M
montanaman
Guest
There could easily be another forum category entitled “Catholic Dating,” and not just a thread. And if there was, this thread could be the “flag-thread.”
The “deep sinner” I’m talking about is my brother. Like me, he grew up in a traditional Catholic household, though it wasn’t at all strict. But, when I was away at Franciscan University, (basically losing my faith–but that’s another thread), my family moved to Montana. That’s where my brother hooked up with some pretty rough kids. Drugs, booze, sex as casual as Monday night football–everything. I was too far away and too clueless to believe my baby brother was getting messed up in things like that.
I mention this because while my brother has done some things he’ll probably want to keep from his children, he’s still one of the wisest guys I know. Even when mired in the pit of it all, he didn’t make excuses–at least not to anyone else. He called a sin a sin and knew that most of the things he was doing were gravely wrong. When I got some of the details, I let it go because I knew, as proud as he was, he’d come around.
He’s now come around. Now, the only place he “cruises” for chicks is Church. And tonight, he gave me an invaluable bit of advice.
I told him about the ever-developing situation with my non-Catholic girlfriend, and how I’ve had to swallow a lot of pride to deal with a certain situation. His advice was to “drop her like a sack of potatos.” He was very clear about this–he’d waited for his wife to change, told himself a lot of nonsense, and eventually she basically went insane, nearly dragging him down too. Ultimately, the marriage was annulled, and for good reasons.
I told him my situation was “complicated,” but when my girlfriend joked five minutes later about a certain intimate moment she’d shared with the musician on stage at that moment, I knew he was right. If you’re a faithful Catholic, there can be no compromises. There are no “complicated” situations between Catholics and non-Catholics who don’t share certain core beliefs.
My advice to anyone dating a non-Catholic: drop 'em. Trust me, buds, it ain’t worth it.
The “deep sinner” I’m talking about is my brother. Like me, he grew up in a traditional Catholic household, though it wasn’t at all strict. But, when I was away at Franciscan University, (basically losing my faith–but that’s another thread), my family moved to Montana. That’s where my brother hooked up with some pretty rough kids. Drugs, booze, sex as casual as Monday night football–everything. I was too far away and too clueless to believe my baby brother was getting messed up in things like that.
I mention this because while my brother has done some things he’ll probably want to keep from his children, he’s still one of the wisest guys I know. Even when mired in the pit of it all, he didn’t make excuses–at least not to anyone else. He called a sin a sin and knew that most of the things he was doing were gravely wrong. When I got some of the details, I let it go because I knew, as proud as he was, he’d come around.
He’s now come around. Now, the only place he “cruises” for chicks is Church. And tonight, he gave me an invaluable bit of advice.
I told him about the ever-developing situation with my non-Catholic girlfriend, and how I’ve had to swallow a lot of pride to deal with a certain situation. His advice was to “drop her like a sack of potatos.” He was very clear about this–he’d waited for his wife to change, told himself a lot of nonsense, and eventually she basically went insane, nearly dragging him down too. Ultimately, the marriage was annulled, and for good reasons.
I told him my situation was “complicated,” but when my girlfriend joked five minutes later about a certain intimate moment she’d shared with the musician on stage at that moment, I knew he was right. If you’re a faithful Catholic, there can be no compromises. There are no “complicated” situations between Catholics and non-Catholics who don’t share certain core beliefs.
My advice to anyone dating a non-Catholic: drop 'em. Trust me, buds, it ain’t worth it.