Readers' Choice!

First, I would like to extend my appreciation for the two commenters who provided feedback on my blog, I have taken what you said into consideration, and now wish to allow you and others to share what you would like to see me blog about/explain. I added a poll to the right of this page, so please vote for what you are interested in learning about and feel free to leave specific suggestions in the comments section. Vote away, friends & readers and look for the next post in the next week or two (depending on how long it takes to gather results).

Is Anyone Out There??

Sometimes I wonder whether I should keep up with this blog, since it doesn't seem like I'm reaching anyone except for a few other fellow Catholics. However, they are not my intended audience. I'd much rather reach out to non-Catholics and their perspectives on the issues I present.


I don't want to be thought of as the "morality police" or for people to ignore what I have to say. I get the sense that people blow me and this blog off since it may not coincide with their views. Margo's just being a Catholic freak again, why doesn't she just leave us alone?


I'll tell you why. YOU are too important and too loved to be left alone. If you are a human, then you are loved by God, simple as that.


God gave me the gift of writing, specifically explanatory writing as well as the passion for His teachings. I greatly desire to share that gift with others as well as to engage in thoughtful discussions. Yet every time I try (either on here or through Facebook), there are only crickets.


Would you rather have me shut up and leave you alone to do whatever you wish even if what you are doing is really hurting yourself?


As Penn Teller once said, "If you believe that there’s a heaven and a hell, and people could be going to hell or not getting eternal life, and you think that it’s not really worth telling them this because it would make it socially awkward—and atheists who think people shouldn’t proselytize and who say just leave me along and keep your religion to yourself—how much do you have to hate somebody to not proselytize? How much do you have to hate somebody to believe everlasting life is possible and not tell them that?"


I really would appreciate some feedback from anyone out there reading (preferably from non-Catholics). What changes should I make to better communicate to you?


Never forget how much you are loved :) Many blessings!

Running for Faith

Recently, I got to see my high school Cross Country team and coach, Mr. Iverson, again. Every year, Iverson (or Ivy as he’s known by the team) hosts an alumni picnic for past members of the team to meet the current team, as a way of maintaining a familial sense to past and present team members.

I ran XC junior and senior years of high school; it was my passion back then. I want to share my XC story and how it led to and relates to living out the Catholic faith.

During the first two years of high school, running was not even on my mind. Instead, I threw myself into my parish’s youth ministry program. However, towards the end of my sophomore year, the beloved youth minister announced he was leaving and I had a feeling the youth ministry program might fall apart in his absence. So, I knew I needed to find a new activity – something to fill the void. I had always heard good things about my school’s XC team, the girls seemed pretty friendly, yet, I had hardly run before in my life. Iverson just happened to be my Government teacher for that spring semester and he also seemed like a nice, fun guy. I remember approaching him one day after class saying that I was interested in joining the Cross Country team. He told me I would have to be able to run for 30 continuous minutes before the summer camp began in June. Now that was intimidating – yet, somehow I pushed through the frustration of having no idea what I was doing – and succeeded in running for 30 minutes about about a month! As the months went by, I began to enjoy running and being on the team more and more.

Although I did not recognize it at the time, as I now reflect upon my many cherished memories from Cross Country, I now realize how much running and being on the Naperville North team laid the groundwork for living out the Catholic faith.

One of my absolute favorite things about Coach Iverson were the many life lessons he shared with us. Not only did he strive to help us become better runners, but he also genuinely cared about our personal growth as well. It truly meant a lot to me that he cared about every girl on the team, whether she was a varsity (top) runner or more of an average runner (like me), he was there for us – whether we were #1 or #101.

Through running, I learned dedication, discipline, and especially perseverance. I learned to push through the difficult workouts, ones where soreness seared through my legs, sweat dripping down my face, where I faced temptation to give up. Yet, as Iverson stated in the philosophy of the program, “it is often hard work, but we know that the rewards for this hard work far outweigh any temporary difficulties posed by any workout.”

So too with Catholicism. Similarly to running, it at first seems like a pretty simple religion to practice, just as there does not seem to be that much to running, you just run. Yet, as you go deeper with both running and Catholicism, you realize the true depth to each, how much effort is required. Both require me to push through even when I don’t feel like it. Yet, both bring wonderful rewards, which prove to be worth the effort, time, and discipline. The same perseverance I developed through the agonizing workouts, I now apply to my faith life and in striving to overcome sinful tendencies.

I also remember (and still have out my sentimental tendency) the weekly team letters Iverson would write us, which continue to provide inspiration for me. One such letter that sticks out is from October 2008 where he shared the importance of living in the moment – with which I still sometimes struggle.

“We need to be present in every moment, whatever the moment brings. The moment will sometimes bring breathtaking beauty of the changing leaves, but the moment will sometimes bring challenges as when the weather is bad or we don’t feel just perfect.”

            Learning to live in the moment though is so vital for maintaining faith and trust in God. Sure, it is easy to love God and live the Catholic faith when I am in a pleasant mood. Yet, lately, I have been learning that faith goes beyond feelings. It is not just something I do when I am in the mood for it. Just like running. Being on the Cross Country team is tough – running 6 days of the week, having early morning meets, doing whatever workout Ivy had planned for the day. I had to learn to trust him though, that he knew what was best for us runningwise. So too, now with God. I have to trust Him that He knows what is overall best for me, no matter what my mood.

I now try to push myself to attend daily mass (praise God that there is a 5:15 PM mass) at least twice/week since I know that receiving Jesus in the Eucharist is the ultimate fulfillment in life.

One last thought – I started out running and my reversion to Catholicism in similar ways – both on total whims, not quite knowing where either would lead. I really started from nothing with running and far exceeded any expectations that I could fathom. With Catholicism, I at least had knowledge from being raised in the Catholic faith, but otherwise, I knew little about the depth and teachings or even God’s unfailing love for me and all people.

God helped and continues to help me grow in holiness and if you allow Him, He will do the same for you. Holiness really is just growing into the immense potential that we all have as humans and just doing everything with great love for others. I pray that your heart will be opened to God's love :)

My faith journey

If you know me, you've probably noticed how passionate I get, especially about Catholicism. What's up with that? Isn't Catholicism just the religion in which I choose to believe? Isn't it just something I do on Sundays? And what's up with me wanting to bring others into the Catholic faith, why should I care what religion people practice?

Allow me to share my faith journey, which should answer these questions.

I was raised Catholic and went to Catholic school from kindergarten-8th grade, where I gained plenty of knowledge about the faith as well as memorized many prayers, yet, I lacked any real understanding or appreciation of it. I decided to go to a public high school because I was sick of wearing uniforms (shallow reason) and the Catholic schools near me were considered "college prep" schools and I wasn't sure at the time if I even wanted to go to college. So, I went to Naperville North, but got very actively involved with my parish's high school youth ministry program, which in hindsight, was more protestant than Catholic, but I didn't know any better as a young teen. I made several good friends, including two high school seniors named Becki & Sammi who assisted my Quest (the name of the Confirmation-prep class) group.

Yet, my faith life still lacked the proper understanding, and thus had little substance, which is why it crumbled into pieces after the youth ministry fell apart after my sophomore year of high school. The beloved high school minister left our parish; I was very close to him and took it hard. At the time, Confirmation took place in the spring of junior year, so I still had awhile left in the Confirmation-prep program, which I did continue and did receive that Sacrament. Unfortunately, my misunderstanding led me away from Catholicism, I thought that once I was Confirmed, I was an "adult" member free to decide how to practice the faith -- so I stopped going to mass since I saw it as boring.

I redirected my passion to running. After the youth minister announced he was leaving in the spring of my sophomore year, I knew I had to find a new activity. I just happened to have the girls' Cross Country coach as my Government teacher and he seemed pretty cool, plus I'd heard good things about the team. So, I randomly approached him at the end of class one day and asked what I'd need to do to be on the team. It was March and the summer running camp started in June, and Mr. Iverson told me I would need to able to run without stopping for 30 minutes by then. So, I pushed myself and got up to a half hour after about 1.5 months. I do the summer camp and then had a successful first season in the fall. Running/XC became my new passion, with my faith trailing on the side.

Then, during my senior season, we got a new volunteer coach, a young woman (mid-20s) named Lauren, who also happened to be a Young Life leader. Although I had become a non-practicing Catholic, I still retained a basic belief in God, and wanted to do something with it. Young Life appealed to me because it was open to all Christians (although it's rooted more in Protestantism) and didn't affiliate itself with any particular denomination. It was held twice/week as a small group bible study, making the bible applicable to teenager's lives and then as a large group crazy-shenagigans-that-relate-back-to-God night.

It satisfied my religious convictions for senior year, I figured I was "fine" since I was reading the bible and even praying a little. Then, I went to a Young Life camp the summer before going to college. It was there that I started reflecting on which religion I wanted to pursue while at college. I could have become a Young Life leader in Peoria, but being carless would have made that difficult. So, I knew I had to make the decision between choosing a Protestant denomination or going back to Catholicism. I remember praying, begging God to show me which was the right religion, since I could see legitimate cases made for each.

Come August, I left Naperville for Bradley University, where I only really knew one other person named Tina, who was friends with Sammi (one of my Quest leaders) and who I had met a few times in the past. So, I was hoping to find her and Sammi told me that she thought Tina would be at the Newman Center. I wasn't sure if I wanted to try the Newman Center (the Catholic campus ministry) since I had a distorted image of it in my mind and still had mixed feelings about Catholicism. However, I did want to find Tina since it would be cool to know an upperclassman. So, I went over to Newman's annual cookout on the Monday of "welcome week". I went alone and found myself waiting in a looong line outside of the Newman Center; I felt so insecure and had no idea what to expect. I eventually get inside and there were religious sisters serving food (intimidating!), I get my food, head out to the parking lot, where numerous tables were set up and sat down at a random table where a few female Newman leaders were sitting. They seemed pretty nice and after we finished eating, Charissa gave me a tour of Newman, then I wound up hanging out in the main room (the Cafe) and find out that Newman has its own running group, YAY (I was still passionate about running even though I was done with Cross Country).

I could keep going, but, the gist is that I continued to meet more of the Newman people, who gradually drew me back to my Catholic faith. In November, I went on the Koinonia retreat, which finally actually explained the faith (and mass) in a way that made sense. At some point, things started to click and I was reminded of my prayer to God begging to know the right religion.

God led me back to His, one true Church! Fast forward to the summer after sophomore year and I randomly found the blog that went beyond the basics and explained more of the teachings about the Church, especially in regards to those moral issues. I got hooked on Leila's Little Catholic Bubble and not only learned the teachings, but through the comments section (which regularly draws in Catholics, Protestants, and even Atheists), learned how to have discussions about the faith and teachings.

Ever since then, God has been drawing me nearer and nearer to Him. And it's not just me that He wants, He wants every single human!

I've seen the beauty of God's Church and His teachings and I want everyone to share in that beauty. I'm tired of the false stigmas and false reasonings.

I humbly admit my human brokenness and sinfulness, while striving daily to rid myself of my faults and sinful habits/attitudes. I know what it's like to struggle, to want to do things my own way, to think I know better than God. Yet, where has that led me? What if I (and you) surrendered to God, entrusting Him with our lives? Is He really going to lead us to misery?

I dream of the entire world becoming Catholic, so that everyone can experience God's glory, grace, mercy, and perfect love.

It genuinely makes me sad to see people lost in sin and stubbornly rejecting God and His ways, which aren't the easiest, but are the way to eternal life with Him in Heaven.

I care too much for people not to speak up against sin. That's why I am how I am - why I'm so passionate about Catholicism and morality.

I welcome any and all questions, comments, criticisms, concerns, etc.

May God bless you now & always :)

Our way or God's way?

I recently got into a semi-heated religious debate/discussion in the English office with a few of my classmates. I somehow managed to stay mostly calm, which is like a miracle for me, and in reflecting on all that was said, I know have better insight as to how others view Catholic beliefs. We covered a variety of topics such as cohabitation, contraception, and moral relativism vs. moral absolutism.

As I was praying the rosary today, a bible verse struck my mind:

"From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly from the elders, the chief priests, the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised. Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, "God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you." He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do."" Matthew 16:21-23

While we were discussing the topic of cohabitation, I was asked about various scenarios that involved cohabitation being a convenience to an unmarried couple, or even to an unmarried/platonic man and woman. Of course there are the usual chastity reasons why cohabitation is morally wrong, yet I now also see an entire other dimension to the issue - solving issues our way versus God's way.

When looking at ANY issue from just a human perspective, usually the more convenient option makes more sense, even if it does prove wrong/sinful. Yet, I wonder what would happen if we started looking at problems from God's perspective? Peter was one of Jesus' best friends and yet even he got scolded by Jesus for thinking as humans do.

Far too often it seems as though us humans (myself included) try to solve problems our own way, while pushing God aside, forgetting all about His infinite love and plans for us. As humans, we have limited knowledge, but God can see the BIG picture - our entire lives and has our best interests in mind, if only we would open ourselves more and more to Him and trust in His ways, which yes, are not always the convenient option, but offers eternal happiness instead.

As a Catholic, I strive to primarily see life through God's eyes, and try to put His solutions before my own. Hence why it baffles me when I hear talk about the convenience of cohabitation or using contraception. Do we really think so little of God?

I'm surprised that the secular world still hasn't quite fully realized that usually whenever we attempt to solve problems without God, it does not usually end well, mostly resulting in chaos, yet somehow the world seems content with chaos.

I have one final thought regarding the topic of moral relativism vs. absolutism? Some of the people seemed quite strongly opposed to the mere concept of absolute Truth and instead insisted on religion being personal, that it's fine that I find Catholicism to be true for me, but that Catholicism may not be true for others...I'm still trying to understand that logic because how can God be both true and not true?

I propose this notion: God is Truth, yet He created each of us with free will, so each human is free to reject God or to accept Him and His infinite love. So, I think what moral relativists are actually saying is: I don't want God to be real because I don't like His teachings on x, y, and z. I think that a lot of people so strongly desire to do whatever they want and it's that desire that keeps people from coming to know God's love and accepting God in their lives.

Hopefully, this made some sense, feel free to ask questions in the comments or email me anytime :)

Love & Blessings

I had a wonderful, refreshing day today, which leaves me reflecting on the many blessings God continuously pours down upon me as well as His never-ending love for all people. I wish to share one example of where I've seen God's love radiating in my life. 

So far this final semester of college has proven quite difficult for me and admittedly I have not handled it well. I'm taking 5 classes, plus an internship, which is a lot for someone who usually only takes 4 classes/semester, but I need to get those final few credit hours in so I can graduate on time! They are all English classes, 2 literature, 2 writing, and 1 on grammar. While it has been extremely stressful (especially as I battle that senioritis disease), I still sense God's presence through His blessings, one of whom is my Romanticism professor and mentor, Dr. Prescott. 

I still remember meeting him for the first time during the spring of my freshman year. I came to Bradley undecided and it took me until the spring to start talking to various professors from majors in which I was interested. At first I was kinda intimidated by him, but that ended pretty quickly as I found out he's also from Naperville, shares my interest in Gilmore Girls, and best of all, is a fellow Catholic! I got to know him a little more during spring of sophomore year when I initially tried taking the Romantics class, which I ultimately ended up dropping since I realized I wasn't quite ready for a 300 level class as a sophomore. I also spent all of sophomore year debating whether I wanted to stay at Bradley or not since I do struggle with academics and at the time, truly did not think I could survive all 4 years. I was mostly decided on dropping out, when, during my weekly time spent praying in Eucharistic Adoration, I distinctly heard God tell me to "stay at Bradley", of course, I then tried asking God "why" since I really could not see myself handling another 2 years, but all God would say is "stay at Bradley" and for me to trust Him. Now, this was awkward, since I had already told people (including Dr. Prescott as well as my parents) that I was leaving Bradley, now I would have to tell them the opposite. Funnily enough, I tried emailing Prescott about my decision reversal, but he never got the email, which I didn't find out about until fall of junior year when one of my friends told me to go talk to Prescott since he didn't know I was still at Bradley, whoops! 

During the past two years, that one Tuesday afternoon in Adoration has stayed with me and I have enjoyed seeing the effects of my staying at Bradley play out. Honestly, one of the only reasons I'm on the verge of achieving a Bachelor's degree, is putting all my trust in God as He guides me through college. It's been a rough journey, where I have many times angrily questioned why God wants me here, but I cherish the moments when I do realize God's little reasons. As I've increasingly grown in the Catholic faith and delved deeper into Christ's teachings, I've come to increasingly resent a lot of secularism and am now hoping that I'll eventually be able to attend a Catholic graduate school, like the Augustine Institute, that will focus solely on Catholic theology. In order to get there though, I need to have an undergraduate degree first. Coming back to my main point, it is an absolute joy to have even just one professor with whom I can share my devotion to Catholicism. Truly, God did not me alone here at Bradley, He led me to discover my love/hate relationship with English as well as to the professor who has helped me so much and has genuinely cared for me, going beyond just being a professor, to being a true mentor and friend. 

I got an assignment back from Prescott today, one with which I really struggled and probably would have received a low grade. However, he recognized my issues with analyzing and summarizing, and offered to help me through the journal articles. He commented on my paper that he knows I have plenty to say, if I have someone to help me and ask discussion-type questions as I read the articles. And yes, that is exactly what I need and have been praying about. I do have the tendency to get overwhelmed easily and never quite mastered the skill of summarizing and analyzing. (how am I senior in college again? Grace of God, that's all I can say) 

Most professors probably would have just given me a low grade and been done with it. As busy as Prescott is, especially as department chair, he's still willing to make time to help me. Maybe it's not really that big of a deal, but it really means a lot to me. I truly believe that God has a reason for putting Prescott in my life and even vice-versa. I can only pray that God's love is visible to others through me. 

I guess God loves me too much to leave me alone to struggle through college. And guess what? He loves YOU too, yes you, the person who has made it through this whole post! God's love is truly a gift, all that is required is for us to be open to receiving it. I can honestly say that I have done nothing to deserve it, the miserable sinner that I am (darn you laziness/selfishness), but I can also say how grateful I am for God's love and blessings. 

Back to studying for midterms and praying/waiting for the next pope...God bless :)

Pure Womenhood

Okay, I'm actually going to stay committed to blogging this time. I hope. I've got lots on my mind, tons of thoughts to share. Today's topic: womanhood.

Over this weekend, my university hosted several performances of a show called, "The Vagina Monologues". My initial, gut reaction was shock over the vulgar bluntness and disappointment as the description reveals promotion of immoral acts such as masturbation, orgasms, and lesbianism. However, upon learning of a friend's involvement with the show, I decided to probe it deeper to try to gain a better understanding of the organization behind it.

Side note: I must admit to never seeing the show; before you get all over me and start on the "no judging until you try it", I pose the question: if you knew a show promoted acts that directly violate teachings from your religion, would you feel required to sit through the performance? Since I have chosen to not view the performance, I will not attempt to review it. My intent is more to reflect on authentic womanhood and chastity/purity and see if VM fits either category.

In visiting the official website, I realized I actually agree with the mission of V-Day as they primarily strive to end sexual violence against women - great! I am all for preventing these horrendous acts. My opposition to the VM lies in their methods and in the sexual behavior they seem to condone. The website repeatedly states that another intention is to foster dialogue about sexuality - well here's my take on it, as a devoted Catholic.

True female empowerment lies in recognizing our beauty and God-given dignity as His beloved daughters. While it is true that having a vagina is a key characteristic of being female, true womanhood goes far beyond that particular body part, it even goes beyond sexuality. Yes, there IS more to life than sex. I understand how tempting sex can be and how over-emphasized it is in our 21st century society.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church puts it quite simply: "Sexual pleasure is morally disordered when sought for itself, isolated from its procreative and unitive purposes" (CCC 2351).

Sex is beautiful. Sex is sacred. Yes, Catholics do see it as a positive! However, if used incorrectly, this inherent good can be made evil. God originally intended sex to imitate the love of the Holy Trinity - the outpouring of love between two to make three. Likewise, a husband and wife are called to give themselves entirely to one another to create a third (and a fourth and a fifth - however many God wills, which the couple finds out through prayer and discernment). Does sex involve pleasure? Yes! God did not want the husband and wife to dread their responsibility to continue the human race. Is every human being entitled to that sexual pleasure? No. And herein lies the complication. Apparently word got out about the pleasure and the desire for that pleasure grew to the point that the original sanctity of sex now lays mostly forgotten. It's now just so ordinary and common.

I'm a virgin - yes I said it. Anyone who knows me probably is not too surprised. Yet, I mean it more in general - that I've gone through four years of college without ever hooking up and to be honest, I have no real desire to have sex with anyone other than my husband. And no, not just because my religion tells me not to - I can still think for myself. I know of all the possible complications - pregnancy, STIs, and all the emotional effects. Why put myself through that? If the whole point of sex is to permanently bind a husband and wife together (through the hormone of oxytocin), why bind myself to a guy to whom I am not married?

Women - be strong, pure, and virtuous! In the words of Venerable Fulton J. Sheen:

"To a great extent the level of any civilization is the level of its womanhood. When a man loves a woman, he has to become worthy of her. The higher her virtue, the more her character, the more devoted she is to truth, justice, goodness, the more a man has to aspire to be worthy of her. The history of civilization could actually be written in terms of the level of its women."