Ecclesiasticus 19:2 “Wine &
Women Make Wise Men Fall Off”
By: Eric Gajewski
The title of this piece, which comes
from Scripture, is presupposed, with the notion, that a man once lived in
harmony with God and His grace. Today,
many men, have not fallen off but rather have always been “off”. The world which has in it wine and women can
assuredly drag a soul into hell if a man does not keep in prudence. Yet, in and of themselves these things are
not bad at all but modern man is driven by self thus he is all about self-satisfaction
and “fulfilling” and this creates a recipe for spiritual disaster. I should know, as this Scripture certainly
applied to me in my "previous life" of bar hopping, club jumping and women
chasing. However, Is the spiritual life all about
obtaining or emptying? Is it not about self-denial
instead of self-fulfilling? Therefore,
it is wise for just men to avoid those situations in which you know you can and
will displease Jesus and endanger your soul.
King David and Bathsheba
Take a look at some of the Old
Testament Kings and how they “fell off”.
We can see how even the best can fall my friends. Thus we must be on
guard at all times. We must keep our
minds sharp and cannot fall into drunkenness.
The hour is late and God needs servants of His Sacred Heart not slaves
of self. Sure, enjoy an alcoholic
beverage or two in moderation as the Church teaches but do not let anything grab a hold
of what belongs to Christ and that is your heart. Do not obsess
in anything other than Christ and keep your mind sharp. I would argue partly why so many are “dumbed
down” besides all the chemicals and poisons in our food, air and water supply
is the purposeful attempt to “escape reality”.
This can come in these two forms whether it is wine or women. We drink away our worries or try to surround our selves with beautiful women in attempt to make ourselves "feel better".
Old Self... |
I, personally, turned to alcohol,
the clubs, pornography and sex to break free from the “reality” of those
times. What was I trying to escape that
was so bad you may I ask? In meditating
upon it, the “reality” was, I was very “lonely” within.
Even being surrounded by the women, money, pleasures and comforts of
life I was lonely. I did not have He Who
is ALL. For He is peace. He satisfies
more than 100,000 snickers bars. It is
His Sacred Heart we are truly after but so many do not realize this and thus
need direction. They (worldly) need direction much
like a Plane needs those men on the ground waving them Home. They need direction much like a boat needs
the Lighthouse to see in the dark. My
men out there, although wine and women are good gifts, it is truly not wine and
women who will make our souls eternally happy. We are not “fulfilled” by anything
created but rather by the Creator Himself.
Old self: Luckily this woman was a little stiff! I do not miss those days.... |
The world has many distractions
which can lead the heart astray and thus let us stay on course with Christ so
that we can save our souls and be in the Presence of the only One who can truly
make our souls happy. A man will work
his 9-5 and think he is owed something and therefore the “chase” begins. He bounces from one bar to another, one drink
to another trying to escape that which he is truly afraid of and this is
himself. Man does not like the silence
and solitude that God may provide for him because modern man thirsts after “things”
and being busy. Silence and solitude is
even more frightening to him then the latest Hollywood Horror movie because he truly
does not want to know himself. And what
if a man does not want to know himself?
Can he truly know how God sees him?
Can he stand a chance in this world of wine and women which will always
allure him off of this Isle of silence?
Not a chance. It takes grace to
be willing to find his true self which comes not in the clubs or out in the
party scene where the wine and women are.
Thus, there are truly few wise men left in the world for they (worldly) have taken the
devils bait thinking themselves to be wise and “okay” with God. Such is the reason why hells corridors are
filled. In summary, keep your minds sharp and your
hearts protected and thus we turn to Our Lady and ask her to spread her Mantle
over our intellects and wills. Keep in
prudence, Ave Maria!
O’ the man I could be
If I could learn to dance alone with
Thee
Silently within…
Staying on Your Boat called Harmony
I would forever sail Thy Seas
Without worry…
O’ if I could stay on guard
You could perpetually use me
But it this “self” which gnaws
unlawfully
For the unwise cries out in self’s
blasphemy
I have sinned not!!
Yet without humility all is for
naught
As a wise man would never scoff
Because he knows how quickly
Due to wine and women he can
eventually fall off