Monthly Archives: September 2011

When Moderation Fails…

Posted on September 29, 2011 by Mary| Leave a comment

“Complete abstinence is easier than perfect moderation”

     -Saint Augustine

Apparently this is the week to post my thoughts about saint quotes on Young And Catholic. Tuesday it was Saint Francis.  Today it’s Augustine.  (What can I say? I guess writer’s block is more easily conquered when a saint puts the first words on the page).

Just to clarify: a lot of people hear “abstinence” and immediately think of it pertaining to sex.  In case you didn’t already figure it out, the word is being used in a broader sense here.  Like if you struggle with, say, wasting time on Facebook, it’s easier to just throw the computer out the window and be done with it than it is to walk by it without checking the last hour’s status updates.  That’s abstinence vs. moderation.

Personally, I’ve always sort of heard in this quote something like a challenge.  As in: abstinence is taking the easy way out, so you should shoot for moderation.  It means you’re holier.

Here’s the thing though: sometimes we really do just need to throw the computer out the window (and that may not be as metaphorical as you think it is).  Returning to the Facebook analogy, how many of us deactivate our accounts around finals time while we’re in school?  Why do we do that?  Because we know we can’t handle it in moderation.  We need to remove the temptation of Facebook so that we can focus on our studies.

Why do we not approach our sin in the same way?  Why do we place ourselves again and again in the same occasions of sin, knowing full well what happened the last time?  It’s not making us holier trying to “stand strong” in the face of our sin when we just end up falling again and again.  We need to face facts.  We’re not that strong.  We need God’s grace, yes.  But we also need to use the reason He gave us and learn our limits.

If moderation isn’t working for you, try abstinence.  Be strong enough to do whatever it takes to avoid sin.

In conclusion, my lesson learned for this week: I need to spend a lot more time thinking about the quotes I read from the saints.  They’re much smarter than I am :)

Posted in Stuff Catholics Do, You & God, Youthful Antics

How to Avoid Talking About Jesus

Posted on September 27, 2011 by Mary| 7 Comments

“Preach the gospel at all times.  Use words when necessary”.

                   -Saint Francis of Assisi

Is it bad that I almost cringe when I hear this quote?  Ok, probably.  To be fair though, the very first time I ever heard it, I thought it was one of the coolest quotes ever.  And that initial reaction probably has something to do with its effect on me now…

You see, when you tell a shy person that words are unnecessary, we tend to run with it.  And run with it I did.  Hey, so long as I’m living my own life as an example to others, I never really have to put myself on the line, right?

Clearly this is not at all what Saint Francis meant.  He meant that we are to live for Christ in such a profound way that people cannot help but notice something different, and that is bound to lead to some words (and bound to make us shy people a little bit uncomfortable).  But we will always find a way out of actually proclaiming the Gospel if we are looking for one…

Another common go-to for those of us who are often hesitant to actually share our beliefs has to do with parables.  It’s the almighty one-liner that proudly asserts that Jesus himself often taught in parables rather than teaching a traveling Catechism class. Indeed, the power of a compelling story to convey a message is something valuable for anybody to understand, and can be effective for some aspects of evangelization.  However, it is very possible to overstate the power of story when it comes to evangelization.

It would be a mistake for any person, just beginning to discover the power of the parable, to reduce all of evangelization simply to storytelling. Because while it is true that Jesus often taught in parables, he did not teach exclusively in parables.  And it would be silly to argue that Jesus’ teaching was always more effective when he used stories, as the parables often left the disciples scratching their heads (and they at least actually had the opportunity to ask for clarification!).

It seems that Jesus often used stories not to clarify but, at least in a certain sense, to conceal a deeper meaning. In Matthew’s gospel, we see Jesus begin to speak in parables only after the Jewish leaders reject him—something important to take note of. The gospel is for everyone, though not everyone is for the gospel.

In his encyclical on evangelization in the modern world, Pope Paul VI tells us that “The Good News proclaimed by the witness of life sooner or later has to be proclaimed by the word of life.”

And specifically:

“There is no true evangelization if the name, the teaching, the life, the promises, the kingdom and the mystery of Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God are not proclaimed”

It’s not that we should all be yelling about Jesus from the street corners.  It’s just that we can’t fool ourselves into thinking we’re sharing Christ with others if we’re afraid to speak His name.

Posted in Stuff Catholics Do, You & God, Youthful Antics

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From the Flight Deck: A Wake Up Call

Posted on September 22, 2011 by Mary| 2 Comments

Two days ago, I found myself on an airplane flying home from Dallas.  I am not at all a chatty person on airplanes.  I’m that person who is either buried in a book, or plugged into headphones, or sleeping (or both).  I will probably greet you at the beginning of the flight, but if it’s up to me, that will be our only real contact.

Things were going fine.  An older gentleman took his seat next to mine, and we exchanged the typical greetings: “hello, how are you?”, “coming home or leaving?”, “what line of work are you in?”

And then I learned something rather terrifying about my chosen path in life.  If someone asks you what you do, and your response is, “I’m studying to get my MA in Biblical Theology,” you better be prepared for what is about to happen.

“Biblical Theology!” the man exclaimed, “You’re going to have to explain that one!”

As it turns out, what my defensive, introverted, and terrified self initially mistook for judgmental scoff was actually something closer to inspired shock—which only scared me more.  Here sitting next to me was this pleasant Christian fellow, amazed that someone my age was actually pursuing studying Scripture, and he was dying to talk to me about it.  He had all these questions and things he had recently read or heard that he wanted to get my opinion on, as if he assumed that I would be someone who could answer.

It didn’t scare me simply because I couldn’t answer all of his questions (I am a student, after all, and no one can be expected to have all of the answers).  It scared me because in that moment I began to realize what responsibility this degree is going to come with.  People are going to look to me as if I know the answers to some of the most important questions you can ask.  That’s a lot of pressure.

The plus side is that it all has to come from God, and I will succeed in achieving His plans for my life so long as I stay close to Him.  I guess sometimes I just need God to put that guy on the plane next to me to remind me.

Posted in You & God

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College 101

Posted on September 20, 2011 by Mary| Leave a comment

Originally Posted on February 1, 2011

In less than nine months, I will join the ranks of people who call themselves college graduates.  It’s kind of a crazy idea to wrap my mind around.  According to certain statistics, this simple fact means that I will potentially be able to make nearly twice the amount I could make if I just had a high school diploma; I will be twice as likely to get and keep a job, and, according to some, I will be just an all-around happier person.

Sounds like a pretty good deal.  So then why is the National Inflation Association reporting that college education is possibly one of the largest scams in U.S. history?  Well, perhaps because many people my age let it be so.

College is expensive.  There is no arguing that.  But I truly believe that the education you can receive in college can be worth every penny put down, and then some.  However, at the end of four years, many people my age are finding they have not gotten out of the college experience what they hoped they would when they started.  Why is this?

Personally, I think this has everything to do with the mentality of us young adults in college. Rather than going to school to get ready for the “real world”, I think many people use college as a means to put off growing up.

We fall back on the old “everybody experiments in college” line, or make other excuses for our stupid behavior.  “Everyone else” gets drunk every weekend, so we do it, too.  “Everyone else” is sleeping around; “everyone else” is smoking pot; these things are “just what you do” in college.  We’ll grow up a little closer to graduation.  Right now, we just want to have a little fun.

Well, contrary to what a lot of people might say, people don’t grow up by getting the young and stupid behavior “out of their system”.  We grow up by choosing not to take part in childish or stupid behavior at all.  Stupidity is not the absence of knowledge.  Stupidity is acting contrary to the knowledge you have.  Saying you have to be stupid before you can be wise is like saying you have to be sick before you can be healthy.  It’s just not true.

It kills me to see people in our generation settling for this.  Put aside for a moment the fact that, upon graduation, we will have no idea what to do with our lives, having squandered our time and money spent on college going to parties and sleeping around.  The real tragedy of a college experience spent like this is what it does to a person.

If college is a “scam”, it’s not because we spend too much money on an education that doesn’t get us a job at the end of four years.  If college is a “scam”, I believe it is because we pay tens of thousands of dollars in order to live a lifestyle that slowly destroys us.  There is no happiness in that kind of lifestyle.  In truth, there is a lot of pain, and a lot of regret.

I think that, as a generation, we need to point out that the emperor isn’t wearing any clothes here. Let’s stop buying into this lie that college is for acting stupid on the way to growing up.  Why wait until graduation to start making a positive impact on the world?  Positive change has to start with you.

(Author’s Note:  Currently on Blogging Vacation.  New Posts Will Be Back on September 22nd)

 

Posted in Youthful Antics

The Music of My Life

Posted on September 15, 2011 by Mary| 1 Comment

Originally Posted on January 27, 2011

There are few things in life that have the ability to unite people the way music can.  Sometimes even the way we first get to know people is through music.

I believe this is especially evident in people around my age group—specifically on college campuses. Freshmen year of college, the first few days of living with a new roommate can be awkward, so a common thing to do is to turn on music to fill the silence.  A conversation begins, “Oh you like this band?  You should check out this other group I have.”  For many, music is the beginning of friendship.

This is of course a positive thing; but sometimes I think we can use music as a cop-out to not be completely who we are.  We can hide behind music and let ourselves be defined by the music we listen to.  I personally think this is a kind of sad reality of our generation.  It’s awesome that you were the first of your friends to discover the latest indie-band, but in the end…what does it really matter?

It is one thing to identify with the lyrics or message of a song; it is another thing entirely to feel that the entire meaning of your life is encapsulated within a 3-minute melody.  But this is something we do.  I know I am guilty of it.  I will hear a lyric that really hits home at a specific moment in my life.  A break-up is a great example of this.   Your heart feels like it was trampled on the floor…you think that no one can understand the pain you’re going through when suddenly, just at the right moment, a song on your iTunes shuffle sums up exactly what you’re going through so perfectly and succinctly…and only in a few rhyming words.  It’s cathartic.  It’s beautiful.  It’s healthy even.

But then I take it a little too far…

Instead of identifying with the line for a brief moment in time, I’ll listen to it over and over again, until before I know it (or really realize what I am doing), it is no longer I recognizing myself in a song, but the song dictating the way I am acting and viewing myself and my situation.  I get stuck in a rut of sadness and borderline despair and wonder why my life isn’t getting any better.

We are a funny generation, because on the one hand we acknowledge the great power music has to influence the culture, but on the other hand we sometimes deny the effect it can have on each of our individual lives.

We can’t listen to music without being affected by it to some degree.  So we need to use discretion when listening to music.  It’s not that everyone who listens to angry rap music is going to go hold up their local AM PM; but the ideas and themes in the songs we listen to do affect us.  To think that listening and rocking out to a song that speaks about women in an offensive manner won’t affect the way you view women is illogical.  Just like the compulsive liar who ends up not being able to discern between even his own truth and lies, neither will we be able to keep a strong hold on our convictions if we constantly listen to music that celebrates going against them.

This of course implies that we have deeply-held convictions in the first place.  What are yours?  Where did they come from?  Think about it.  Decide for yourself.  Don’t let the culture and the music you listen to decide for you.

(Author’s Note:  Currently on Blogging Vacation.  New Posts Will Be Back on September 22nd)

Posted in Pop Culture, Youthful Antics