Article 9 - December 5th, 2022 by Fr. Ben Daghir

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One Thing, Jesus Christ
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Article 9 - December 5th, 2022 by Fr. Ben Daghir

Morgan Wallen’s song “Whiskey Glasses” was released in 2018. On YouTube the music video has over 124 million views. 

Wallen won three major billboard music awards in 2021: Top Country Artist, Top Country Album, and Top Country Male Artist. 

The song “Whiskey Glasses” describes a story in which a guy has experienced a break-up. He tells his friends, “Pour me, pour me another drink cause I don’t wanna feel a thing. No more, hell nah. I just wanna sip til the pain wears off…cause I ain’t never hurt like this before.”

The guy then says, “I’ma need some whiskey glasses if I am gonna make it through.” 

The refrain of the song then repeats, “Line 'em up, line 'em up, line 'em up, line 'em up. Knock 'em back, knock 'em back, knock 'em back, knock 'em back. Fill 'em up, fill 'em up, fill 'em up, fill 'em up.”

The guy has an empty space within his heart. He wants it filled up. 

St. Augustine understood the problem of trying to quench one’s thirst and one’s hunger with things of this world. The problem is that nothing in this world can quench the thirst of the heart or satisfy the hunger of the mind. 

Augustine reflected on his life journey in his autobiography The Confessions. He writes, “my heart is restless until it rests in Thee.” After a difficult struggle, Augustine realized that nothing in this world could fill him up. He came to know that only God could fill the emptiness within his mind and heart. 

The guy in Morgan Wallen’s song is restless. He is agitated, frustrated, stressed, confused, filled with anxiety, and just wants to numb the pain. This is one of the lowest moments in his life. He has hit rock bottom. 

The Gospel of Mark includes an interesting detail shortly before Christ is crucified. The soldiers “gave him wine drugged with myrrh, but he did not take it…then they crucified him” (Mark 15: 23-24). The drink was used to dull the senses in order to numb the pain. The Romans would offer a crucified man this type of drink in order to lighten the pain…but Jesus refused. 

The moment of being bruised, beaten, abandoned, scourged, whipped, tortured, mocked, ridiculed, ignored, unjustly accused, and crucified - Jesus Christ refused the concept of “whiskey glasses.” He didn’t numb the pain, but experienced all of it. He entered into the rock bottom of our brokenness with neither substances nor distractions. 

This leads us to something called spiritual physics. It is a principle in the spiritual life which indicates that one is filled up precisely in the measure that one gives himself away. On the other hand, the more someone holds onto something for himself, the more the emptiness grows from within. In other words, love grows precisely in the measure that it is given away. 

The guy in Morgan Wallen’s song has this mantra, “Fill 'em up, fill 'em up, fill 'em up, fill 'em up.” Of course, the emptiness in his heart will only grow and worsen because it is a substance of this world. Christ, on the other hand, pours himself out on the cross. 

Christ is the fullness of humanity. Christ is full of happiness.

It would be wise for us to listen to Christ’s words, “whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me” (Matthew 16:24). In fact, it is the blueprint for happiness. 
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Fr. Ben Daghir is a priest for the Diocese of Erie. He is a graduate of Elk County Catholic High School in Saint Marys, Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, and St. Mary's Seminary & University in Baltimore, Maryland. He considers writing one of his favorite hobbies.