OK to serve Wine and Beer?

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abinjoy

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A friend of mine is organizing an event in 2 weeks time which is of great significance to them. They want to celebrate it. They want to celebrate it with a little bit of beer and wine, of course the quantity is such that people will be able to have it moderately only.
I guess at least 100 people will be attending the event.
The friend is the leader of a catholic group in the city and is considered role model by many people.
However the friend is undecided on celebrating it with beer and wine considering the facts
  1. Alcohol abuse kills 2.5 million people every year.
    So the greatness lies in giving up alcohol (at least in public) for the sake of the “weaker” members of the society even if I can drink moderately
  2. In my friends’ country alcohol abuse kills 15 people per day
  3. The little bit of wine and beer that they serve can make a person wanting to have more which could very well end up a sin on the part of such a person
    (Basically the one glass they are having at the event can act as a “trigger” for some one- occasion of sin or a near occasion of sin)
Bible clearly says you should not give temptation to sin to the least of his children
  1. There could be 3 or 4 people who don’t really want to drink but just drinks for fitting into the crowd so that they don’t feel isolated and awkward.
Some one who start drinking just not to feel isolated and awkward on that day can even turn out to be a life long addict (although it is his/her fault majorly to intake alcohol in excess)
  1. The friend herself had some reservations against wine and beer considering the fact that they are consecrated sisters and serving Wine which is a luxury is against the vow of poverty.
6 Also the friend is a person in a position of authority. So people who are not properly formed may very well think drinking is fine with out understanding “moderation” clause.

7 There could also be people who may have given up alcohol for lent and who may want to extend their sacrifice further .For them this could be the first time after lent they may be getting exposed to alcohol

I tried to list down the positives and could not find much .

Based on all these what would you suggest?
 
Hi abinjoy,

I can recall two celebrations that I was at, where the only alcohol served to the guests was a small amount of champagne so that the couple of honor could receive a celebratory champagne toast.

Other than that, there wasn’t any alcohol served because the families that were hosting the party did not drink, but they also cared about the safety and well-being of their guests, too.

One of the celebrations was a wedding reception and the other celebration was a wedding anniversary party.

So maybe your friends could do something similar, where they could just provide non-alcoholic beverages to drink for their event, except provide just enough champagne for their guests so that if the guests are toasting some kind of an accomplishment, for example, they can honor that with a champagne toast.
 
It is perfectly acceptable for your friends to offer beer and wine to their guests, at their celebration; they are committing no crime or sin. After all, wasn’t Jesus’s first miracle turning water into wine at a wedding feast?
 
Catholic1954 said:
It is perfectly acceptable for your friends to offer beer and wine to their guests, at their celebration; they are committing no crime or sin. After all, wasn’t Jesus’s first miracle turning water into wine at a wedding feast?
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This was my first thought. We served beer and wine at my mother’s 90th birthday party. At our parish picnics we had beer. Also, we had wine at our fish fry during lent.
 
Alcohol is acceptable to serve at a gathering, but it can also be quite an expense if you’re on a budget too, for a party.

I remember how much it added to the cost of my own wedding reception, when we had served it back then.

I was also considering point #5. in abinjoy’s post when considering my reply, too. 🙂
 
I think you and your friends are over thinking this. Considering the obesity epidemic you could make many of the same arguments against serving food at a party. And then, perhaps, make arguments against having a party at all.
 
abinjoy said:
A friend of mine is organizing an event in 2 weeks time which is of great significance to them. They want to celebrate it. They want to celebrate it with a little bit of beer and wine, of course the quantity is such that people will be able to have it moderately only.
I guess at least 100 people will be attending the event.
The friend is the leader of a catholic group in the city and is considered role model by many people.
However the friend is undecided on celebrating it with beer and wine considering the facts
  1. Alcohol abuse kills 2.5 million people every year.
    So the greatness lies in giving up alcohol (at least in public) for the sake of the “weaker” members of the society even if I can drink moderately
  2. In my friends’ country alcohol abuse kills 15 people per day
  3. The little bit of wine and beer that they serve can make a person wanting to have more which could very well end up a sin on the part of such a person
    (Basically the one glass they are having at the event can act as a “trigger” for some one- occasion of sin or a near occasion of sin)
Bible clearly says you should not give temptation to sin to the least of his children
  1. There could be 3 or 4 people who don’t really want to drink but just drinks for fitting into the crowd so that they don’t feel isolated and awkward.
Some one who start drinking just not to feel isolated and awkward on that day can even turn out to be a life long addict (although it is his/her fault majorly to intake alcohol in excess)
  1. The friend herself had some reservations against wine and beer considering the fact that they are consecrated sisters and serving Wine which is a luxury is against the vow of poverty.
6 Also the friend is a person in a position of authority. So people who are not properly formed may very well think drinking is fine with out understanding “moderation” clause.

7 There could also be people who may have given up alcohol for lent and who may want to extend their sacrifice further .For them this could be the first time after lent they may be getting exposed to alcohol

I tried to list down the positives and could not find much .

Based on all these what would you suggest?
Click to expand...
Well, if I understand correctly, the person organising the party is a consecrated sister and has objections to serving alcohol due to her own vow of poverty. Is the occasion something personal to her (eg her birthday, celebration of her vows or similar)? If so, then really her wishes should be respected.

If not, a compromise might be an invitation to guests to BYO (“bring your own” alcohol) which allows those who enjoy a glass of wine or a beer the opportunity to indulge, and gives those who don’t a reason not to join in.

On a slightly different topic - if the function is being held at a place other than a private residence (and I can’t imagine many houses that would fit 100 people!) you might want to check local government rules on serving alcohol at functions. Some require special licences or permission in certain circumstances.

In terms of positives - St Paul exhorts Timothy to drink a little for the sake of his health. And modern science backs him up - moderate alcohol consumption (especially of red wine) appears to have real health benefits compared to complete abstinence.
 
abinjoy said:
A friend of mine is organizing an event in 2 weeks time which is of great significance to them. They want to celebrate it. They want to celebrate it with a little bit of beer and wine, of course the quantity is such that people will be able to have it moderately only.
I guess at least 100 people will be attending the event.
The friend is the leader of a catholic group in the city and is considered role model by many people.
However the friend is undecided on celebrating it with beer and wine considering the facts
  1. Alcohol abuse kills 2.5 million people every year.
    So the greatness lies in giving up alcohol (at least in public) for the sake of the “weaker” members of the society even if I can drink moderately
  2. In my friends’ country alcohol abuse kills 15 people per day
  3. The little bit of wine and beer that they serve can make a person wanting to have more which could very well end up a sin on the part of such a person
    (Basically the one glass they are having at the event can act as a “trigger” for some one- occasion of sin or a near occasion of sin)
Bible clearly says you should not give temptation to sin to the least of his children
  1. There could be 3 or 4 people who don’t really want to drink but just drinks for fitting into the crowd so that they don’t feel isolated and awkward.
Some one who start drinking just not to feel isolated and awkward on that day can even turn out to be a life long addict (although it is his/her fault majorly to intake alcohol in excess)
  1. The friend herself had some reservations against wine and beer considering the fact that they are consecrated sisters and serving Wine which is a luxury is against the vow of poverty.
6 Also the friend is a person in a position of authority. So people who are not properly formed may very well think drinking is fine with out understanding “moderation” clause.

7 There could also be people who may have given up alcohol for lent and who may want to extend their sacrifice further .For them this could be the first time after lent they may be getting exposed to alcohol

I tried to list down the positives and could not find much .

Based on all these what would you suggest?
Click to expand...
Why would there be a problem serving alcohol?? Jesus drank wine with his family and friends.
 
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