It is a question I had never considered before. As the priest gave his homily on the wedding feast at Cana, noting that Christ's first miracle was meant to assist a wedding couple and their parents recover from what would otherwise be incredibly embarrassing, he mentioned that parents should not let their underage children drink.
Which poses a problem.
What constitutes "under age"? Remember, the Code of Canon Law had, for centuries, established the minimum age of marriage for women at 12, for men at 14. The new 1983 Code raised each minimum age exactly two years (14 for women, 16 for men). These minimum ages were important because, among many centuries of pagan populations, the Catholic canon law standards actually RAISED the minimum age of marriage to twelve years of age.
What we, in 21st-century America, would consider "pedophilia", all human cultures for most of human history considered "adult." This is true not just of marriage, but of alcohol consumption. The idea that twelve-year olds should not imbibe is relatively new, by historical standards.
We don't know how old Mary was when she was betrothed to Joseph and bore Jesus, but the apocryphal accounts put her somewhere between twelve and fourteen years of age. We don't know what betrothal gifts Joseph gave to Mary, or what betrothal gifts Joseph's own father gave to the new couple. We also don't know exactly when the two married, although it was presumably sometime between March and December. However, if their wedding was anything like the wedding feast at Cana, then Mary, Joseph and their families and friends all spent a week drinking wine and feasting.
As Aquinas points out, it is not a sin to drink alcohol "to the point of hilarity." That is, drinking until one is a bit buzzed, but not drunk, is perfectly fine. So, did the twelve-year old sinless virgin get buzzed at her own wedding? It is certainly possible. Indeed, this is certainly part of the point of having a wedding feast at all - to maximize and celebrate enjoyment without the loss of faculties, which is the very definition of "getting buzzed." It would not have been improper for her to celebrate her own wedding in a way that, without sin or loss of propriety, maximized the pleasure of the senses. Just as the BVM undoubtedly took deeper pleasure in a beautiful sunset than any of us can, so she would be more able to appreciate a good glass of wine than any of us.
So, what would our priests say to the distinct possibility that Mary was a bit unsteady on her feet during her wedding celebration? How many theologians have speculated on the amount of wine a twelve-year old can safely consume during the course of a week's celebration of her own marriage?
Now, one might argue that Mary, knowing herself to be pregnant, would not have consumed wine, which might have caused harm to the developing baby. But are the 21st century experts correct about the need for complete abstinence from alcohol during pregnancy?
University of Copenhagen researcher Janni Niclasen conducted a study on drinking during pregnancy and found improved behavioral and emotional development among 7-year-old children born to mothers who drank small amounts of alcohol. According to her findings, these children fared better in these areas than those born to mothers who did not drink at all while pregnant.
Researchers at the University College London also looked at the effects that drinking had on children born to mothers who drank while pregnant. Their findings showed that light drinking didn’t appear to have a negative impact on these 7 year olds’ development. However, the researchers did note that there is still no definitive amount of wine (or other types of alcohol) that is considered “safe” during pregnancy.
No comments:
Post a Comment