The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1912-04-20
DOMAIN OF TEMPERANCE.
SIN OF INTEMPERANcE.

The Bishop OF Menevia, the Right
Rev. Francis Mostyn, ID. D., treats of
the vice of intemperance in his Lent
en- Pastoral, In the course of which
he says:
While we exhort all to listen to the
voice Of the Church and practise self
denial and penance at this holy sea-
son, we wish especially to address
those, who allow their appetites to
run away with their reason, and who
offend God by sins of gluttony and
intemperance. Subtle indeed Ia the
artifice of the devil, when he makes
use of the blessings and gifts of God
for the very purpose of inducing man
to offend his God, and thus risk his
eternal salvation. Food and drink are
given his body to enable him to live,
to preserve his body in health and
strength, that SO he may the longer
be able to render to his God that hon.
age and service that is due to his
Creator. But the enemy of souls is
continually urging him to abuse these
gifts, and to turn them into an occa-
sion of sin by using them to excess.
And this constitutes the sin of glut-
tony, which is an inordinate love for
eating or drinking in persuading in
dividuals to commit the sin of glut-
tony by eating to excess; but the
most common sin of gluttony is that
of drinking to excess.
1t is true, that of late years there
i
has been marked improvement as
regards the sobriety of he people of
this country; but, when we read in
statistics for England and Wales, that
in the year 1910 there were no less
than 1892 convictions of drunken
ness, it is very evident that there is
still much room for improvement. It
would indeed be difficult to calculate
how many cases of drunkenness occur
for every one that finds its way into
the Police Courts. This vice of drunk
enness is found not only amongst the
poor and ignorant, but also amongst
the rich and educated classes. Ac-
cording to theologians it's malice con-
sists in this: that man deliberately
and with full knowledge deprives him
self of the us of reason, the most pre-
cious gift, the noblest ornament,
which God has bestowed upon man,
by which he is distinguished from the
brute beast of the field. Man, by will
fully depriving himself of this, brings
himself down to the level of the brute
beast. The world sometimes laughs
at and thinks little of the sin Of drunk
enness, but who can doubt it's often
siveness to God. In addition, how
ever, to the actual sin of drunkenness,
| there are many evils both spiritual
and temporal that follow in it's wake.
The drunkard is the slave of lust, and
also loses all sense of religion. He
neglects prayer, he stays away from
Mass on Sundays, he rarely if ever
receives the Sacrament, he abhors
sermons, and he makes light of the
teaching and truths of his holy relig-
ion. This vice of drunkenness not
only destroys the soul, but it also
ruins, bodily health and brings mis-
cry and suffering upon those who are
dependent upon us.
Dr. MOSCyn, concluding IESuCudnC
indictment of the drink evil, indicates
the remedy. Let the drunkard, he
says, turn to God in humble prayer,
let him approach the Sacramento and
make his peace with God, and then
let him adopt such other remedies as
prudence suggests to him, or as his
spiritual adviser recommends to him,
as suiting best his particular case.
For one it may be necessary to re-
frain from drink altogether, for an
other it may be sufficient to limit
himself to the kind and the quantity
of drink that he takes II it be GER
tain company that leads him astray,
he must resolve to quit this company.
II it be the public house or the social
club that has caused his downfall, he
must resolve never to set foot again
In these places. Let him make these
resolutions with sincere determine
ton; but, if he hopes to keep these
resolutions, it is absolutely necessary
that he should continue to pray for
help, and that he should approach
the Sacraments frequently.