D
DancingMyDays
Guest
Hello there. My name is Stephanie. I am 21 years old, and work as a dance teacher - my dream job. I was baptised into the Catholic Faith and was very proud of it - up until high school. More on that later.
My father was in the Air Force while I was growing up, and I got to live in and visit many amazing places. In 1997, I even went to the Vatican for Easter with JPII. Always being surrounded by different cultures, my parents emphasized to never judge others, no matter their skin color, their gender, or their religion. It became a practice that whenever I was invited to ANY place of worship, I was required to go and learn - not to push me away from the Church, but to keep my mind open. I feel I was blessed to be able to visit Buddhist temples, Jewish Synagogues, and a variety of Protestant churches.
In high school however, I moved to Oklahoma, and where I was, everyone did not like Catholics. For the first time in my life, I was being told by my peers that I was going to Hell because I did not follow their faith. It was hard, and it helped drive me into a deep depression. I found counsel in the Catholic church, but just barely. After months of struggling with suicide attempts and anxiety attacks, I decided to declare myself Agnostic. I was sure of the existence of G-d, and His Son, but I was pressured out of practicing my faith. 2 years I did not go to Church, and though it was not horrible, I did not ever feel fulfilled.
I came to Texas for college, and a friend invited me to the Catholic Student Association at my university. I figured it would be a good place to meet new friends, and so I decided to attend a meeting. I was blown away. There was such a positive energy. And all around me was a diverse group of people. There were people of different races and stories, there were a couple of protestants and homosexuals even!.!. It brought me to happy tears to see people not being judging, but just loving and listening. On Sundays we transformed the student center and held Mass, with a guest Priest every week. Since we were all young adults, the homilies were directed at us as the next generation of Catholics.
I decided my favorite thing about my teachings of Catholicism - not ONCE was I ever told to tell somebody else that they are going to Hell for not being Catholic.
That was 3 years ago, and now I am still very proud to be Catholic. It has carried me through a lot. Though now I have some things I am trying to sort out. A yearly activity at CSA is we have a panel where we can ask Priest, Decons, Nuns, and Brothers any questions we come up with. Always common is the Church’s view on Homosexuality. And a Priest answered with this: “In the Church, the purpose of marriage is Procreation. So two men or two women can not ever be married in the church. But to be married by LAW, by the STATE, is different. And to that, we have no opposition” I think is is a good answer. I was wondering if anyone has any comments/oppositions to that?
I do admit - I do not go to Church regularly. But my reason is not that I am lazy or that I find it pointless - I go to receive Communion when I feel compelled in my heart - when I need and deserve it. I have a friend who goes to church every Sunday, and throws a fit when her boyfriend doesn’t go with her due to the fact that she has gone every Sunday in her life. Yet the other 6 days of the week, I see her drown herself in alcohol and infidelity. In my eyes, it defeats the purpose. I choose to remain sober, and faithful to my body and my boyfriend, and often go to Mass during the week instead of on Sunday. Please tell me if this is worse than my friend - it is something I feel a bit confused on.
It is a bit of a read, but if you do read it, I would appreciate insight. This past year has been trying on me - my parents got a divorce after 22 years, I lost my job, and I dropped out of school, but now with Faith I am back on the right track. I am going to World Youth Day to find closure on what I feel is my childhood, and look forward to a life as an “adult”. Please pray for me, and I will for you. Thank you for your time friends, and God Bless
My father was in the Air Force while I was growing up, and I got to live in and visit many amazing places. In 1997, I even went to the Vatican for Easter with JPII. Always being surrounded by different cultures, my parents emphasized to never judge others, no matter their skin color, their gender, or their religion. It became a practice that whenever I was invited to ANY place of worship, I was required to go and learn - not to push me away from the Church, but to keep my mind open. I feel I was blessed to be able to visit Buddhist temples, Jewish Synagogues, and a variety of Protestant churches.
In high school however, I moved to Oklahoma, and where I was, everyone did not like Catholics. For the first time in my life, I was being told by my peers that I was going to Hell because I did not follow their faith. It was hard, and it helped drive me into a deep depression. I found counsel in the Catholic church, but just barely. After months of struggling with suicide attempts and anxiety attacks, I decided to declare myself Agnostic. I was sure of the existence of G-d, and His Son, but I was pressured out of practicing my faith. 2 years I did not go to Church, and though it was not horrible, I did not ever feel fulfilled.
I came to Texas for college, and a friend invited me to the Catholic Student Association at my university. I figured it would be a good place to meet new friends, and so I decided to attend a meeting. I was blown away. There was such a positive energy. And all around me was a diverse group of people. There were people of different races and stories, there were a couple of protestants and homosexuals even!.!. It brought me to happy tears to see people not being judging, but just loving and listening. On Sundays we transformed the student center and held Mass, with a guest Priest every week. Since we were all young adults, the homilies were directed at us as the next generation of Catholics.
I decided my favorite thing about my teachings of Catholicism - not ONCE was I ever told to tell somebody else that they are going to Hell for not being Catholic.
That was 3 years ago, and now I am still very proud to be Catholic. It has carried me through a lot. Though now I have some things I am trying to sort out. A yearly activity at CSA is we have a panel where we can ask Priest, Decons, Nuns, and Brothers any questions we come up with. Always common is the Church’s view on Homosexuality. And a Priest answered with this: “In the Church, the purpose of marriage is Procreation. So two men or two women can not ever be married in the church. But to be married by LAW, by the STATE, is different. And to that, we have no opposition” I think is is a good answer. I was wondering if anyone has any comments/oppositions to that?
I do admit - I do not go to Church regularly. But my reason is not that I am lazy or that I find it pointless - I go to receive Communion when I feel compelled in my heart - when I need and deserve it. I have a friend who goes to church every Sunday, and throws a fit when her boyfriend doesn’t go with her due to the fact that she has gone every Sunday in her life. Yet the other 6 days of the week, I see her drown herself in alcohol and infidelity. In my eyes, it defeats the purpose. I choose to remain sober, and faithful to my body and my boyfriend, and often go to Mass during the week instead of on Sunday. Please tell me if this is worse than my friend - it is something I feel a bit confused on.
It is a bit of a read, but if you do read it, I would appreciate insight. This past year has been trying on me - my parents got a divorce after 22 years, I lost my job, and I dropped out of school, but now with Faith I am back on the right track. I am going to World Youth Day to find closure on what I feel is my childhood, and look forward to a life as an “adult”. Please pray for me, and I will for you. Thank you for your time friends, and God Bless
