It's quite hard to imagine how an alcoholic beverage and prayer can go together. At a monastery in Italy, however, hardworking and prayerful monks are showing this can be done.
At the Monastery of Saint Benedict at the Italian town of Norcia—the birthplace of the revered Christian Saint Benedict—monks are using the production of Belgian-style beers called "Birra Nursia," as a form of prayer.
Father Benedict Nivakoff, the monastery's sub-prior, explained that it is his and his fellow monks' goal to bring joy to others through the high quality of beers they are producing.
"It is a drink which isn't really necessary, but it brings a bit of joy to the hearts of those who drink it," the monk said. "We take as our motto a line from Psalm 106: 'ut laetificat cor,' that the heart might be gladdened," Nivakoff told the Catholic News Agency.
"When we take something that has those qualities of good ingredients, made in a prayerful way, and drink with friends and family, it's a chance to step back from the ordinary cares of the day, all the anxieties, and spend a little time thinking about less urgent things, and more leisurely, things," he added.
Nivakoff said he and his fellow monks reflect on Jesus Christ's first miracle—turning water into wine during the wedding at Cana upon Mary's request—whenever they brew beer.
"Doing something so unnecessary, changing water into wine. And not just any wine, but the best wine," he said. "That's what the steward said: the best for last."
Nivakoff shared that they did not expect their product to be received well by the public.
"A brewer has to have always a little bit of hope. It's not just for his enjoyment, but to share with others. God does things that we don't always expect with what we make," the monk said.
