The Lost Art of Catholic Drinking

Inside Catholic ^ | November 26, 2009 | Sean P. Dailey

[NYer]

There is Protestant drinking and there is Catholic drinking, and the difference is more than mere quantity. I have no scientific data to back up my claims, nor have I completed any formal studies. But I have done a good bit of, shall we say, informal study, which for a hypothesis like this is probably the best kind.

To begin with, what is Catholic drinking? It's hard to pin down, but here's a historical example. St. Arnold (580-640), also known as St. Arnulf of Metz, was a seventh-century bishop of Metz, in what later became France. Much beloved by the people, St. Arnold is said to have preached against drinking water, which in those days could be extremely dangerous owing to unsanitary sewage systems -- or no sewage system at all. At the same time, he frequently touted the benefits of beer and is credited with having once said, "From man's sweat and God's love, beer came into the world."

 

Wise words, and St. Arnold's flock took them to heart. After his death, the good bishop was buried at a monastery near Remiremont, France, where he had retired. However, his flock missed him and wanted him back, so in 641, having gotten approval to exhume St. Arnold's remains, they carried him in procession back to Metz for reburial in the Basilica of the Holy Apostles. Along the way, it being a hot day, they got thirsty and stopped at an inn for some beer. Unfortunately, the inn had just enough left for a single mug; the processionals would have to share. As the tale goes, the mug did not run dry until all the people had drunk their fill.

 

Now, I'm not saying that Catholic drinking involves miracles, or that a miracle should occur every time people get together to imbibe. But good beer -- and good wine for that matter -- is a small miracle in itself, being a gift from God to His creatures, whom He loves. And as G. K. Chesterton wrote in Orthodoxy, "We should thank God for beer and burgundy by not drinking too much of them." In other words, we show our gratitude to God for wine and beer by enjoying these things, in good cheer and warm company, but not enjoying them to excess.

 

Just what constitutes excess is for each person to judge for himself. However, we now approach the main difference between Catholic drinking and Protestant drinking. Protestant drinking tends to occur at one extreme or another: either way too much or none at all, with each being a reaction to the other. Some people, rightly fed up with the smug self-righteousness of teetotalers, drink to excess. And teetotalers, rightly appalled at the habits of habitual drunkards, practice strict abstinence. It seems to occur to neither side that their reaction is just that: a reaction, and not a solution. If they considered it a bit, they might see a third way that involves neither drunkenness nor abstinence, yet is consistent with healthy, honest, humane Christian living.

 

Here we encounter Catholic drinking. Catholic drinking is that third way, the way to engage in an ancient activity enjoyed by everyone from peasants to emperors to Jesus Himself. And again, it is not just about quantity. In fact, I think the chief element is conviviality. When friends get together for a drink, it may be to celebrate, or it may be to mourn. But it should always be to enjoy one another's company. (Yes, there is a time and place for a solitary beer, but that is the exception.)

 

For example: The lectures at the annual Chesterton conference are themselves no more important than the attendees later discussing those same lectures over beer and wine (we tend to adhere to Hilaire Belloc's rule of thumb, which is to avoid alcoholic beverages developed after the Reformation). These gatherings occur between talks, during talks -- indeed, long into the night -- and we typically fall into bed pleasantly stewed. I cannot imagine a Chesterton conference without this. And yet I also know how detrimental it would be if we all stumbled back to our rooms roaring drunk.

 

Avoid each extreme -- that's how you drink like a Catholic. This is the art of Catholic drinking. There are plenty of our brethren who consider drinking somehow immoral, and there are plenty of others who think drinking must end with great intoxication. But the balanced approach -- the Catholic approach -- means having a good time, a good laugh, sometime a good cry, but always with joy and gratitude for God's generosity in giving us such wonders as beer and burgundy. Remember that, and the lost art of Catholic drinking may not remain lost.

[ichabod1]

Not tolerance, probably. It’s because he sips. Sipping is getting to be a lost art as well.

[ichabod1]

That reminds me of what happens when four methodist gather in His name. A chicken dies.

[ichabod1]

Jesus turned the water into juice.

[Spartan79]

Moderation in everything, of course. But I should point out that there is plenty of research to indicate that people who are raised in cultures in which from a young age they are exposed to moderate alcohol consumption in social and religious contexts exhibit less tendency for alcohol abuse than in others lacking such exposure. One such study:

A recipe for moderate drinking can be constructed from such successful examples as the Italian, Spanish, French, Greek, Jewish, and Chinese cultures:

"There are five conditions that cross-cultural researchers have found to be correlated in most societies with nonabusive drinking practices and low rates of alcoholism...:
1. Group drinking is clearly differentiated from drunkenness and associated with ritualistic or religious celebrations.
2. Drinking is associated with eating, preferably ritualistic feasting.
3. Both sexes and several generations are included in the drinking situation, whether all drink or not.
4. Drinking is divorced from the individual's effort to escape personal anxiety or difficult (intolerable) social situations....
5. Inappropriate behavior when drinking (aggression, violence, overt sexuality) is absolutely disapproved, and protection against such behavior is offered by the `sober' or the less intoxicated. This general acceptance of a concept of restraint usually indicates that drinking is only one of many activities, that it carries a relatively low level of emotionalism, and that it is not associated with a male or female `rite of passage' or sense of superiority."

Zinberg, N.E., "Alcohol Addiction: Toward a More Comprehensive Definition," pp. 97-127 in Bean, M.H., and Zinberg, N.E., eds., Dynamic Approaches to the Understanding and Treatment of Alcoholism, Free Press, New York, 1981, p. 110.

Only a fool would deny that there are Catholics who abuse demon rum. But I would wager that the percentage is no worse than that of many other demoninations or of the general public, and may even be lower (empirical question: be free to cite your own statistics). And in the final analysis, if a loved one is going to get smashed, would you prefer it to be at the bar across town, populated by all manner of lounge lizards, or in the Knights of Columbus hall, where he'll probably get a ride home and will likely be invited in for a chat in a few days by the parish priest.

[ichabod1]

I agree... very much an Anglican style. One thing that apparently did not change when Henry burned the monasteries.

[Desdemona]

Jesus turned the water into juice.

Yes, but somehow it ended up fermented when it was poured.

[Desdemona]

Not tolerance, probably. It’s because he sips

You can't know that, because he doesn't sip. That man drinks like a fish. He's got fabulous genes, truth be told, even if he is a democrat.

[Desdemona]

Thank you. At this point, I’m just hoping to be able to sing all the Christmas stuff in the next three weeks.

[buccaneer81]

Leviticus 10:9 "Do not drink wine or strong drink, neither you nor your sons with you, when you come into the tent of meeting, so that you may not die-- it is a perpetual statute throughout your generations--

Father Mulcahey was toasted when he gave that sermon on MASH.

[mnehring]

Jesus turned the water into juice.

I'm Anglican but currently going to a non-Denominational church and that is one thing that really bugs me. "Juice" during communion. They've even changed the words to say juice.

[AD from SpringBay]

I’ve also heard that if you go fishing with a baptist you should take someone else with you, otherwise the baptist will drink all the beer.

[sphinx]

Avoid each extreme -- that's how you drink like a Catholic. This is the art of Catholic drinking.

Ah, I finally understand ... this is why there are no Catholic drunks.

(Do I need a /sarc???)

[Lorica]

Mom always said:

Jameson: Catholic

Bushmills: Protestant

Last St. Patrick’s Day, I went to get a bottle of Jameson for the Irish coffee. I got the last one, although there was plenty of Bushmills still on the shelf.

[southparkNationalist]

I might add that ex-catholics also drink well.

[Fred Hayek]

Yes, but it’s beechwood aged holy water!

I have called anything by Anheiser-Busch “beer filtered through clydesdales.”

[B-Chan]

We call Jameson “the Catholic whiskey”, too!

[grand wazoo]

How about the lost art of not drinking alcoholic beverages?

The Woman's Christian Temperance Union agrees with you 100%. They want nothing to do with having a "good time".

[sitetest]

Dear livius,

“Curiously enough, when the left took over parishes, one of the first things they stamped out was drinking at parish events.”

I guess our parish has been impervious to the left. Our biggest alcohol controversy is how many different brands of beer should be available at parish events.

sitetest

[sitetest]

Dear Spartan79,

Excellent post. My Italian-American family grew up just like the five points in the study you cite.

We all drank from an early age. I started with a sip of my father’s beer at dinner at age 4, just about every night.

Four siblings, no drinking problems [plenty of other problems, to be sure, but no alcohol or drug abuse].

It was never a forbidden fruit. It was never done alone. It was always associated with being together with one’s family, even if it was just my father and me on a Saturday afternoon sharing beers, watching old movies on TV after doing the chores. Almost always with a meal. And to drink to excess was shameful and an indicator that one was less mature than was thought.

sitetest

[onedoug]

‘Ever been to a synagogue post-service kiddush? They make these Christians seem like teatotalers by comparison.