I Saw Him! What he said to me about Alcohol Part 3

I saw him, this time he wasn’t with a face doted with blood and scars. He was rather looking at me with an expressionless disposition.

Coming closer, he touched my eyes, in an instant the vision of where I did my youth service year years back appeared like a screen.

The clip of the small Catholic Church I was worshiping with in Jega showed.

Three Masses every Sunday, 6am, 8am and 10.15 am. Coming from Aliero a neighbouring local government to Jega for Sunday mass was hectic. Anything that would give me relief from the stress was welcomed.

I would attend the 8am Mass and stayed through 10.15am . It wasn’t a choice I made because of my love for the church’ environment, rather more of the free food and drink I was having under a canopy infront of the church.

This canopy looks small but powerful with men and women whose pockets were substantially deep. They had influence on the priest in -charge and could possibly walk away with anything without the priest either raising eyebrows or stopping them. They were powerful!!

On many occassions some parishioners who were not comfortable with the activities of eating and drinking under that canopy while Masses were going on expressed their displeasure , sadly the priest couldnt do anything to stop the activities.

These powerful members of the church would attend any of the masses,but the interesting thing about the canopy is , it was always busy with activities. I found refuge in their company, ,a poor Coper trying to survive what would I do. As these clips kept rolling by, Jesus touched me a second time, the vision ceased.

I looked at him, not happy, I wanted the clip to continue. It was strange how quickly I have forgotten where I was coming from.

Would you be comfortable to engage in such activities now? Jesus asked me, sternly looking at me. No ! Was my response. You have grown in awareness and consciousness he said to me.

Drinking isn’t a sin, but drunkeness. Eating and drinking while Masses were on then wasn’t a big deal to you..It was normal. But it isn’t something you would do without cringing at it now. Maturity, awareness and sensitivity. When it comes to what people eat and drink, don’t correct them from the lense of righteousness, you will lose them. Correct them from the lense of health.

As he was saying all these he touched my eyes again, the clip of my argument with an elderly friend on alcohol then started playing.

This friend of mine wasn’t happy that I was among those drinking from morning till evening in church. He tried to talk me out of it. According to him I looked different from others but he couldn’t succeed until one day he sat me down and recounted his ordeal with alcohol.

He told me how he had liver problem . As a result he stopped alcohol but had to start again after he was healed.

His prostate enlarged greatly thereafter and was asked to reduce his alcoholic consumption. I didnt reduce, rather I stopped alcohol completely he said to me. Jesus turned to me and said what do you think happened to your friend? Maturity, awareness and sensitivity I answered.

On alcohol, it takes spiritual maturity, awareness and sensitivity to know either the long run health implications of alcohol, the sensitivity to its disruptive substance to spiritual alertness and the maturity to let go instead of faning into flame something that would depreciate ones health and turn topsy-turvy the spiritual growth of one.

On alcohol, on women wearing trousers and not covering of head etc, enforcing these through sermonization may not work. Maturity, personal awareness and sensitivity around such would help shape ones understanding on why they shouldn’t do it.

Your friend who had prostate enlargement was not preached by anybody .His reality and his maturity to see the futility of his drinking lifestyle helped him.

Son! He called me, there are more to worry about people’s lifestyle . Alcohol, wearing of trousers and not covering their head for women are the least of their challenges. The church is becoming more like a dead zone and flies are buzzing around, perching, if only I would open your eyes to see the decay in the church, drinking or not drinking alcohol will be a non issue in the order of scale of seriousness.

Pray for the church son! The battle is raging in a multi dimensional way and the devil is daily snatching souls from the church while members sleep and snore

Dr.Jarlath Uche Opara Jarlathuche@gmail.com