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02 Jun 2013 - Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi), Cycle C

A MIDDLE-AGED PRIEST finally made his way into Alcoholics Anonymous after years of hiding his drinking, frustrated at his inability to stop. Only when he reached out and found others reaching out to him with help did he gradually understand that he was neither evil nor shameful but had an illness as real and progressive as diabetes or hypertension. He began to accept himself and a new life with serenity and joy, but it was still hard not being able to celebrate the Eucharist with ordinary wine. He got the necessary permissions to use unfermented grape juice at Mass, but felt that, somehow, celebrating the Eucharist—which he loved more than any other part of his ministry—wasn’t quite real anymore. Then one Palm Sunday the familiar text suddenly came alive as he read: “Then Jesus took a cup, gave thanks, and said, ‘Take this and share it among yourselves; for I tell you that I shall not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.’ ” The priest’s voice shook and he swallowed his tears to understand that the body and blood of Christ had transcended over 2,000 years, and that Christ and he—beyond earthly time—would one day drink that cup together again. And for now, he would wait.

Authors Father Larry Janowski O.F.M.

Eucharist wine Alcoholism

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Get a move on, kids

14 Feb 2010 - Preaching the News for Sunday

Christ raised from the dead is “the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep,” we hear in this Sunday’s reading from 1 Corinthians. The large number of children more prone to junk food than fresh fruit and to fall asleep on the couch instead of going for a walk is leading to an epidemic of childhood obesity. Government fitness programs have thus far failed to turn the tide. Now First Lady Michelle Obama will try her hand at it. President Dwight D. Eisenhower tried to motivate kids to shape up when he created the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports in 1956. It’s been a losing battle ever since. Childhood obesity has been on the rise in recent decades, with 17 percent of children considered obese and about one in three of all children overweight. “Efforts like the president’s council have been overwhelmed over the years by trends in society that push kids in the other direction,” said Russell Pate, a professor of exercise science at the University of South Carolina. He cited a “triple whammy”--the advent of video games, the reliance on cars to get around, and the rise of a high-fat, fast-food diet--that undermines a healthy lifestyle for kids. In announcing her “Let’s Move” campaign Tuesday, Michelle Obama made clear that physical fitness is key to what she’s trying to do and that there is a role for the Eisenhower-era fitness council. Besides getting kids to exercise, the campaign aims to help parents and schools make better food choices and also healthy food more available and affordable. More than obesity is at stake, according to a new study. Kids drawn to sweeter-than-cola drinks are also more likely to have a family history of alcoholism and depressive symptoms. “We know that sweet taste is rewarding to all kids and makes them feel good,” said lead researcher Julie Mennella, a developmental psychobiologist at Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia. “In addition, certain groups of children may be especially attracted to intense sweetness due to their underlying biology.” The results don’t mean a child who likes ultra-sweetened foods will become an alcoholic. They only suggest a link between sweet preference and family members with alcoholism. “At this point, we don’t know whether this higher ‘bliss point’ for sweets is a marker for later alcohol use,” Mennella said. Source: Jeanna Bryner for LiveScience.com and Frederic J. Frommer for the Associated Press

Children let’s move sweetness julie mennella physical fitness michelle obama childhood obesity united states Alcoholism russell pate

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To your health

23 May 2010 - Preaching the News for Sunday

Saint Paul proclaims to the church at Corinth that "we were all given to drink of one Spirit." Those who drink alcohol in moderation received some surprising news this week: They have better health on average that teetotalers, according to French scientists. Researchers emphasized that most of the health benefits to drinkers were not a direct result of alcohol but due to indirect links such as being less stressed, engaging in more physical activity, and enjoying a better social status. "Moderate alcohol intake is a powerful marker of a higher social level, superior general health status, and lower cardiovascular risk," said Boris Hansel of the Hospital of Pitie-Salpetriere in Paris, who led the study. He stressed, however, that the study did not show any causal links and should not be used as evidence to promote the consumption of alcohol. Excessive drinking is associated with chronic liver disease, many cancers, alcohol poisoning, fetal alcohol syndrome, and heart disease, and alcohol is to blame for 2.3 million deaths globally each year, according to the World Health Organization. Source: An article by Kate Kelland for Reuters

health alcohol boris hansel drinkin

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Maybe we should drink to that

03 Oct 2010 - Preaching the News for Sunday

By way of analogy this Sunday, Jesus describes when it is and is not appropriate for a servant to "eat and drink." According to a new study on alcohol and longevity, however, it may be appropriate to have a drink--or two. For reasons not entirely clear, those who drink regularly outlive those who do not imbibe at all. Some have hypothesized that many teetotalers are likely reformed heavy drinkers whose previous hard drinking has left them with serious health problems. But new research published in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research suggests the situation is a lot more complex than that. Moderate drinking, defined as one to three drinks per day, is associated with the lowest mortality rates. Moderate alcohol use (especially when the beverage of choice is red wine) is thought to improve heart health, circulation, and sociability, which can be important because people who are isolated tend to suffer higher rates of depression and lack a support network if health problems develop. Even though heavy drinking is associated with higher risk for cirrhosis and several types of cancer (particularly cancers of the mouth and esophagus), heavy drinkers are still likely to outlive people who don't drink at all, even if the latter never had a problem with alcohol. The social interactions that come with drinking may be the dominating factor. The authors of the new paper are careful to note that even if drinking is associated with longer life, it can be dangerous if abused, impairing memory, leading to accidents, and leaving great interpersonal and economic damage in its wake. Source: An article by John Cloud for TIME

alcohol long life longevity drinking

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South Africa struggles with alcohol’s aftereffects

26 Feb 2012 - Preaching the News for Sunday

“Teach me your paths, guide me in your truth,” the psalmist prays to the Lord this Sunday. Long-standing cultural traditions and a lack of education on the dangers of heavy drinking have led to a crisis of alcohol-related problems in South Africa, including high levels of violent crime, road deaths, and fetal alcohol syndrome. Ironically, the country is full of teetotalers. According to the World Health Organization, nearly two thirds of South Africans have never taken a sip, and only 27 percent say they have had a drink in the past year. But many of those who do drink, drink a lot. Researchers said the problem is especially severe in the rural Northern Cape provinces, in part due to historical reasons. When French Huguenots arrived in South Africa and started vineyards, the laborers received part of their wages in alcohol--a scheme known as the "dop system." Dop payments were banned in the 1920s but in practice the system carried on in many rural zones until apartheid ended in 1994. In some areas the custom has "now spread to social drinking on a very large scale," said Denis Viljoen, who studies rural communities. Authorities are now pondering a range of laws to tone down heavy alcohol consumption. The legal drinking age may soon be raised from 18 to 21, pregnant women may be refused liquor sales, and alcohol ads banned. Source: An article by Claire Price for Agence France Presse

south africa alcohol drinking dop

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Time for a pregnant pause on alcohol

07 Feb 2016 - Preaching the News for Sunday

In this Sunday’s second reading, Saint Paul makes a reference to being “as one born abnormally” for having come late to the Christian cause. Every month, more than 3 million women in the United States risk having an alcohol-exposed pregnancy that can result in birth defects, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in a report Tuesday. Drinking alcohol during pregnancy is "associated with a range of complications and poor reproductive outcomes and can cause fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs), which are characterized by lifelong physical, behavioral, and intellectual disabilities," the CDC report said, adding that exposure to alcohol in the womb is one of the leading preventable causes of intellectual disability in children. It can also "increase the risk of miscarriage, stillbirth, prematurity, and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)." Anne Schuchat, principal deputy director at the CDC, adds that, "Alcohol can permanently harm a developing baby before a woman knows she is pregnant" and encourages health practitioners to advise women to abstain from alcohol whenever pregnancy is even a remote possibility. Homily hint: A consistent ethic of life involves protecting life “from womb to tomb.” Women and men alike need to work together to ensure that a child in the womb has the best environment and conditions possible in which to grow and develop, and that involves abstaining from alcohol at any time pregnancy is possible. For more on the risks of alcohol and pregnancy, see: Women who aren't on birth control shouldn't drink alcohol, CDC says

alcohol pregnancy life ethic

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Homily stories

12 Jun 2022 - Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, Cycle C

Bryan never thought of himself as a spiritual person. He went to church once in a while, especially on Christmas and Easter and during Lent, but he never thought about it much. Now he had come to know the truth about himself and had come to understand that the truth was from God. And the truth about Bryan was that he was an alcoholic. The truth had caught up with Bryan the morning he woke up and didn’t know where he was or how he had gotten there. He didn’t know what he had done the night before, how the side of his car had gotten bashed in, or why there was a gash on his arm and a bruise on his face. All he remembered was that he had been having a few drinks with his friends and had gotten pretty drunk. Just like the night before, and the night before that. In fact, he had been getting drunk a lot. But now the truth was upon him and he had to do something about it. At the 12-step meeting, when it was time, he stood up and, for the first time in a long time, he spoke the truth: “My name is Bryan and I’m an alcoholic.” In the days and weeks to come, Bryan would learn a lot more truth about himself. But for now, the big truth was that the Spirit of Truth had rescued him. And that from now on he was going to be on God’s side, living in the truth.

Authors Father Paul Boudreau

Truth Alcoholism

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Homily stories

19 Jun 2022 - Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi), Cycle C

A middle-aged priest finally made his way into Alcoholics Anonymous after years of hiding his drinking, frustrated at his inability to stop. Only when he reached out and found others reaching out to him with help did he gradually understand that he was neither evil nor shameful but had an illness as real and progressive as diabetes or hypertension. He began to accept himself and a new life with serenity and joy, but it was still hard not being able to celebrate the Eucharist with ordinary wine. He got the necessary permissions to use unfermented grape juice at Mass, but felt that, somehow, celebrating the Eucharist—which he loved more than any other part of his ministry—wasn’t quite real anymore. Then one Palm Sunday the familiar text suddenly came alive as he read: “Then Jesus took a cup, gave thanks, and said, ‘Take this and share it among yourselves; for I tell you that I shall not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.’ ” The priest’s voice shook and he swallowed his tears to understand that the Body and Blood of Christ had transcended over 2,000 years, and that Christ and he—beyond earthly time—would one day drink that cup together again. And for now, he would wait.

Authors Father Larry Janowski O.F.M.

Alcoholism Eucharist body and blood

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