Today’s First Reading from the Office of Readings in the Liturgy of the Hours has a nice exhortation to us alcoholics ( well, anyone, really):

1 Peter 5:8-9: “Be sober and vigilant. Your opponent the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion looking for (someone) to devour. Resist him, steadfast in faith, knowing that your fellow believers throughout the world undergo the same sufferings.”

(Via USCCB.)

Compare the New American Bible’s translation above with the Jerusalem Bible’s version below and you gain some interesting insights into being sober:

1 Peter 5:8-9: “Be calm but vigilant, because your enemy the devil is prowling round like a roaring lion, looking for someone to eat. Stand up to him, strong in faith and in the knowledge that your brothers all over the world are suffering the same things.”

(Via Universalis.)

One nice reason for having multiple Catholic translations of the Bible is that you can compare the differences in a particular verse and get a better understanding of what it means. In the First Letter of Peter, one version uses “sober” whereas the other uses “calm”. Sober can then mean “calm”. This reminds us of remaining calm in the face of things that in the past would have led us to alcohol. We recall our training in AA meetings on how we must change how we react to things.

The same thing for dealing with Satan, for he is ever present in the World and is always eager to take advantage of whatever chink there is in your spiritual armor.

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