Why? Here are a few of them: Romans 13:13, Galatians 5:19-21, and Ephesians 5:18. In short, I have found that this is often the last step in a radical conversionmuch like modesty for many women. Drinking alcoholic beverages needs to be approached with maturity, wisdom, restraint, and most of all, love for God and our neighbor (Mark 12:3031). Jesus constantly reached out to sinners, but never in compromising situations. One aspect of the sinfulness of drunkenness is also how it impacts your health and body. Excessive eating is also . In fact, about once a month we get an email from somebody saying that they either disapprove of us drinking on the show or how alcohol is of the devil or something like that. In many states, its legal for someone to drink underage in the presence of their parentsso thats not an issue. The apostle Peter reminds believers, Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour (1 Pet. Any grave sins arising from that state are also mortal sins. When one looks at the priest scandal, a curious thing arises. And then there is the Proverb: "Wine is a mocker and strong drink is a brawler; whoever goes astray by them is not wise" (Prov 21:1). This seems to approach relativism in my opinion. However, as my favorite Dominican priest quoting St. Thomas pointed out to me once in talking about this issue, Not all crimes are sins and not all sins are crimes. While the author here makes very good points about underage drinking having the ability to lead to laxity, scandal, and other undesirable things, we must be clear that it is not a sin for a 19 year old to have a drink. But it is not Catholic. 3). Which view is correct? Drinking should be a time of joyful celebration and fellowship! Is it only a near occasion of sin? Not only is it not, but among Greek-speakers, the Lenten discipline of abstinence from wine is relaxed on Sundays. In order to pass through this threshold, one has to move beyond simply asking: At what point have I done something wrong? in a minimalistic way, to asking: Are these actionsthese movies, these parties, etc.taking me toward or away from my ultimate end? And further, one asks this same question with respect to those who may be influenced by my actionseither by knowing me directly or by reputation: am I helping or hindering their pursuit of their ultimate end? We believe everyone should have access to this, which is why we offer so many of our resources for free. 441 views, 5 likes, 2 loves, 0 comments, 0 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church: Sunday April 30, 2023 - Mass for the Fourth Sunday of Easter. Scripture warns kings not to crave alcohol because a ruler needs a clear mind to uphold justice and protect the oppressed (Prov. That is, Jesus was not with sinners when they were sinning (or even came close to it). And many Christian celebrations often involve drinking wine and merrymaking. God created it for joyful celebration, as seen repeatedly in the Bible1. | The Gregorian Institute at Benedictine College, The Catechism: A Guide for the Christian Life, Giving the Gift of the Plenary Indulgence.