Smoking?

[Joe_5859]

This is all that the Catechism has to say in regards to smoking:

CCC 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.

We should avoid the excess of tobacco (as with alcohol). Of course, by the time you are using tobacco in excess, you are usually addicted, and thus your ability to choose the act freely is hampered.

Here’s an interesting quote from Dale Ahlquist commenting on G. K. Chesterton:

“If there is one thing worse than the modern weakening of major morals,” says Chesterton, “it is the modern strengthening of minor morals. Thus it is considered more withering to accuse a man of bad taste than of bad ethics. Cleanliness is not next to godliness nowadays, for cleanliness is made an essential and godliness is regarded as an offence.” Chesterton can see from a century ago that the world was headed to a time when smoking a cigar would be considered more offensive than performing an abortion. source]

Good ol’ Chesterton. As usual, his words are as apt today as they were back then.

I once heard a priest say (in his homily, no less) that smokers are the lepers of the 21st century. They are increasingly relegated to the fringe and no one wants to be near them. They’ve become social pariahs. (BTW, he’s a very orthodox priest and a smoker. )

 

[JimG]

A fine cigar on special occasions. That’s temperance.