Drink Beer, Talk About God

I won't be at a computer again for a few days.  So here's an extra to tide you over.

This blog is dedicated to Jesse-the-Trainer

This evening as I sat at the bar and ate dinner, I got into a couple of text conversations.  Usually I would talk to the people around me, but the woman on my right was lit before I got there, and the couple on my left were more into each other than the food.  The bartender was fun, but then, he had a job to do so I had to entertain myself somehow.

My awesome trainer and I texted a bit (his wife and baby are out of town and when such things happen, he usually waits in a dark room, mournfully petting his dog, Daisy, until they return and the sun comes out again) and when I asked him what he was up to, he sent me a photo of some folks sitting around a table drinking beer -with the label "Church!"  I forgot he has a Friday night small group gathering at his followers-of-Christ church.  (Normally, I would say "Christian" but apparently that term has fallen into something that makes people cringe, including him, so in deference to delicate feelings, I shall use preferred terminology.)

I texted back: You are SO on your way to becoming Catholic!

There is a long and beloved history of Catholics and beer. And tattoos.  (Dude loves tattoos and gets a new one for every major event, like: It's Monday Again!)

First of all, St. Augustine of Hippo, and MIGHTY man of God, is the patron saint of brewers. Yes, there is a patron saint of brewers, and a very strong manly one at that!  He also ought to be the patron saint of People of the Second Chance, given his own history, except that POTSC aren't into the whole patron saint thing.  Yet.

Loads of monasteries brew beer.  They even pray over it as it is made.  There is also an actual Blessing of Beer ritual!

As point of fact, the modern origins of a "toast" in someone's honor (holding up a glass and doing a shout-out) has its roots in the Eucharistic Liturgy where the priest lifts the chalice of wine to offer it to God.  TOTALLY CATHOLIC, thank you!

Then there is St. Brigid's take on it:

I'd like to give a lake of beer to God.
I'd love the heavenly
Host to be tippling there
For all eternity.
....
I'd sit with the men, the women and God
There by the lake of beer.
We'd be drinking good health forever
And every drop would be a prayer.


There are loads of pics of our current Pope with a stein of good German beer in his hand.  Every good fish fry at any parish has a keg tapped, not mention parish socials, special events and quilting bees.

Theology on Tap is a current permutation of the "drink beer and talk about God" tradition in Catholicism.  Basically, it is a time to gather at a local bar, invite a smart theologian to show up for the discussion, talk about God and see if you can stump the theologian. (Actually, that's not really its purpose, but it is a fun thing to try to do.)

I'll chat about tattoos in a few days when I'm back at a computer.

Too bad Jesse-the-Trainer isn't Catholic.  Yet.