Must One Give up Alcohol to Become Catholic?



Dear Catholic Exchange,

My question is on alcohol. In India, I have attended a couple of Catholic charismatic initiation retreats in places like Tabor Ashram near Mumbai and Potta in Kerala. They say that you have to give up alcohol (including wine) completely and not serve anybody visiting you either and basically have no alcohol in the house for entertainment. It is taught that you cannot be spirit-filled if you subject your body, which is the temple of the Holy Ghost, to either alcohol or smoking. What is your opinion on this? Secondly, a friend of mine who also has made a similar retreat is not able to reconcile the fact that the Eucharist is celebrated with alcoholic wine with this requirement. May I have your official opinion on this issue?

Rohan

Dear Rohan,

Peace of Christ! Thank you for your interesting question regarding the consumption of alcohol by Catholics.

The Church does not require someone to give up alcohol in order to become a Catholic. The consumption of alcohol is not intrinsically sinful.

The Church does condemn drunkenness, which is a sin against the virtue of sobriety, which is the cardinal virtue of temperance as applied as applied to the consumption of alcohol. See Catechism of the Catholic Church, nos. 1809, 2290.

As your friend noted, a valid celebration of the Eucharist involves the use of wine. Not only did our Lord use real wine Himself, but He commanded those after Him to “do this” in memory of Him. While the bread and wine are truly and substantially changed, through what is called transubstantiation, into the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ, the Eucharistic elements retain their physical properties, such that the Precious Blood received at Mass does contain alcohol.

Alcoholic beverages, most notably wine, have always been a part of the life of the chosen people. Just as wine is used in New Covenant worship, it's also part of the Passover ritual dating back to the Exodus, a ritual in which our Lord Himself participated on an annual basis up to and including the Last Supper.

In addition, our Lord performs His first “sign” at a wedding feast, which consisted in His turning water into wine (Jn 2:1-11). The Church sees in this “sign” our Lord's confirmation of the goodness of marriage and even a proclamation that marriage henceforth will be an efficacious sign of Christ's presence (Catechism, no. 1613). In the context of celebrating marriage, in which a married couple images the love of Christ for His Church (Eph 5:25-32), our Lord deemed it appropriate for the guests to drink wine.

Similarly, our Lord compared the Gospel to “new wine” that required new wineskins. That certainly would be an odd and confusing image to choose if He wanted His followers to completely abstain from the consumption of alcohol.

All of this being said, one cannot understate the responsibility we all have to exercise moderation and self-control in our consumption of alcohol. Those who suffer from alcoholism or who are predisposed to abusing alcohol should, out of prudence, avoid alcohol entirely. In addition, there's nothing wrong with abstaining from alcohol as a voluntary spiritual practice. Some Old Testament figures such as Samson took what was known as a Nazirite vow, which included the avoidance of all alcoholic beverages. Similarly, many Christians voluntarily give up the licit good of alcohol for spiritual reasons, either for life or for a particular time (e.g., during Lent), which is acceptable and indeed praiseworthy.

However, the Catholic charismatic community you describe is wrong to assert that one must give up alcohol altogether as a requirement to become a Catholic and thereby a temple of the Holy Spirit. Such a view contradicts Sacred Scripture and the constant teaching of the Church.

I hope this information is helpful to you. Please feel free to call us at 1-800-MY FAITH (693-2484) or email us with any further questions on this or any other subject.

United in the Faith,

Leon Suprenant

President

Catholics United for the Faith

827 North Fourth Street

Steubenville, OH 43952

800-MY-FAITH (800-693-2484)



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