Drunk on St. Patrick's Day :(

[Elixir]

I think St Patricks day is no longer about St Patrick

just like St Valentines day is no longer about St Valentine…
and Easter is now about bunnies… (oki they’re cute but seriously…)
and Christmas is about Santa Claus.

Exactly. I’ve always wondered why there is such a thing as the Easter Bunny and what exactly does it have to do with Easter? The Resurrection is celebrated and somehow a rabbit that lays colored eggs and chocolate works its way in there?

 

[The_Catholic]

The use of alcohol, narcotics, and tobacco mentioned above exact a heavy toll, not only on the addicted person, but also on all of society. Drug abuse can make an addict incapable of being a productive individual in the larger society, thus increasing the financial burden on the rest of society. Medical treatment for injuries and illnesses caused by the addictions further consumes resources that could be put to much better use. And as drug abuse often leads to criminal activity, society pays a double cost in added insurance and law enforcement costs. We call upon all of society to fight these addictive substances used by Satan to keep individuals in bondage to his power over their lives.

The above statement is based upon our common understanding of scriptural teaching.

All Scripture quotations are from the New International Version (NIV) unless otherwise specified.

There is nothing wrong with a good, naturally made ale, or wine. Like many things, including sugar which also destroys many lives (diabetes, depression, and cancer), it should be taken in moderation.

The Catechism tells us in 2290: “The virtue of temperance disposes us to avoid every kind of excess: the abuse of food, alcohol, tobacco, or medicine. Those incur grave guilt who, by drunkenness or a love of speed, endanger their own and others’ safety on the road, at sea, or in the air.”

The Bible tells us: "Gen 27:25 Then he said: Bring me the meats of thy hunting, my son, that my soul may bless thee. And when they were brought, and he had eaten, he offered him wine also, which after he had drunk,

Deu 14:23 And thou shalt eat before the Lord thy God in the place which he shall choose, that his name may be called upon therein, the tithe of thy corn, and thy wine, and thy oil, and the firstborn of thy herds and thy sheep: that thou mayst learn to fear the Lord thy God at all times.
Deu 14:24 But when the way and the place which the Lord thy God shall choose, are far off, and he hath blessed thee, and thou canst not carry all these things thither,
Deu 14:25 Thou shalt sell them all, and turn them into money, and shalt carry it in thy hand, and shalt go to the place which the Lord shall choose:
Deu 14:26 And thou shalt buy with the same money whatsoever pleaseth thee, either of the herds or of sheep, wine also and strong drink, and all that thy soul desireth: and thou shalt eat before the Lord thy God, and shalt feast, thou and thy house:

Pro 20:1 Wine is a luxurious thing, and drunkenness riotous: whosoever is delighted therewith, shall not be wise.

Ecc 9:7 Go then, and eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with gladness: because thy works please God.

Isa 25:6 And the Lord of hosts shall make unto all people in this mountain, a feast of fat things, a feast of wine, of fat things full of marrow, of wine purified from the lees.

Isa 5:11 Woe to you that rise up early in the morning to follow drunkenness, and to drink in the evening, to be inflamed with wine.

Isa 5:22 Woe to you that are mighty to drink wine, and stout men at drunkenness.

Luk 7:33 For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine. And you say: He hath a devil.
Luk 7:34 The Son of man is come eating and drinking. And you say: Behold a man that is a glutton and a drinker of wine, a friend of publicans and sinners.

Eph 5:18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is luxury: but be ye filled with the Holy Spirit,

1Ti 5:23 Do not still drink water, but use a little wine for thy stomach’s sake and thy frequent infirmities."

Jesus Himself was accused of being a drunker in Matt. 11:18-19, “For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He has a demon'; the Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds.”

There are dangers to many things, we must learn to control them, and be responsible with our temples.

 

[NPC]

Exactly. I’ve always wondered why there is such a thing as the Easter Bunny and what exactly does it have to do with Easter? The Resurrection is celebrated and somehow a rabbit that lays colored eggs and chocolate works its way in there?

There’s quite a difference between the celebration of Easter (plus the Bunny and chocolate eggs) and the celebration of St Patrick’s Day. My earlier post pointed out that while the religious aspect of the day is very important to many Irish people, it is also our National Day, so it is also a secular festival. It is a day when Irish people across the globe can take pride in their Irish heritage. It’s only in recent years that Ireland has experienced net immigration of people - for so many periods of our history, up to the 1990’s people had to leave for various reasons such as fleeing persecution, the Famine of the 1840’s, and right up to the terrible economic hardships of the 1980’s. Now there are about twice as many Irish people living around the world as there are in Ireland itself, many of whom have made good lives for themselves, and they are rightfully proud of themselves and their heritage, especially when they realise how far Ireland has come in recent years - socially, politically and economically. Given that March 17th, as our national holiday, is largely about celebrating Irishness, Ireland now hosts a five day festival with events celebrating what it means to be Irish. Traditional Irish music will be very popular this week, as will Irish dancing. A week to celebrate and promote the Irish language will also coincide with the festival. The parades across the country will not only represent Ireland of the past, with St Patrick and traditional musicians; it will also represent the Ireland of today - an immensely diverse society which has been so enriched by the influence of a multitude of cultures from across the globe. So, while I do not condone excessive drunkenness or the disorder which often accompanies it, all Irish people are entitled to mark their national day with great celebration and enthusiasm. Rest assured, though, that in Ireland at least, St Patrick has certainly not been forgotten amidst all the celebrations.

 

[Ghoti]

I think the revelry is a distinctly non-Irish way of celebrating. Until recent times, Ireland treated it as a Holy Day or Feast, but never had parades, revelry, etc. on the level we do here. I think in this country it had to have started with homesick Irish immigrants hungry for a little bit of home and also happy that there was a day they didn’t have to feel like a 3rd class citizen.

Now it seems like Mardi Gras - an excuse to party and no further depth required.

I tried to explain this, and now I’d like someone to explain the fascination and reverence for all things Irish. I’m 1/4 and am sick to death of all the preciousness of it all. I barely knew I was German, French, and Swiss until I was older. Honestly, who cares?

Obviously, many people do, or you wouldn’t be asking the question…

Can you give me an example of what you mean by “preciousness”?

I can only explain the fascination with the “faux Irishness” (leprechauns, green beer, “I’ll Take You Home Again Kathleen”, etc) as being similar to any other cultural meme. What’s the difference between that and someone who paints themselves blue or wears a cheese on their head for a football game?Or wear their varsity sweatshirts and school rings and scream “Go Aggies” or whatever at every given opportunity?

When people are a part of a “group”, they tend to overtrumpet that group, and can be exclusionary or antagonistic to those that are outside the group, especially those considered traditional rivals/“enemies”. Sometimes this rivalry exhibits itself in the form of good-natured ribbing, sometimes in the form of nasty insults. It can be carried too far: see nationalism and bigotry.

Look at the Yankees and the BoSox. Or people from “Yankee” states vs “Reb” states. Or even “Red” vs “Blue” states. The attitudes of Texans, New Yorkers, Quebeckers, Torontonians, etc, and the reciprocal attitudes. Army and Marines: Hoo-ah vs Ooo-rah (the Armed Forces really have this attitude).

It’s part of the human condition. It can be a good thing: team spirit, patriotism, “the Regiment”. It can build cohesiveness and interreliance, a sense of responsibility to and for others in the group: these are especially important where one’s life can literally depend on another’s, such as in the military or emergency services. Improperly used or overvalued, it can become the thing of nightmares: ostracism, violence, racism, “the Party”, the Shoah.

As long as it hurts no one and doesn’t go overboard, I’m no more bothered by leprechauns than I am by the Beer Barrel Polka. (Although I do draw the line at the Bird Dance.)

 

[Ghoti]

Obviously, many people do, or you wouldn’t be asking the question…

Can you give me an example of what you mean by “preciousness”?

I can only explain the fascination with the “faux Irishness” (leprechauns, green beer, “I’ll Take You Home Again Kathleen”, etc) as being similar to any other cultural meme. What’s the difference between that and someone who paints themselves blue or wears a cheese on their head for a football game?Or wear their varsity sweatshirts and school rings and scream “Go Aggies” or whatever at every given opportunity, even twenty-something years after graduation?

When people are a part of a “group”, they tend to overtrumpet that group, and can be exclusionary or antagonistic to those that are outside the group, especially those considered traditional rivals/“enemies”. Sometimes this rivalry exhibits itself in the form of good-natured ribbing, sometimes in the form of nasty insults. It can be carried too far: see nationalism and bigotry.

Look at the Yankees and the BoSox. Or people from “Yankee” states vs “Reb” states. Or even “Red” vs “Blue” states. The attitudes of Texans, New Yorkers, Quebeckers, Torontonians, etc, and the reciprocal attitudes. Army and Marines: Hoo-ah vs Ooo-rah (the Armed Forces really have this attitude).

It’s part of the human condition. It can be a good thing: team spirit, patriotism, “the Regiment”. It can build cohesiveness and interreliance, a sense of responsibility to and for others in the group: these are especially important where one’s life can literally depend on another’s, such as in the military or emergency services. Improperly used or overvalued, it can become the thing of nightmares: ostracism, violence, racism, “the Party”, the Shoah.

As long as it hurts no one and doesn’t go overboard, I’m no more bothered by leprechauns than I am by the Beer Barrel Polka. (Although I do draw the line at the Bird Dance.)

 

[Steeltemplar]

I think the revelry is a distinctly non-Irish way of celebrating. Until recent times, Ireland treated it as a Holy Day or Feast, but never had parades, revelry, etc. on the level we do here. I think in this country it had to have started with homesick Irish immigrants hungry for a little bit of home and also happy that there was a day they didn’t have to feel like a 3rd class citizen.

Now it seems like Mardi Gras - an excuse to party and no further depth required.

I tried to explain this, and now I’d like someone to explain the fascination and reverence for all things Irish. I’m 1/4 and am sick to death of all the preciousness of it all. I barely knew I was German, French, and Swiss until I was older. Honestly, who cares?

I am not sure what you mean by preciousness.

Anyway, I am part Irish and I do care. It is important to me that I understand my ancestry. In general, I like the Irish culture - the real Irish culture, not an American caricature. And I like being a part of something old and deeply traditional.

I think that Mardi Gras has always been a bad idea, though. lol.

 

[barb_finnegan]

I’m half Irish (German on my mother’s side-she came from Germany). My father was 100% Irish-American and his birthday was on St. Patrick’s Day! He was very proud of his heritage.

But I don’t like drinking, and I hate it when the Feast of St. Patrick is made into an excuse for people to get ‘smashed’, whether they are Irish or not! We have a St. Patrick’s parade here in my Upstate NY hometown, but I don’t go to it. Not that I don’t like parades-I’m just disgusted at the sophomoric antics of ‘supposed’ adults!

I wonder if St. Patrick looks down upon Ireland today and shakes his head mournfully at the decline of the Catholic faith there. All the persecution and martyrdom of Catholic Irish, the forced emigrations, the Famine-was it all for nought? And all for mere economic ‘prosperity’ [the so-called ‘Celtic Tiger’ ] ?

I think St. Patrick needs to send some of those snakes he chased out of Ireland BACK to get some sense into the modern-day Irish!

 

[MarieVeronica]

Exactly. I’ve always wondered why there is such a thing as the Easter Bunny and what exactly does it have to do with Easter? The Resurrection is celebrated and somehow a rabbit that lays colored eggs and chocolate works its way in there?

Related topic: Has anyone noticed the supposedly “religious” or “Christian” greeting cards that most stores now have?

Ridiculous!

They take a snowman, or a bunny… stick a pair of angel wings on it… and call it a “Christian” card??? :bigyikes:

I recently looked for Easter cards to send and I couldn’t find even ONE card that mentioned the Resurrection of Our Lord. :nope: