Growing Up Catholic

Catholic since birth, sharing feelings on my faith

[portraitsofsaints]

Saint Julia of Corsica

Died: 5th century

Feast day: May 23

Patronage: torture victims, pathologies of the hands and the feet, Corsica, France, Brescia and Livorno, Italy

Saint Julia Corsica, also known as Saint Julia of Carthage, was born in Carthage to a noble family. In 616, the city was conquered by the Vandals and she was captured and sold as a slave to the pagan merchant, Eusebius. St. Julia’s beauty, her faithfulness, and abilities as a hard worker proved her worth to her master. In 620, while traveling to France, Eusebius stopped at a pagan festival. The Governor tried to make Julia sacrifice to their gods but she refused. He even offered to buy her from Eusebius. "No,” Eusebius replied, "All you own will not buy her. I would willingly lose the most valuable thing in the world rather than lose her.” So while Eusebius slept, the governor kidnapped, tortured and crucified Julia. Her relics are in Brescia, Italy at a Benedictine Abby.

Prints, plaques & holy cards available for purchase. (website)

[habitualcatholic]

Lessons for Living

Some words to ponder on from St. Pope John Paul II, especially for those that desire to know the meaning to life.

62. Seek Jesus

Seek Jesus. Let your life be a continual, sincere search for Him, without ever tiring, without ever abandoning the undertaking, even though darkness should fall on your spirit, temptations should beset you, and grief and incomprehension wring your heart. These are things that are part of life here below; they are inevitable, but they can also be beneficial because they mature our spirit. We must never turn back, even if it should seem to you that the light of Christ is fading. On the contrary, continue seeking with renewed faith and greater generosity.

79. The Will of the Lord

To be able to discover the actual will of the Lord in our lives always involves the following: receptive listening to the Word of God and the Church, fervent and constant prayer, recourse to a wise and loving spiritual guide, and faithful discernment of the gifts and talent given us by God.

[fictionadventurer]

Enough convoluted "dying violinist needing an organ donor" thought experiments.

Let's bring this back to basics. Let's tell another story.

Imagine you're on a long journey, traveling by foot through rough terrain. A child is traveling with you. The child is too young to care for itself and you have to carry it as you travel. No one else can carry the child. If you abandon the child, it will die. After nine months of the journey, you will reach a place where you will be able to give the child to the care of others, but until then, the child requires your help to keep it alive.

You may or may not have a moral obligation to care for this child. But if you refuse to help this child, you are not the hero of the story. If you kill the child, you are not the hero of the story.

The violinist argument is disingenuous because it imagines that you are obligated to connect yourself to the person. In the real-life situation, that moment had already passed. You have been connected to this person. Unfair or not, their survival depends upon your temporary sacrifice. And it's not some unknown adult. It's an innocent child who is completely dependent on your help. You could argue all day about the analogies or the justice of it, but it doesn't change the cold, hard facts.

The one who kills a helpless child is never the hero of the story. You can say all you want that the choice has to exist. It doesn't mean that one choice isn't the wrong one.

[oldblogiwantodelete-deactivated]

If a woman is seeking abortion, it means that she has lost hope in a search for help. She is already a mother and is in need of our support to thrive as one along with the wellbeing of her child.

Here are some resources for mothers in need of support:

Letthemlive.org

Americanpregnancy.org

Sistersoflife.org

(Please add more if you know of any!)

[habitualcatholic]

If you’re in the NJ & NYC area , the Good Counsel Homes are a great haven for pregnant mothers in need.

[headspace-hotel]

A ton of women are anti-abortion and cheer Roe v Wade being overturned and often I don't think there is any reason deeper than not having personally experienced an unwanted pregnancy and never having seriously imagined it

[sonia-marmeladova]

That’s because you lack the ability to conceive that people disagree with you without also being comically evil or stupid. You live in a cartoon world where the people who disagree with you could not possibly have any remotely sound reasoning - they are either demons or just woefully ignorant.

There are women who conceived by rape, who have a terminal pregnancy, who suffered ectopic pregnancies and repeat miscarriages and high risk pregnancies with severe complications, and still don’t believe murdering their babies is a solution to their problems.

[singhallelujahh]

My brother who died two years ago was a crisis pregnancy and practically everyone in my mother’s life wanted her to get an abortion when she found out she was pregnant with him. She’s been absolutely wracked with grief ever since the ruling came out because of memories from that time and the years she spent trying to convince him that he was loved and wanted and his life was worth it. So yeah actually I think sometimes women are pro-life because they have known and loved a child that this world didn’t value.

[habitualcatholic]

OP believes that because it makes it easier for them to believe abortion is good and necessary. One reason I am pro-life is because of other pro-life women who have HAD an abortion. Abortion can be devastating but the industry paints this narrative of it being the sane choice vs. monstrous pro-lifers so that they can take down the choice of life. That choice doesn’t bring them any money.

[life-advocate-feminist]

I have such mixed emotions about today. Because it’s not such an easy win. This is beyond messy. Women still don’t have the support they need to raise a family. Pro life laws are oversimplified and lacking in medical clarity. Pro choicers spread misinformation like wildfire.

While some pro choicers are responding with violence, most are scared, which is something I’ve never seen before. They think that this decision means they are doomed. That if they have a pregnancy complication or miscarriage, that they will be a criminal. My little sisters friends are discussing what they will do if they get raped and impregnated. That is not something a child should have to think about.

So maybe the law is on our side, but this isn’t everything. We need to fight like hell to spread pro life resources, create comprehensive and foolproof pro life laws, humanize the unborn, combat misinformation, end the idea that abortion is a woman’s only option, and SO much more. This historical day is just the beginning.

[acatholicrose]

[catholicliving]

When a hymn at Mass has the same tune as “Lord of the Dance”

Me:

[hilarioushumorfromouterspace]

[aubs-of-steel-deactivated201708]

fun fact: The last supper would have been more like this, according to tradition:

[evangeline-elena-deactivated201]

so casual i love it

[thedevoteddemon]

a sleepover with jc and the boys

[hotcommunist-deactivated2019032]

Paul: Judas truth or dare??

Judas: dare

Paul: okay lmao I dare u to kiss JC

[ghoulfr13nd]

Jesus: ok your turn peter truth or dare

Peter: truth

Jesus: would you ever betray me peter

[catholicliving]

Are we just going to casually gloss over the fact that someone thinks Paul was at the Last Supper?

[habitualcatholic]

Hahah that is the first thing I noticed

[acatholicrose]

[fritternx]

I have discovered that I can make memes about the Bible, and this opens a whole new world of possibilities

[habitualcatholic]

Reblogging solely for use of a Jojo meme

[by-grace-of-god]

44th Annual March for Life - Washington D. C. 2017

“I’m sure that a lot of people who are in favour of abortion, thought well this group is just going to die off and age out and it’s gotten younger and younger and bigger and bigger.” - Cardinal Seán Patrick O'Malley

Photos: DailyPress

[pass-me-a-pencil]

Please don’t ignore the March for Life.

It’s on Friday and it’s important.  It’s attended by hundreds of thousands of people, and the media seems to ignore it every single year. Or worse, they make it seem like it’s a quaint small gathering. I’ve marched. It’s not. They’ll tell you that it’s heavily attended by pro-choicers, too, and they’re wrong. The year I went I barely counted a dozen counter-protesters.

I stood at the top of Capitol Hill and looked all the way back to the horizon. The street and sidewalks were packed the entire way. Packed with balloons, and signs, and singing, and little old ladies praying, and families and young people from all walks of life. 

On Friday there’s going to be a beautiful, peaceful protest against all affronts to human life. And while most people start with abortion, it’s about so much more than that.  Maybe there won’t be a million people yet this year. Maybe there won’t be crude hats and catchy chants. But this is a March for Women, too. This is a march for everyone.

Please don’t ignore it.

[habitualcatholic]

Why are men forced to pay for a woman’s body?

I am talking about child support and am looking for a legitimate reasoning because I find it odd that both ideas exist in our society. 

[tobeyisprochoice]

This is somewhat confusing, because child support does not pay for/buy a woman’s body? I’m not sure what you’re trying to say here, would you please clarify? This idea does not seem to exist.

[habitualcatholic]

I was trying to figure out how the logic that a woman can choose to have an abortion or not because it is her body, matches up with the logic that a man is legally obligated to pay for the child should she choose to not get an abortion against his wishes. So essentially how does it go from being her body to his obligation?

There have been a couple of reblogs that have explained that the reasoning includes bodily autonomy so I have a better understanding of how the logic matches up.

[tobeyisprochoice]

So you have a better understanding now?

Would you mind explaining your current understanding?

I’m still not entirely sure what you’ve been trying to figure out, but I’d be interested to know your conclusions.

[habitualcatholic]

Sure. 

As I’m not pro-abortion I was curious how the ideas coexisted for those who support abortion and as it was explained to me, the reasoning is that child support payments do not force the man to give up autonomy of his body therefore it is not comparable to the woman’s situation.

[rediscoveringhope-deactivated20]

Some days I'm like hey I really want to be a nun, but other days I'm like hey, I really want to get married and have 6 kids and name them all after my favorite saints. ☺️

[strugglingcatholic]

Dude saaaaaaame

[habitualcatholic]

That's exactly what happened to my sister. She was pretty set on the convent but God was like

Now she has five kids all named after saints.

[habitualcatholic]

Celibacy in a Modern World

I’m not very pious so I was hesitant about attending a Catholic/Christian singles event a few years back. I went ahead with it because I had yet to meet someone that didn’t expect me to give it up right away. 

Just as I thought, these people were WAY more knowledgeable about the faith than I was, and everything about their life seemed to give glory to God so I felt out of place.

That is until one of the men I was talking to said he gets super horny when he volunteers with the Sisters of Life.

He wasn’t the only creeper I met that night either. Yeesh. Anyone else have horror stories to share?

[habitualcatholic]

Why are men forced to pay for a woman’s body?

I am talking about child support and am looking for a legitimate reasoning because I find it odd that both ideas exist in our society. 

[tobeyisprochoice]

This is somewhat confusing, because child support does not pay for/buy a woman’s body? I’m not sure what you’re trying to say here, would you please clarify? This idea does not seem to exist.

[habitualcatholic]

I was trying to figure out how the logic that a woman can choose to have an abortion or not because it is her body, matches up with the logic that a man is legally obligated to pay for the child should she choose to not get an abortion against his wishes. So essentially how does it go from being her body to his obligation?

There have been a couple of reblogs that have explained that the reasoning includes bodily autonomy so I have a better understanding of how the logic matches up.