“The average American is physically, biologically, psychologically and neurologically unable to do anything worthwhile before he has a cup of coffee. And that goes for prayer too. Even sisters in convents whose rules were written before electric percolators were developed would do well to update their procedures. Let them have coffee before meditation.”
– Fulton J. Sheen, The Priest Is Not His Own
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For a long time I was skeptical and a “purist,” thinking it was “unholy” to drink coffee in the morning. Then I read that quote from Fulton Sheen and I have never looked back!
Body & Soul
I have been in the habit of rising early in the morning to pray for the past 10 years. It has only been in the last 5 years that I “gave in” and started to drink coffee every morning. I am glad I did.
There is a temptation in certain Christian circles to disdain everything that can be construed as “artificial.” For me, I thought drinking coffee in the morning was “unnatural” and that I was pumping into my body a drug and that I somehow was committing a sin by doing so (I seriously had this point of view).
Then I read that quote (above) from Fulton Sheen and it made me think. Maybe drinking coffee isn’t a “sin” and that it could actually help me in my spiritual life. I will be honest and say that my morning holy hour wasn’t always a full “hour” and that my eyes would close for a good portion of it. It was not uncommon to see a fellow brother in seminary (sitting right next to you) nodding off during Morning Prayer. More often I would first hear the man next to me snoring so loudly that I would have to nudge him awake!
I forgot that we are human and that our bodies and souls are interconnected. If our body is not alert during prayer, our prayer will suffer. I had to be honest with myself and realize that it would be much better to drink coffee and be alert during prayer than try to pray every morning and end up sleeping for most of it.
A Catholic Tradition
Interestingly enough, coffee has a long standing Catholic tradition. It was first discovered in the 9th Century by Islamic shepherds, but eventually made its way into the Vatican. It was introduced to Pope Clement VIII and he more or less “baptized” it. Here is the brief story:
“The Pope was brought a steaming mug of java and he took a sip. He was immediately delighted, and according to legend, he declared, “This devil’s drink is delicious. We should cheat the devil by baptizing it.” (The Catholic Gentleman)
Coffeemakers and coffee house owners even have a Patron Saint, Saint Drogo!
[As a note, I typically only have one cup of coffee a day and so like all things, encourage moderation. Just because coffee is OK to drink, doesn’t mean we should abuse it and drink it until our whole body is shaking!]
A Carmelite Tradition
Additionally, coffee has been a source of strength to numerous monks and nuns for centuries. It has given them the physical stamina they need to rise early in the morning to intercede for the world.
One particular group of monks who pride themselves in brewing coffee are the Carmelite Monks of Wyoming. They are a new group of Carmelite monks who have been raising money to build a monastery for quite a few years. The monks adhere to the ancient Carmelite Rite and are a community that is brimming with vocations. The average age at the monastery is 28, while many of the monks there are in their early 20s.
In order to help raise money to build a larger monastery to accommodate their growing community, the monks decided to take up the task of roasting coffee. Their coffee is called Mystic Monk Coffee. Since they began, their business has boomed and have branched out into all possible types of coffee (including K-Cups) and have even started to sell tea.
Recently I have started to drink their coffee every morning and am very pleased with it! Additionally, I know that my money is going to monks who will daily fight off the assaults of the devil, which benefits the entire society. It is the prayers of these and other monks (and nuns) that keep us safe from so many attacks of Satan.
One particular product that I would like to highlight is their double-handed mug. These are great mugs that have a rich tradition. As they write on their website,
“It is a long standing tradition that Carmelites drink coffee using both hands in thanksgiving for the fruits of the harvest.”
I personally find great strength using their ceramic mug. It is very “strong” and “rugged.” While using it I feel the strength of the Carmelite monks. For me, it reminds me every morning of the battle that I must fight in the spiritual life. Not only that, but it lets me know that I am not alone; there are monks who are praying for me every day!
So tomorrow morning, don’t be shy to drink some coffee (or tea) to get the blood flowing. It will do wonders for your spiritual life.