F
Fortitudine
Guest
I haven’t posted on these forums in quite awhile, and I’m happy to return. I’ve always enjoyed the honest and heartfelt responses I’ve received. To be honest, I still consider myself an Atheist, but for reasons I can explain only as a strong sense of nostalgia stemming from the warmth and safety I felt as a child belonging to the Church, I am always drawn back. I am giving Catholicism one last chance, and though I can truthfully say my rational mind does not believe in a God, I admittedly would love to have my old Catholic beliefs back. Henceforth, I am “remodeling” my life, so to speak. Looking at my character and personality, and asking myself, “What type of person do I want to be?” Even without faith in a God, I’ve discovered my ideals on how young womanhood should be lived have a decidedly Catholic leaning. There are things in this Church I do not feel I could ever support: even as a Catholic I had an extremely difficult time accepting them. They simply do not seem rational or fair conclusions to me, and I often think they stem from fear rather than a proper interpretation of the Bible. However, I do not wish to address these here. I want to wait, and see where my trek back into Catholicism leads me. These issues will obviously need to be addressed before I reach a final consensus on my beliefs, but I am not opposed to Christianity or another faith without affiliating myself with a particular church, which is a route I may very well take.However, I as of yet do not even have faith in a God, but my urge to do so cannot be denied, so I’ve decided to take some exploratory steps in faith’s general direction to be sure it is not just the old feelings of safety and “rightness” I felt before, but something I can defend on a logical level. In anycase, Christianity or not, these are the ideals I have developed for myself, and see personally (though obviously these are just opinions) as being good guidelines for any young woman. Here they are…:
A Young Woman Should Be:
A Young Woman Should Be:
- Honest. She should not deceive those around her, especially herself or loved ones. She should take responsibility for mistakes and actions, and realize that if they embarrass her, she should examine them to be sure they’re right for her. She should not steal, but earn all she has, including the love and loyalty from loved ones.
- Hard-Working/Industrious. She should not slack at work, but maintain productive activity at all times. If work require she be friendly and polite, she must work to maintain these characteristics even under cases of high duress. She should realize she is not above any work, even tasks as menial as cleaning bathrooms (or other examples like this). She should remain attentive and well-mannered in class, and complete all assignments at the time they are assigned. She should not procrastinate and put “fun” before accomplishment, but should also realize the need for personal time/“fun” when appropriate.
- Chastity/Respect for Her Body. She should not allow herself to be a product or sex symbol for those around her. She should dress modestly, simply, and without purposefully drawing attention to her body in a manner which could be considered indecent. She should constantly be aware of the message her style of dress is sending to other people, especially those which may be attracted to her. She should not poison her body with undue attention to unnatural sugars and snacks, and should develop some sort of regular physical activity to keep herself in prime health. She should reserve enough hours of sleep a night to satisfy her body’s needs, and drink plenty of water. Good personal hygiene is also a good guideline.
- Humility. She should not allow herself to be overtaken by self-righteousness, arrogance, pride, or vanity. She should always keep in light the realization she is but one person in many, suffering from many of the same life afflictions, and having many of the same personality traits of those she may look down on, even if taken in a different form. She should realize aloofness only detaches her from humanity, and can eventually make her a bane upon human progress, even if only in her own small portion of the world. Should aspire to greater things, always keeping in mind she is but one person, ordinary, but capable of extraordinary action, if only she can keep the humility which will allow her to relate those actions to others.
- Polite, Well-Mannered, and Friendly (Though this is not to say one must be an extrovert).Should retain a good sense of manners and social propriety. Consideration for the needs of others should fall into this category, namely, an awareness of how one’s actions will effect those around them. Polite language and terminology should always be used, such as “Please”, “Thank-You”, “Excuse me” and other like polite mannerisms with reflection and adherence to their true meanings, and should be said with sincerity. Should maintain consistent effort not to be argumentative, but to present their views and opinions in an unobtrusive fashion, with no purposeful belligerence or arrogance, and one should make an effort to understand, and express their understanding first, of what the other person is saying. Should never be afraid to apologize when the need calls for it. Should greet those approaching them positively, no matter what preconceptions of the person may exist. Untoward and inconsiderate jokes should be kept at a minimum, and only in very specific company. Other jokes of particularly offensive nature should perhaps not be made at all.
. First off, my intended prayers:
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. I’ve sent an email to the Church receptionist to hopefully sign me up, and plan on attending my first Mass in years this Sunday. Unfortunately, I’ve opted to sign up under an alias, and will probably use the guise of a school club meeting to cover my RCIA meetings. I’m worried my decision to seek Catholicism won’t be received well, and I don’t want disapproval from loved ones to color my choice. I wonder if using an alias will alienate me somewhat from other members of the RCIA class, but it isn’t an entirely misleading one, and one I hope to shed as I become more substantiated in my decision. Are there any suggestions for attending an RCIA class? What have your experiences been? And, as I’m visiting the Parish bookstore this coming Saturday, any suggestions as to reading material for a returning Catholic? (I’m already picking up a Study Bible and Catechism).
