Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Man shall not live by bread alone, but...by liquid bread alone?

Happy Lent everyone! My dear husband has begrudgingly decided to do a surprise guest post for me. Here is his first post about his love for beer and faith...and how it all fits into the next 40 days of Lent. 
Thanks my love! :) 

image via


Lent is a love/hate relationship for most Catholics, at least that is how it is for me.  My body almost goes into shock at the thought of, "fasting." Yet, I know that fasting and making small sacrifices of sorts are great benefits to the condition of my soul.

So in considering what I was going to give up for Lent,  beer came immediately to my mind.  I love a nice pint of...well, just about anything that has alcohol in it.  I recently made a trip to Stone Brewery in San Diego, CA and that took my love for beer to a whole new level.  So in my recent scholarly studies on home brewing,  I began to uncover the rich history beer plays in the tradition of the Catholic Church.  My conclusion: beer should probably be the official sports drink of the Catholic Church. Beer was and still is brewed and bottled by Catholic monasteries throughout the world.  In more ancient times during Lent, monks brewed special types of beers to help sustain them.  It was often referred to as, "liquid bread."

So the next time you go to grab a cold one from the frig or pour yourself a pint at the pub, understand that there is a rich history of Catholic culture poured into every grain and barley.  For me, beer serves as a continual reminder of God's desire to make all people happy.  For the good book says, God gave wine to cheer man's heart (Psalm 104:15).

Sincerely,
Mike aka @iamfrankandstein 





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