A Gift of Self on 9/11/01

Authentic love courageously perseveres and selflessly sacrifices, putting others' well-being first.

"To humanity, which sometimes seems to be lost and dominated by the power of evil, selfishness and fear, the risen Lord gives the gift of his love which forgives, reconciles and reopens the soul to hope." - Blessed John Paul II

What's in a Name?

In preparation for the upcoming school year, I have been redesigning and reordering many of the materials we use for the In Control chastity education program. I was particularly struck by one that lists some of the freedoms gained through practicing the virtue of chastity:

Freedom from:

1. Sexually transmitted diseases

2. Being used

3. Guilt

4. The hazards of birth control

5. Cervical cancer

6. Unintended pregnancy

7. The pressure to abort, the pain of making an adoption plan, and the demands of pre-marital parenting

 

Freedom to:

1. Build relationships

2. Understand sex and sexuality

3. Overcome temptation

4. Put others first

5. Follow Christ

6. Become who I was created to be

I couldn't help but notice that the first list is conditions/outcomes, while the second is free actions. Chastity often makes the difference between "ending up" with negative results and voluntarily choosing a course of action.

It's no wonder that our program is called In Control.

Nice to Meet You!

Hi, I'm Kelly, the new girl. I am 22 years old and the fourth of five children in a cradle Catholic family. I have played soccer since I was four, and I love to sing and make people laugh. For as long as I can remember, I have had the habit of twirling my hair and an irrational fear of needles. I laugh loudly and often, my favorite color is pink, my favorite food is sushi, and my pet peeves include morning radio and losing things.
I transferred to Franciscan University of Steubenville as a junior catechetics major and, in my two years there, I sang in music ministry, was a cast member of Pun Intended (an improvisational comedy team), and active in the household Carae Domini. I played varsity soccer my junior year, became captain my senior year, and served as the assistant women’s coach during my final semester at the University.
I founded Puritas Ministries when I was 18 years old as a response to my friends’ need and desire for an understanding of the virtue of chastity. Since then, with the help of amazing volunteers, I have developed and expanded the mission of the program to serve young women more holistically. The program continues to emphasize chastity with a wider focus on understanding how to be women of faith as God created each of us to be.
Spreading the message of the freedom found in chastity is one of my favorite activities, so of course I am super pumped to jump in the classrooms and talk to students in the Cinci area. Working with this beautiful organization (plus the wonderful staff, board, and volunteers) is a sincere privilege, as serving women is a deep desire of my heart. I am so pleased to be joining Pregnancy Center East as a chastity educator and I look forward to all that lies ahead. May God bless those who read this blog.

Ten inspiring young Catholics!

This is great news for the Church . . . Inspiring to see so many amazing young people! Including Matthew Fradd of the The Porn Effect and Lila Rose of Live Action . . .

"Meet Ten Amazing Young Catholics." - posted in the UK Catholic Herald.

WORLD YOUTH DAY!

I love our Pope!

MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS

POPE BENEDICT XVI

FOR THE TWENTY-SIXTH WORLD YOUTH DAY (2011)

“Planted and built up in Jesus Christ,

firm in the faith” (cf. Col 2:7)

"In every period of history, including our own, many young people experience a deep desire for personal relationships marked by truth and solidarity. Many of them yearn to build authentic friendships, to know true love, to start a family that will remain united, to achieve personal fulfilment and real security, all of which are the guarantee of a serene and happy future. . . . Part of being young is desiring something beyond everyday life and a secure job, a yearning for something really truly greater. Is this simply an empty dream that fades away as we become older? No! Men and women were created for something great, for infinity. Nothing else will ever be enough. Saint Augustine was right when he said “our hearts are restless till they find their rest in you”. The desire for a more meaningful life is a sign that God created us and that we bear his “imprint”. God is life, and that is why every creature reaches out towards life. Because human beings are made in the image of God, we do this in a unique and special way. We reach out for love, joy and peace. So we can see how absurd it is to think that we can truly live by removing God from the picture! God is the source of life. To set God aside is to separate ourselves from that source and, inevitably, to deprive ourselves of fulfilment and joy: “without the Creator, the creature fades into nothingness” (Second Vatican Council, Gaudium et Spes, 36). "

- Message for the XXVI World Youth Day, 2011

You can read his addresses and WATCH LIVE here.

So, what is it?

1. I am a girl. Which means that I am partial to chick flicks, enjoy chocolate quite frequently, and just so happen to love the color pink, and really like flowers. [Not that you have to be into chick flicks, chocolate and the color pink to be a girl, but it hasn't hurt me yet.]

2. I am a chastity educator. Which means that I spend large quantities of my time and energy talking about, thinking about, blogging about, and reading about the subject of LOVE. [Because chastity has everything to do with authentic love. It does. Think about it. For a very long time.]

2. I love love. Real love - not just the chick flicks that are saturated with it [all you have to do is read the synopsis of Crazy, Stupid, Love - which speaks for itself. But I won't even go there...] or the Valentine's Day roses, or even the chocolate. We are literally surrounded with the idea that love is a feeling . . . that it's the fireworks, the infatuation, the chick flicks, Katy Perry's songs etc. Not that loving sappy chick flicks or flowers is bad . . .

But. True love? Real love?

Check this out. I have read this at least three or four times today (remember, I am a chastity educator) but it is absolutely beautiful. Beautiful. Deep down, I think we all realize that we're called to more than what we're surrounded by. Especially when it comes to love. Because this is what we were MADE for.

Just to give you an idea . . .

One day two disciples were walking down a dusty road with their Teacher, and the conversation turned toward marriage, and how the only enduring foundation for marriage is true love.

“Teacher,” one of them asked, “please tell us, What is true love?”

And the Teacher said to them,

“If a man and a woman find joy in one another’s presence,

if they can scarcely keep themselves apart,

if to her,

He is like the sun rising in its strength and beauty,

if she loves to hear his voice, to look at Him and to feel his arms around her,

and if to him,

She is like the moon and ten thousand stars shining on a summer’s night,

or like the fragrance of roses at dawn….

if her touch is like magic and her kisses sweeter than wine,

if they love to laugh together, sing together, dance together, cry together—

this is a gift from God, it is good.

But, I tell you solemnly, this is not true love . . . "

So what is it? Find out.

"The King's Men" Fight Porn

The title of Dave Dinuzzo's blog post the other day caught my eye: "Local Group Takes Porn Protest into Adult World . . . " These men have dedicated their time and energy into showing the world what Real Men look like - and it's making a difference.

Check out Dave Dinuzzo's website and blog http://www.truemanhood.com/ Incidentally, Dave is also a fellow Benedictine College grad - Go Ravens!