Marriage

Of course you knew this post was coming, huh?

Preface: I might say things you weren't expecting me to say.

For those of you who don't know me personally, or who might not be Catholic, or who might not be practicing Catholicism, let me briefly explain my position. (For those of you to whom those qualifications do not apply, feel free to skip this part.)

[Marriage is an institution designed by God Himself to unite man and woman to Himself for the purposes of mutual help, love, and procreation, ultimately so they could get one another to the gates of Heaven. (After all, there is only one way out of this life, and that's death. But there are two directions to go from there.) Biology says that it must be so! It takes one man and one woman to create a baby, and the One God to give it life and an eternal soul!

I'm not even sure why two men or two women want to be a part of this institution... but I suppose that's a topic for another day. As for the tax benefits etc., of legal marriage in this country... those were designed because our government understands that children who grow up in a household with one mom and one dad who are in a committed, monogamous, loving relationship are the ones who more often than not become good upstanding citizens who go on to make more good upstanding citizens. This is proven by statistics. Please look it up.

Intolerance has become the gravest sin in our country, or so it seems, and I want to make one thing clear. I am not intolerant of anyone, and especially not an entire group of people, (when did loving someone ever mean you condone all of their behaviors unconditionally?) I am intolerant of the idea that marriage could ever be anything except an indissoluble union between a man, a woman, and God. Christians need to be better at loving our brothers and sisters who experience same-sex attraction, that is a matter of fact.

True or False: Fathers make rules for their children?

True. Good job.

And True or False: If you want to learn how to work something properly, you should consult it's manual, written by it's creator?

True, again.

So you see, the God who created us loves us SO much that He gave us a bunch of rules. When I was a teenager, I thought they were all ridiculous.. I also thought my 12am curfew was ridiculous. Now that I've matured, I see how both are reasonable and actually necessary. Sometimes rules are difficult to follow, but they are given to us because they help us to work properly. For example, you wouldn't put water in the gas tank of a car when the manual says to use gas, would you?

You might be thinking: Brittany, why would God make people who have same-sex attraction if He doesn't want them to be in love with someone of the same-sex? Why would He give someone feelings that He doesn't want them to act on?

My answer to you is this: God gives each of us a cross to bear. We get to share in the life of Christ in a magnificent way by bearing our own crosses each day. Some are heavy, some are light, all are necessary. God made me sexually attracted to men. I don't act on that attraction because I am not married, and sex belongs in a marriage. Children have feelings that they should eat candy for every meal, does that mean they should act on those feelings?

God gave us an intellect to rule over our passions for this very reason! Our intellect tells us if our passions are ordered or disordered, if they'll get us to Heaven or if they'll bring us to Hell.]

That was longer than I expected it to be. If you have any questions about my ineloquent explanation, please ask, or consult this article: http://lifeteen.com/catholics-care-about-gays-the-myth-debunked/.

Now let me make the point I came here to make.

I think we've already lost the battle for marriage. And I think it started long before any of us was ever thinking about it. The reason I think we've already lost the battle is twofold.

The first is because my generation is swayed by anything shiny at all. We've lost the ability to think logically and reasonably about things, a lot of things. We aren't cultured, we're educated but unintelligent. We know a lot about a few things and nothing about all the rest. We're idiots! We hear something that sounds good, and without thinking about the implications at all we profess our undying support of the cause and put our hands over our ears and scream la la la la la at anyone who tries to speak against our ideas.

The second is because of Christians who have effectively removed the meaning of marriage from the word. Yup... it's actually our fault. The first divorce in the United States was in Massachusetts... WHEN IT WAS A COLONY! If Kim Kardashian can marry Kris Humphreys for 76 days, why shouldn't a man be married to a man? Why shouldn't a woman be married to a dog? Why shouldn't a father marry his daughter? Why shouldn't a man marry a tree? Why shouldn't a woman marry her three best friends?

As for sex? Sex has been happening outside of marriage since Adam and Eve ate the apple. We're fallen humans, that's the bottom line. But here's the kicker: now, sex is completely severed from it's primary purpose, which is procreation. Marriage is ordered toward the creation and support of new life!  Contraception was legalized in the U.S. in the early 1900's, and since then, marriage has taken the fast road downhill. Contraception is the only drug on the market made to make your body work wrong. When people get pregnant, they say oops. Why?! Your body was doing what it was supposed to! Did you not realize that's how it works?! When sex is all about pleasure and not at all about responsibility, new human life, little babies in the womb, are seen as an inconvenience that a quick trip to Planned Parenthood can easily get rid of.

I praise God for the tradition in the Church that a couple must go through marriage prep for a minimum of six months in order to be married in the Catholic Church. Marriage is a big commitment! An eternal decision, even! It should be entered into much more seriously than a Protestant Pastor or a Vegas Elvis is willing to admit.

Now here's the Good News! Even if we lose this battle, Hope is never lost. We are not wrong, we are standing for Truth, and there is only One Truth. God has a way of bringing good out of the things that dumb humans decide to mess up, and I know that our times are no different. The times when the Church is persecuted precede the times when she grows and becomes better. Please pray with me for the return, not the continuation, of the sanctity of marriage in our country.

And remember this:

"In the world you will have troubles, but take courage, I have already overcome the world." John 16:33

St. Joseph, pray for us.

Bea

Sometimes I become obsessed with ideas, phrases, youtube videos, etc.

I probably have an addictive personality.

Anyways, please watch this hysterical video of a little lamb named Bea. Isn't she freaking adorable?! Don't you want one?! 

St. John the Baptist, Patron of lambs(!!), pray for us!

Pope Francis

Well, our new pope has officially been received by the one billion Catholics and the rest of the world too, it seems.

What do you think about him?

I.LOVE.HIM.

Did anyone else feel like the days when the Chair of Peter was empty, sede vacante, was like a lent within Lent?

After Pope Benedict officially stepped down, it felt like the Church held her breath. We were all thinking... what is God going to do next? Where is He going to bring the Church?

I think it's safe to say that He brought her to her knees when she saw the sweet humility of Cardinal Bergoglio, now Pope Francis.

Pope Benedict is an honorable man. He is intellectual, and I think he taught and will continue to teach the Church that she needs to engage her intellect in order to follow Christ. I love Pope Benedict, and I love how in tune he is with God's will.

I think Pope Francis will show and has already shown us how to put our faith into action in a practical way. I hope that Christians will learn from him humility and the importance of being Jesus to those in need.  I hope I will learn how to love better.

God's words to St. Francis of Assisi echo in my mind. "Rebuild my Church." Francis first thought God meant the physical building, so he set to work right away rebuilding a run down church. He soon learned that God meant to rebuild His Church from the inside out, with love of poverty and people. Now Pope Francis will work to do the same. This task is impossible without God and so necessary in our world of broken promises and broken people. I think this papal election shows to us over again that God has indeed not forgotten us, and that He always keeps His promises.

Another awesome thing that I saw throughout the Conclave was the strong presence of my generation in the news, on facebook and twitter, etc. One thing is certain: the Church is not dead.

After hearing stories of Pope Francis's humility: riding the bus with the Cardinals, calling a newspaper stand to cancel his subscription, his plans for praying the Mass in prison during Holy Week, sitting in Mass with the janitors of the Vatican, etc., I can't wait to see all of the things he will share with the young people during his papacy. (Follow him on twitter @Pontifex)

I am confident that the Church who once held her breath now sleeps in peace knowing that the Father is home.

I'm amazed at the amount of faith required in a Conclave. How do we know the college of cardinals picked the right guy for the job? I think that's the beauty of it all: we don't for sure know anything... but we trust that God is good and has nothing but good plans for us, and that he will give us the man who is right for the job, even through our own sinfulness, even though the cardinals who elect him are sinners!!

I'm actually surprised that we didn't know Pope Francis was coming when we saw the seagull sitting on the smoke stack waiting for the white smoke. St. Francis is known for his love of animals, we should have seen it coming!! Plus, the seagulls follow the fisherman!

Perhaps the Lord speaks most eloquently in the scripture from Isaiah in last Sunday's Mass:

Remember not the events of the past,
the things of long ago consider not;
see, I am doing something new!
Now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?

St. Francis of Assisi, pray for us.

Rolling with the Punches

First, I must say: I AM SO EXCITED ABOUT POPE FRANCIS!!!

Now, on the defense. I just read these articles and found them absurd but interesting. From my recent experience, THIS is the battlefield for Catholics.

Baby Boomers who grew up being told that things will change in the Church are still sitting around waiting on that change, meanwhile my generation has embraced the holy traditions of the Church. Somehow the Baby Boomers keep the blinders on and can't see where the future is headed. It doesn't help our cause that there are orders of sisters across the country fighting for "women's rights to choose" and "gay marriage." It seems that these Catholics, while I obviously don't believe they pose any real threat to the 2000 year institution itself, are better at persecuting Her that any other group of people.

Let me know what you think!

http://www.goerie.com/article/2013303109938?fb_action_ids=10200875420836148&fb_action_types=og.recommends&fb_source=other_multiline&action_object_map=%7B%2210200875420836148%22%3A477532098980410%7D&action_type_map=%7B%2210200875420836148%22%3A%22og.recommends%22%7D&action_ref_map=%5B%5D

(My favorite, and probably the only piece of truth in this article, is his comment about Cafeteria Catholics... at least he recognizes one tide that has certainly turned in our Church.)

http://ncronline.org/blogs/where-i-stand/who-are-people-who-were-waiting-pope-francis#.UUJLPr2zOKs.facebook

(written by a Sister... isn't that sad?! Doesn't she see that telling people about the love of Christ necessarily involves His commandments? What kind of Father doesn't give rules to His children?)


Obviously, neither of them has seen or experienced the renewal of the Faith happening on college campuses. We need to be better! We need to reach more people faster! We need to preach the love of Jesus Christ!

Barack Obama recently weighed in:

"It seems to me that an American people would preside just as effectively as a Polish pope or an Italian pope or a Guatemalan pope," responded the president of the United States.
The ABC newsreader asked, "And not take orders from you?"
"I don't know if you have checked lately but the Conference of Catholic Bishops here in the United States don't seem to be taking orders from me," said Obama.

Boom. Love it.

Then Obama goes on to say that he hope the new Pope will uphold what he (Obama) considers to be the tenants of the Gospel: to love and serve.


In response to all three of these comments, I say this: who do you think you are?! Do you people really honestly think so much of yourselves that you think that YOU have the right to determine how the WHOLE Church should serve God? I have been known to be outrageously full of pride (not in the good way), but even I cannot fathom the idea that my tiny little brain should dictate how Jesus meant the things He said. Thank God for the Church. I'm not even going to get started.

St. Peter, pray for us!

Photoshoot Fun!

One of my friends from high school is a budding photographer, and she asked me to be one of her first models. What an honor!! 

I picked out some of my favorites, and wanted to show you! I suppose posting pictures of myself is kinda like hanging a framed photo of myself on my own wall, but  I'm doing this to showcase her talent! I can't help it if "ridiculously good looking" gets thrown in the mix! 

If you like what you see, you should "like" her facebook page: Aria Daffern Photography... or ask me out for coffee. Hahaha, I kill myself.

For those of you who've never seen my eyes fully open, there you have it! They are green!

My face looks weird in that one (it was super windy and I was trying to keep my squinty eyes open!), but the background is AMAZING.

Fun Fact: I have a freckle on my lip.

(Typical smart ass face)

I like how my hair looks in this one.

I was just playing around in this one, but the picture turned out remarkably well. Laura Slanovits, do you read this blog?

So there you have it! Go like her page! 

Extroversion at it's Worst

Webster defines extroversion as: the act, state, or habit of being predominantly concerned with and obtaining gratification from what is outside the self.

Ouch.

For those of you introverts, your definition doesn't make you look too well either.

In our society, it seems that being an extrovert is ideal. Between extroversion and introversion, extroversion is preferred... that is if you want to be successful. In college, we're always told to differentiate ourselves, learn to network, go meet people. These things come more naturally to most extroverts.

Well folks, I am an extrovert. I'm sure that I do not deserve some pat on the back because of a character trait which I did not choose, but overall, I like being an extrovert.

I am pretty sure that I never met a true introvert until I went to college. I mean, I'm sure I knew some, but I definitely didn't hang out with any, and out of my huge family, you'd be hard-pressed to find one anywhere. If I did know any introverts, they sure kept it a secret from me. Maybe my extreme extroversion makes introverts more introverted. Maybe no one ever loved me enough to be boldly introverted around me.

But you see, God made us introverts and extroverts because we can learn so much about ourselves from people who differ from us. Some of my best friends are introverts, and they've helped me to discover my own depth, helped me to become self-aware, and taught me how to think in new ways.

I think that most of the people I work with are extroverts.... and it feels like we need some introverts to help us become more balanced and well-rounded men and women. Virtue, after all, is the middle between extremes.

As an extrovert, I don't want to spend any time alone... but right about now, I would love to spend some time with my favorite introverts! For now, my introverted blog will have to do.

St. Peter, my favorite extrovert, pray for us!

His Mercies are New Every Morning

Can you believe that?

I think I've written about it before... but sometimes I just can't fathom a god who'd love his people so much as to give them new mercies every morning.

It's a good thing they are though, because I need them.

For a while now, I've been thinking about mercy. Since August in particular I suppose, when my mom's best friend's mother died. My mom and "Aunt Kim" have been best friends since before I was born, so Grandma Nancy was like a grandma to me too, sometimes. I'm not generally fond of speaking ill of the dead, but truth be told, she was a mean woman. I think she may have had a drinking problem when we were kids, and I know her taste in men was questionable. Towards the end of her life, Grandma Nancy suffered multiple strokes, so for the last few years she was blind and had a really difficult time getting around. In her old age, I couldn't help but feel sorry for her, even if she was mean. A few weeks before she died, she had another stroke which left her bed-ridden and given 4 to 6 weeks to live by her doctors. Aunt Kim said that she looked scared and spent a lot of time doing what looked like consoling herself. My mom suggested that Aunt Kim and her sisters read some scripture to her. Aunt Kim said she didn't think Grandma Nancy would like that, so I don't think they ever did. I prayed for her a lot in those last few weeks. When I think of her towards the end of her life, so scared of what's to come, it secures my hope in God's mercy. I don't know how God, in His infinite compassion and love, could ever turn someone away from Eternal Life. Isn't that the beauty of it too? He never actually does. We freely choose Heaven or Hell. I'd like to think that Hell is nearly empty, but realistically I doubt that's true. I used to think the free choice meant that when you die, God says "Okay, ______, do you want to go to Heaven or do you want to go to Hell?" I feel like no one would ever choose Hell, but then again, I'm sure that I'm naive. The truth is that we choose Heaven or Hell by our actions, day in and day out. When Grandma Nancy died, people said that she was in a better place now. Of course you can't actually say this, but I wondered if it were true. I think that's just something people say when death happens to console themselves.

A few weeks ago, a family that I'm close to lost their grandfather. He lived a full life with many crosses.  At some point along the way, he decided to stop going to church and, from my understanding, rejected the faith altogether. Just a week or so before his death, he came back to the church, and received Jesus in the Holy Eucharist for the first time in years. What a time of rejoicing and thanksgiving!! All it takes is one turn back around and Jesus comes to the ends of the earth to meet you.

Last week, my sweet Uncle Dick died. He was my dad's mother's brother. My grandmother is the youngest of nine children, and Uncle Dick was the last of the Willding brothers to die. The Willding Brothers were infamous in the Catholic scene of Dallas in the 1940's and 1950's. They all played ball at Jesuit High School, and stories are still told of the "idiot who called the quarterback sneak and ran 98 yards for a touchdown to win the State game." My great-grandmother was, from what I'm told, an extremely devout woman. She prayed the rosary everyday. (Secret: I have, by my good fortune, inherited her rosary... it's a secret because if any of my cousins found out I'd have to keep it under lock and key to prevent them from stealing it.) She had nine children, seven of whom survived into adulthood.. and old age, actually. Jack, Bob, Tom, Don, and Dick, all my uncles, have now been laid to rest. My Aunt Mary and my grandmother, affectionately known by them as their baby sisters, seem now not far behind them. Unfortunately, from what I can tell, none of my great-grandmother's nine children had her same dedication to the One True Faith. Hardly any of my cousins were raised Catholic, and even less of the next generation. Today, we prayed a rosary for Uncle Dick's soul, and most of my family couldn't even recite the prayers. It seemed like a mockery of Catholicism. Whenever I pray my great-grandmother's rosary, I ask her to pray more fervently for the family she left behind.

Death doesn't affect me like it used to. I remember in high school a girl died, and I was so upset... even though I barely knew her. I'm not sure if it was the fact that she was so young and had her whole life ahead of her, or just because I wasn't sure of what happens after someone dies. Now when someone dies, I simply thank God for their life and pray for their soul. I trust in God's mercy, and I respect His decision to give us free will.

I've probably said a lot of things in this post that you're not really supposed to say. I'm comfortable with the fact that not everyone goes to Heaven though, because I know that God uses all things for His glory, and that the fact that Hell exists actually proves that God has mercy on us. Life is kinda like a lobby... we're only here so that we can get somewhere else.

I'm not sure how tomorrow will go, but for today, I choose Heaven.

Please pray for the repose of the soul of Uncle Dick, my friend's grandfather, and Grandma Nancy.

Queen of Peace, pray for us.