VI. Объедение и пьянство

“Take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with overeating and drunkenness and the cares of this life” (Luke 21:34). “The kingdom of God is not food and drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 14:17). There is no evil in food, but overeating is vicious (Conversation 10 on Chapter 1 of the Book of Genesis). The voluptuousness of food is such an evil that it even harms dumb animals (Conversation 44 on the Evangelist Matthew, chapter 12). Nothing harms the body more than overeating (Conversation 44 on the Evangelist Matthew, chapter 12). Excess in food and drink is the mother of all evils (Conversation 58 on the Evangelist Matthew, chapter 17). The devil loves nothing more than luxury and drunkenness (Conversation 58 on the Evangelist Matthew, chapter 17). There is nothing more evil than gluttony, there is nothing worse: it makes the mind darkened, it makes the soul carnal; it darkens and does not allow you to look around (Conversation 45 on the Evangelist John). Drunkenness is voluntary madness, the revelation of thoughts. Drunkenness is a ridiculing misfortune, a disease worthy of laughter, a voluntary demon and heavier than demon possession itself (The Word on the Resurrection). Wine is God’s work, but drunkenness is the devil’s: it is not wine that produces drunkenness, but intemperance (Conversation 1 to the people of Antioch). Drunkenness is a harlot and the mother of all uncleanness (Sermon on Anna). Drunkenness does not consist of wine alone, but also of every passion - anger, lust, love of money, ambition (Word 3 against the Jews). Anyone who spends whole days drunk, anyone who lives in luxury and gluttony, is under the devil’s yoke (The Lay of Lazarus). Discourse on overeating and drunkenness Overeating is excessive consumption of food and burdening the belly; how harmful it is, see the above teaching of St. Chrysostom. Drunkenness is excessive drinking. Drunkenness, as St. Chrysostom teaches, is twofold: one comes from wine, another from passion. Drunkenness occurs from passion in those who have a heart filled with passions. He is always drunk who has anger towards his neighbor, whose heart is always filled with evil lusts, love of money, love of fame and other passions. From this drunkenness, the one who, leaving passion, repents, will sober up. From this drunkenness there is a double evil for people: various infirmities for the body, and destruction for the soul. What a sober man does not do, a drunk man dares to do. This tormenting passion captivates the poor man so much that he cannot free himself from it at all. Neither exhortations, nor threats, nor fear, nor prayers can bend him. He lies in the ditch of destruction, but does not feel it; perishes, but does not know death; he is drowning in a sinful swamp, but does not try to free himself, and is indignant at those who want to take him away from this. First. Evil company and frequent feasts and dinners. Second. Ceremonial treats with intense requests and congratulations, now crept into an evil custom, such as: for health, they say, we’ll drink this and that, and so on. The remedy for this passion First. Young people should not be allowed to drink when they are drunk, for young people easily get used to it. Second. Perfect men should not drink wine unnecessarily. Third. Avoid evil companies. Fourth. Remember that, once you get used to this passion, it is difficult to free yourself from it, and many die in it. Fifth. Those who are accustomed to this passion should arm themselves against it and, having become sober, pray and cry to the merciful God to free them from it. Sixth. They should always think about the fact that many drunkards, falling asleep, die and pass from this century to the next without any feeling and without repentance, which is scary. Seventh. They should bring to mind the misfortunes that happen during drunkenness, such as temptations, quarrels, fights, dreams that also happen, horrors, illnesses, and relaxation of the whole body and compare the state of a sober life with the state of drunken people, and so on. You might be interested in: