“We read that monks should not drink wine at all, but since the monks of our day cannot be convinced of this, let us at least agree to drink moderately, and not to the point of excess…”
“…the monks of our day cannot be convinced of this.” I found this funny. Every once in a while you get little peeks into the humanity of the Desert Fathers and early monks. Apparently abbots couldn’t convince at least some of their monks to give up wine. Some modern monasteries are now even famously known for their production of beer and wines. It also reminds me of St. Anthony’s saying about Bending a Bow So Much.