LET'S GET DRUNK

LET'S GET DRUNK!!!
LUI living under the influence
May we never be sober again!

Some Jews accused the Apostles of being drunk as early as 9 am. ‘They have been drinking too much new wine’, they laughed at them. (Cf Acts 2:12ff). But Peter stood up and said: “These men are not drunk…” Then he continues, quoting the prophet Joel: “In the days to come….I will pour out my Spirit on all mankind…” (Joel 3:1-5).

We recall that at Pentecost the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles visibly in the form of tongues of fire, signifying the Spirit's action of enlightening, purifying, and inflaming them with divine charity. So yes, the Apostles were drunk with the ‘new wine’ Who is the Holy Spirit, empowering them and filling them with the zeal of martyrs.

After communion we are accustomed to pray the Anima Christi, and we say, “Soul of Christ, sanctify me… INEBRIATE me”. We pray to be inebriated (intoxicated) with the new wine of Christ's blood (the Eucharist). In a sense we pray to be spiritually intoxicated with the abundant graces wrought by the Eucharist. In a sense, too, we pray to be intoxicated with the grace of the Holy Spirit in our souls.

We recall in our Catechism that the Holy Spirit is infused into our souls at Baptism, and dwells within us as long as we do not shut Him out by sin. We can also pray/invoke the Holy Spirit for a deeper coming into our hearts continuously.

Along with Sanctifying Grace, the Holy Spirit infuses into our souls the Three Theological Virtues of Faith, Hope, and Charity, the 4 Cardinal Moral Virtues of prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance, in supernatural form, and His seven gifts, the “‘lubricant’ of the soul, as grace is the power of the soul”. What a rich dowry of gifts the Holy Ghost bestows upon us!---everything we need to live a holy, god-like life.

The sublime Acts of faith, hope, and charity puts us in direct contact with God, informing and giving life to all the moral virtues. The infused moral virtues ‘kick in’, or is ‘activated’, by our cooperation through perseverance in well doing. They give us a certain readiness to practice these “hinge” virtues flowering into all the other moral virtues. PRUDENCE empowers us to make right judgments. JUSTICE perfects our will with regards to the rights of others. FORTITUDE strengthens us amidst difficulties. And TEMPERANCE disposes us to control our appetites, enabling us to use rightly the things which appeal to our senses. These infused moral virtues operate as we cooperate with God's grace by our own efforts at virtuous living, and by removing the obstacles that may hinder their full operation.

The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit make our souls “alert to the silent voice of God within, docile to His gently guiding hand”. WISDOM gives us a divine perspective to a degree, enabling us to see as God sees. UNDERSTANDING gives us a spiritual perception of the truths of our faith according to our needs. COUNSEL sharpens our judgment, aiding us to know and choose the course of action most conducive to God's honor and our own spiritual good. FORTITUDE disposes us to do what is good in spite of every difficulty. KNOWLEDGE gives us a spiritual ‘know-how’. PIETY impels us to have that childlike intimacy with God. Finally, FEAR OF THE LORD gives us that wholesome fear of offending God, our all-just Judge, by sin. There we have it– everything we need to be holy: “The goal of a virtuous life is to become like God” (St. Gregory of Nyssa).

So who would not want to be drunk in the Spirit Who is God in us--DIVINIZING us. In physical intoxication to a certain extent we lose control of our wills and are carried over by our baser instincts, and act CRAZILY, even talking too much senselessly. In ‘spiritual intoxication’ we conform our will to God's will, thereby making us even more free, enabling us to act DIVINELY, not in a feigned way, but peacefully, with genuine charity, exuding purity in thought, word, and deed.

What then happens when we are constantly drunk in the Spirit, 24/7? We get that simultaneous lingering sweet hangover manifested in the 12 fruits of the Spirit. We become more and more unselfish, considerate and helpful of others (CHARITY), a cheerful and pleasant sort of person (JOY), quiet, relaxed, ‘well-adjusted’ (PEACE), patient in adversities (PATIENCE), kind (BENIGNITY), generous with God and others (GOODNESS), uncomplaining under pain and disappointment (LONG-SUFFERING), a restful sort of person to have around (MILDNESS), an exemplary witness to the faith (FAITH), decent in dress, deportment and speech, fortifying others in virtue (MODESTY), manifesting an admirable self control in everything he does (CONTINENCY), shows a great reverence for the procreative power God has given him (CHASTITY). There we have the PORTRAIT (PROFILE) of a CHRISTIAN man or woman, another Christ, the best version of ourselves.

Of course growth in virtue (spiritual life) is a gradual process, involving falls and failures--that we may be humble, lest we become proud and self righteous, instead of attributing everything to God's grace. Our duty is to cooperate through PRAYER, frequent reception of the SACRAMENTS, and GOOD WORKS.

May we be perpetually drunk with the Spirit of Christ. Then the fire of ‘love of God’ will keep burning in our hearts, ever renewing us, impeling us to love our neighbor, and giving us abounding joy amidst anything that life can offer in opposition.

By: Jonicis Bulalacao