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."

Catholicism is for everyone!

Before I delve into any of the moral issues that I am so passionate about, I would like to describe Catholicism and strive to show that it contains the fullness of Truth and Love. Then, in future posts, I will explain why certain acts are considered sinful. 

Catholicism is not just another religion or only for certain people; God came down from Heaven as Jesus Christ, lived amongst other humans for 33 years, then suffered, died, and rose again - all out of love for EVERY human that has ever or will ever exist. However, God created humans with free will, so that we would be free to believe in and love Him. His teachings prove to be quite radical and challenging. Thus the reason for the many variations of Protestantism and even for Atheism. Humans have the freedom to deny God's existence (atheism) or even to change His teachings for ease of mind and comfort (Protestantism). Yet, the Truth of the matter is that God NEVER changes. He is real and His teachings are for everyone. 

...So why are there so many different religions? What if I don't want to be religious? I don't want to be like those annoying "God" people. What it ultimately comes down to is that ideally, Catholicism would be the only way of life if we all recognized and accepted God. The problem is that humans have a tendency to want to do things our way. So, we reject God, and stubbornly refuse to accept His existence. Or we say we believe in Him, but then try to change Him, and make him into a god that suits our desires. 

The ironic thing? God is constantly watching us. He loves us infinitely and knows us infinitely. So, while we're running around, doing our own thing, thinking that we're fine, the truth is that we can never hide from God. Furthermore, has anyone realized that doing things our way often leads us into trouble, stress, chaos, etc.? Yeah, we might receive short-term pleasure, but often hurts us in the long-run. 

If we were all to truly accept the One, True God into our hearts, minds, and lives, it truly would solve so many of the issues currently plaguing our world today. I'm not saying anything against other religions; they all contain parts of the truth and have some legitimate teachings of their own. But, what other religion can say that it was founded by God in the person of Jesus Christ who came for and created all people? 

The decision is ours though. God will keep existing, will keep loving you, and will keep waiting for you to respond to His love. 

Catholicism is ultimately a journey towards Heaven. Every human is broken and sinful. Let's help each other out until we all reach our true home. 

God bless!

Introduction

Okay, here goes my attempt at blogging. First, I figure you should probably get to know me and I should give you an idea of what to expect from this blog. Well, my name is Margo, I'm a senior English major at Bradley University and I love Catholicism! However, I would like this to be a place for everyone to come, learn, and ultimately grow to understand why the Catholic Church has its teachings, especially on the controversial issues of 2012 - homosexual marriage, contraception, abortion. How does God's love figure into all that? I will strive to present each issue clearly and go beyond the usual assumptions and explanations. Feel free to disagree, but please I ask for no inflammatory or insulting comments. The Catholic bashing is getting old and I hope that through reading this blog, you can gain a better understanding of the issues. I will also explain the many other Catholic beliefs along the way.