we advertise, we ingeneral, I mean, in the society nowadays, when
(17:56):
you say advertising, advertising never appealsto your virtue. It always appeals to vice,
appeals to your weaknesses, because then they'regonna make a sale. On some hat. But what a
misconception in the end, what a misguidanceof society. We are always advertising and advertising
insights, not our best parts, but. But everythingis in the extreme. There's no balance, there's
(18:21):
no moderation. So if you look at a brand, it'sextreme this or extreme that or, what about
moderate? No, there's no moderate, it's justextreme. Basically drinking is not a goal.
It's an accident that will. a company, somethingthat you're doing, like a meal or a conversation,
(18:41):
et cetera. Let's go into, specifically, father,some practical advice. Let's go to a quick
pause here, and then we come back, stay withus, because now it comes practical applications
to our daily life. So when we're in a party,when we're with friends, when we are watching,
I don't know, maybe some sports, how to do andwhat to do in order to, at the same time, be
(19:03):
a virtuous person. a temperate person and yeta Catholic who understands the role of drinking
and how. Salve Maria! I'm Fr. Ryan Murphy ofthe Heralds of the Gospel and I'm delighted
to extend an invitation to each and every oneof you. In the midst of our busy lives, it's
(19:24):
crucial to take a moment of reflection, of soullessend of prayer. That's why I would like to personally
invite you at 3pm for a special and powerfuldevotion, the Divine Mercy Chaplet. The Divine
Mercy Chaplet is a beautiful prayer that embodiesthe boundless compassion of our Lord. It's
(19:49):
a time to come together as a community, regardlessof where we are, and lift up our intentions,
our hopes, and even our burdens to the heartof Jesus. Imagine all around the world. countless
voices uniting in prayer at this very hour.It's a moment of connection, of spiritual unity,
(20:12):
and of seeking God's mercy in a troubled world.So mark your calendars, set your alarms, and
make a commitment to join us each day at 3 p.m.Tune in and experience the transformative power
of the Divine Mercy Chaplain. Let this be asanctuary of peace amidst the noise of life.
(20:37):
Thank you for being a part of our Herald's CanadaYouTube channel. Together let's embark on this
journey of faith, hope, and mercy. I'm lookingforward to praying with you every day at 3pm.
May God's love and mercy shine upon you always.And until we meet again, may Almighty God bless
(20:58):
you, the Father and the Son. and the Holy Spirit.Amen. So welcome back to this episode about
Can Catholics drink? You know, in these contemporarytimes, Catholics find themselves navigating
serious social occasions, social situations,where alcohol is present, right? And so what
(21:20):
we are talking about in this segment is, okay,how to discuss and how individuals, what individuals
can do in order to keep temperance, keep moderationin everyday life, particularly in social gatherings,
family events and public celebrations. So, Father.Actually a patriarch, very holy, called Noah.
(21:46):
Nevertheless, at some point in his life, hewas cultivating grape for the first time and
he pressed the juice of the grape and he fermented,et cetera. And... He find it delicious. And
he had it a certain amount, but he didn't knowof the effects. So actually, did he sin? No,
(22:08):
because he didn't know that this will have thistype of effect. So he had wine in a certain
amount that was above his limitations, but withoutknowing. So he didn't sin. So we only sin when
we do it on purpose. When let's say that somebodyis drinking and not paying too much attention
(22:33):
and suddenly he feels a little bit, you know,dizzy or kind of falling asleep, et cetera.
Well, if he didn't know, he's not sinning. Hedidn't know his limit, but he has to stop.
But to drink in itself is something good, butin the right proportion. So sometimes we have
(22:57):
actually to drink in social events. Sometimeswe have an obligation to participate in a party,
et cetera. And we have to know that we haveto find the right equilibrium, the right moment
in which we have to slow down, et cetera. Andthis is something that we need to be very careful
(23:21):
because on one hand, we have to give the exampleof somebody. participates in the joy of getting
together, et cetera. But on the other side,we know our limit and we respect the limit
and we have to give the example of knowing whereto stop. Well, we have put together three characteristics,
right? That are very, very on point, let's say,because, okay, when a situation comes and we're
(23:49):
going to see what happens on a wedding, whathappens when we are with friends, what happens
in a cooperative event, right? but there arethree things, and one is the setting, then
the implications of overindulgence, what arethe consequences going to be, and the third
one is the personal and social responsibilitiesinvolved. So these three main elements, I think,
(24:09):
are very, very interesting because they willgive us some boundaries and also a strong guidance
when it comes to say, well, what kind of behavior,right, we're going to do. But Justin, before
we go into the three, and I'm always afraidthat we're going to run out of time. You were
mentioning, because Irish are very famous inthese endeavors. And so there is a saint, right?
(24:33):
That is a very nice example. And I think everybodywould love to hear about. He's a venerable.
Venerable Irish. Irish, very Irish from Dublin,poor. And he's a fascinating character because
he almost could be a cutout of the worst aspectsof the Irish people. and he ends up being an
(24:55):
individual who is very poor. He works in a distillery.He works in various manual labor type things.
And he becomes, he starts to drink at a veryyoung age. We're talking six, seven years old.
And by the time that he's 12, he's an alcoholic.He is bombed drunk. But what happens is that
he ends up having a moment in which he encountersGod after an evening of heavy drinking. And
(25:24):
encountering it, that soul awakens and that'sit. Cold turkey, he gives up alcohol, gives
it up. And he realizes that for him, that lackof moderation, that brokenness in his life,
he needed to do something to make restitution.So he begins to make incredible penances, but
(25:49):
no one knew about it. They just knew he wasa good person. So. This period goes forward
and He's this young man in his 30s who is goingto mass, incredibly pious. Every day. Making
all types of penances. So at one point, he'son his way to work. And this is interesting.
(26:13):
He was an incredible ascetic, but it didn'tmean it detached from his day-to-day responsibilities.
He worked every day, he worked very hard, andhe ends up dying, walking to work. right? And
they have a monument in on the road that hedied on, which is Granby Lane in Dublin. Um,
(26:35):
and when they took a look at his body, he wasemaciated, but he had put chains on himself
to do penance for his past sins. And
He had wanted to be in love with God. He hadthat love, that sense of, it's almost the element
(26:58):
of the confessions where Augustine figures outthat he has missed God, he has missed, and
he makes up for that. So much so that he's avenerable. He was made venerable in 1975. the
name of the way is Matt Talbot. Matt Talbot,and he became an example for those who have
that type of problem. Exactly, and there's housesof Mount, of the Talbot houses all around the
(27:20):
world to help those people. Another point that'sreally interesting, and I don't wanna go too
far because running out of time, again, it'salways our problem, but even the one which
is very secular, incredibly secular, but inits basis, the Alcoholics Anonymous, the two
professors who, made up the system based onthe spiritual exercises of a very close friend
(27:43):
of theirs who was a Jesuit priest who went througha process, this is the process you had need
to get so that the person has a conversion.So unfortunately today the AA system is very
secularized. But if you look at it, it's gotseeds that are very, very Catholic. Because
a person falls into these vices because theylack self-knowledge. and that element of understanding
(28:06):
why you were in this situation is very important.And lastly, one last thing is that there's
four cardinal virtues, which are moral virtues,which are elements that hinge our lives. And
these four are so important in our lives. Andwhen we have these issues, when we're talking
about, oh, is it okay to drink this much orthat much? The reality is, is that we're not
(28:29):
practicing the virtues. So the fact that we'reasking the question. means that we've already
overshot the mark, right? We're lacking thatinternal balance and internal compass. So really
important when we look at this, and we can askVenerable Talbot to guide us if we have these
(28:50):
issues, if we know someone who has these issues,to intercede so that they can become self-aware
and have an encounter with Christ. His intercessionis very powerful. He has created a lot of,
he had made a lot of miracles for people toget out of that situation, which is at a certain
(29:11):
moment, the life of the person becomes extremelypoor. Dark. Dark and without hope and without
happiness anymore. Because at a certain momentof the vice, the vice is a lie. And the vice,
instead of making you happy, makes you everytime more and more and more depressed and sad
(29:33):
and then, and, and we came a, uh, zero. That'strue. So it is good to remember that we can
get out of that type of situation. And everyonecan get out, of course, with the help of God
is much easier, but even by your own effort,you can also get out because a person has a
(29:53):
possibility to control himself. And that's withvirtue, practicing virtue. And that becomes
a virtue. So let's go to three. three scenariosin which we could right apply this. And one,
the first one, what happens when we go to awedding and then there is a wedding celebration,
of course there is wine there, there is champagne,there is this, there is that. What are the
practical advice that we can follow in ordernot to do something that would be very wrong?
(30:18):
I would say that you have to go slowly in thebeginning, especially. Moderation. Because
the problem is that If you are in a party, youhave to understand that you have to be drinking
during maybe the whole evening, it could bea long evening. So you have to start very slowly
(30:42):
and start by things that are, you know, witha small degree of alcohol that can allow you
to drink and carry on. So it's, you have toexercise, you know, wisdom. and temperance
at the same time. Here are practical advicethat you give is, okay, let's say you establish
(31:05):
that throughout the whole event, you're gonnahave maybe two glasses of wine or no more.
And the kind of setting you set for yourself,because in the end of the story, I mean, you're
there in the wedding to pay attention to thepeople who are there, to pay attention to the
happy, well, the happy couple that is gettingmarried, right? and how detrimental it would
(31:27):
be that we attend there and the last thing wepay attention is on the people who are around.
And you should never mix, you know, for example,wine and beer, no? Because it becomes much
more stronger. The effect is much more terrible.And dinner with friends, father, what will
happen? That's another thing that people ask.Okay, what happens? We go to a dinner with
(31:50):
friends and then what do we do there? Well,to drink while you're eating. is much better
because the food helps you to digest the badeffects, the effects, I think, that there are
the effects of original sin in the drinks, inthe alcohol, the wine, etc. Unfortunately,
(32:13):
it has that a Lord allows for us to preciselyto practice this virtue that we had lost because
of original sin, so we have to recover our temperance.But it is obvious that you have to, in a dinner,
you will be having maybe some white wine inthe beginning, then some red wine, then some...
(32:37):
It's one kind of wine for each course. Champagne.What do we do? I think the key is moderation.
You keep it moderate. You see some people whojust go into a meal and they just, they're
looking at multiple bottles. there's a lackof moderation. And just because it's an event
(32:58):
doesn't mean that you're supposed to come upwobbling. And you have to know that you have
to give the example of moderation. If for youto drink, let's say, as you said, two glasses
of wine is fine, maybe for somebody else, no.And maybe for somebody else, he can drink three
(33:19):
glasses of wine or four, has not a problem,but. You have to give the example of moderation
so that you have to be prudent. Yes, and whatabout corporate networking events? Don't drink.
Don't drink at all. No, again, there are, youknow, this is the setting, right? The implications
(33:40):
of overindulgence, and finally the personaland social responsibilities involved. So if
you're there to network, obviously you haveto have clear ideas and professionalism, right?
Yeah, it's all. Don't drink. Everyone's heardstories. It's just not, don't do it. No, if
somebody had a problem and he's getting out,of course he has to be very careful. If he
(34:02):
goes to a wedding, a party, et cetera, in whichthere is going to be beer, wine, and other
alcohols, he has to know that for him can bean occasion to sin. So he has to say, if possible
to say, look, sorry I cannot go or I have amedical problem and the doctor told me this
(34:25):
and this and that etc. I'm very sorry but avoidthe occasion. And also father it has to do
with the social thing no? When you have goodfriends those good friends are going to support
you of course the practicing of virtue. If weget together with a crowd that is not a good
friendship they are going to advise and to actuallypush us into things that are not good. And
(34:51):
so the more we keep clean our circle of friends,the more we're going to be able to practice
temperance and good things. The bad friendsare even worse than a bottle of wine. Oh no.
Because the bottle of wine at least, you know,will respect you, et cetera, but the bad friend
will not respect you and will push you to godown. So you need to be very careful. So maybe
(35:14):
we can ask venerable Matt Talbot, Father. Exactly,to help all those who maybe, you know, they
know somebody or maybe themself who are listeningto this program. Struggle. They have a problem,
look, there is a way out. It is possible toget out of this. You have to get out of this
because this is horrible for you, for your life,for your spiritual life. And I think also with
(35:37):
Matt Talbot, there's an interesting elementwhich he recourse to the blessed sacrament.
He recourse to prayer. And through those twoelements, he rescued himself with the grace
of God, right? It was, that was the path. Soif any of us have people or ourselves are having
issues and difficulties, there's always a solution,but we need to have recourse to the blessed
(36:02):
sacrament. So let's give you a blessing forall those who are listening to us and all those
who are in trouble and difficulties, we're goingto give them a blessing. that the Blessed Virgin
Mary, the guardian angel, Matt, will help youto get out of the problem. The blessing from
(36:25):
the Almighty God, Father, Son, and Holy Spiritcome upon you and remain with you forever.
Amen, amen.
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