quixotic:
exactly… what makes marriage special then??? might as well not get married right??? there is no holiness to marriage anymore with all these stuff and marriage is just a piece of paper…
the thing is when??? how many times must i get burn first?? or is it god’s way of preparing me??? could be a lesson i guess. at least when i have a daugther, i could tell i went through the same stuff and got rejected because i refuse to bow down to preasure or let my principles go… but tis not easy… and rejection hurts…
I wish I could give you a “clean” answer about why it’s so difficult, but I can’t. Perhaps it’s God preparing you or maybe it’s simply Satan trying to tempt you away from your faith. All I can offer you is the simple fact that yes, it hurts (from personal experience) but never give up. I don’t know what marriage is like but seeing faith like yours makes me want to get there and experience it without any taint.
With inspiration from one’s fellow Catholics and hope provided by Christ, we can make it. Sometimes these words seem to fall short in answering the pain and suffering that results from rejection, but that’s the risk we take with faith. It’s a long road, but hey, at least we’re not alone! Hearing about the faith and struggles of others can often be that guiding light when temptation rears its ugly head.
quixotic:
real cool… tell me, i am sure it is not easy, but how many guys freinds of yours are like you??? do other people tease you about your choice??? what made you made this choice?? just curious…
thanks
I’ll try to be “quick” with my response, as I tend to ramble on.
I chose to become an active, REAL Catholic after I graduated high school. Though the high school I attended was Catholic, its actions and teachings tended otherwise, so obviously the conversion was rather hectic.
I was part of a large group of friends that had met through various sports and other activities, and was rather close throughout high school. Needless to say, our morals were not the best.
After the summer, when my real “conversion” took place, I saw almost every friendship end due to my new morals. So yes, the teasing was there
and is still around in college concerning the majority of new people I meet.
eg. meeting a guy in my same dorm:
Alpha male: “You like to drink?”
Me: “No. I did a little too much of that in high school.”
Alpha male: “Like to do __ with girls and stuff?”
Me: “No, I don’t go for that, too shallow for me.”
Alpha male: “…”
(As you can tell, our friendship lasted all of 5 seconds!)
Last questions:
I made this choice because… there’s no other choice to make! I can be a relativist and think that the cultural norms are okay and learn later on that I screwed up big time, or I can suck it up and be a man by accepting the truth of my faith, right here, right now.
I chose the latter. Sure, it was and is VERY hard to live faithfully, but the joy I receive from my choice is worth any rejection I can ever face.
As for how many guys do I know?.. ~10-15 off the top of my head, and that’s just close friends. I found that the WORST way to discover others like myself was through my university (public, ~27000 students… yuck) and so I turned to the most active parish I could find, and here I am, surrounded by tons of college kids going through the same trials and tribulations you and I are.
If that’s something that might help you, just find a parish with Lifeteen. The ministers in LT are all ~college age, and I’m sure you’ll be happy to meet some fellow “rejects”!
Having that social net to catch you when life seems overwhelming is simply invaluable. I honestly do not know whether or not I would still be trying to live as a Catholic if it wasn’t for the new people I met and connected with.
Saving yourself will not only make it so worthwhile, it will make you stronger also. If people want to laugh at you, its because deep down they fear they could never do what your doing. People only make fun of others because of fear. IMHO. 
