Choose a topic from Part 2B:
1. St. Paul (Rom. 13:13) gives the precept that we are notto engage "in rioting and drunkenness." Drunkenness is aspecies of the vice of gluttony. It is a manifest evil.
2. Drunkenness is a mortal sin in the person who willinglyand knowingly deprives himself of the use of reason by excessivedrinking. Reason is man's guide and control for the exercise ofvirtue and the avoiding of sin. Foolishly and unwarrantedly todeprive oneself of reason is therefore a serious fault.
3. Drunkenness is not the worst of sins, for it is acarnal sin, and hence is not so evil in itself as spiritualsins.
4. If a man becomes intoxicated without his fault, eitherbecause he does not know that what he drinks is intoxicating, orbecause he underestimates its strength, or because he is affectedby the drink in a manner unusual and unexpected, he is not guiltyof sin, and he is excused from the responsibility for anyregrettable conduct which results from his intoxication. If,however, a person becomes intoxicated by his own fault, he is atleast partially responsible for any evils that result from hisexcessive drinking, just as he is responsible for the intoxicationitself.
"It is better to be burdened and in company with the strong than to be unburdened and with the weak. When you are burdened you are close to God, your strength, who abides with the afflicted. When you are relieved of the burden you are close to yourself, your own weakness; for virtue and strength of soul grow and are confirmed in the trials of patience."
St John of the Cross, OCD - Doctor of the Church
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"As the flesh is nourished by food, so is man supported by prayers"
St Augustine
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"God gives us some things, as the beginning of faith, even when we do not pray. Other things, such as perseverance, he has only provided for those who pray."
St Augustine
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