Pure Jewel
Being out in the world on your own, amidst the secularism and depravity of this day and age can be a challenge. Yet, it can also be a chance for us Catholics to be a witness for our faith and Lord. A light will shine its brightest where there is darkness. If you simply live your live as a pure vessel of Christ’s love, you will be noticed like a lamp in the darkness. Live out your faith, loving God, and living a life of purity.
This past fall was my first semester at college away from home and on my own. It was a lot of change all at once, and though I was excited for the new chapter of my life I was a tad overwhelmed, to say the least. The only way I got through those first couple of weeks was by clinging to my Lord, finding a Catholic group to keep me busy, and praying in earnest for strength. It was the first or second week that I had been away when the Catholic Campus ministry had adoration on campus. Now, I’m not a very weepy person, in fact I often get quite jealous of people who are so easily touched that they cry during a sappy movie or during Mass. I can watch the saddest movie ever and, though its quite touching, I won’t cry. I can have an amazing time in adoration with my Lord, but again, I won’t cry. Yet, this time was different. I was home- sick, overwhelmed, and felt alone. When you feel so helpless nothing gives you more comfort than that constant that we often take for granted- God. I knelt in adoration, bowed before our Lord, letting go of all my fear and anxiety and weeping in the comfort of his goodness. But with my tears, I was also crying for all the lost students on campus, for I had come to see that there were few with faith, and many in vice. In awe of my creator, I pitied these lost souls and wept and prayed for their conversion, that they might know the goodness of the Lord. I wanted so badly for everyone to understand that they were loved so very much. As time passed, I came to realize more fully that to live for Christ, even in seemingly small ways, is the best way to draw others to recognize truth and know God’s love.
It was saddening to hear of, and witness, the immorality of campus. You would hear stories of people getting hooked up after the first weekend at college. Girls, in the warmth of the early weeks of September, revealed as much skin as possible, and boys spoke braggingly of all the alcohol they had consumed. The rugby team was known for date rape, and sorority girls for wanting attention, no matter how base. I managed to find a good group of friends who were not amongst these lost souls for whom I prayed. Yet, I live in a co-ed dorm (they seem inescapable in public colleges unfortunately) and so my roommate and I would sometimes hang out with a couple guys from down the hall, some of which were lost indeed. Several were Catholic, though only one lived by his faith. Another was agnostic and enjoyed picking at the faith for kicks, which kept me busy. Three of the four guys were the sort that would take no shame in speaking of impure things; they were the ones that made me ache because I just wanted them to embrace the truth. Yet, I never directly addressed them on their way of living, but through my own choices and way of life they knew I did not approve. They knew I was Catholic (well if you ever enter my dorm room its kind of hard not to know.) There is a crucifix directly above my bed, catholic books on my shelf, and prayer books and prayer cards strewn across my nightstand. So it all gives me away rather easily! Sometimes they would ask questions about the faith and sometimes make jokes about me going to Mass during the week- who does that? I often felt as if they thought my conservative lifestyle was ridiculous and boring, but a day came where I realized they considered it more appealing than I had believed.
One day, one of the guys got a hold of my phone and thought he might get me riled by scrolling through my messages, which were very few. (I had learned that not making a big fuss was often the best way to approach such attempts at riling and so I said nothing.) At last he put down the phone seemingly disappointed, “ You have no juicy texts or pictures!” he said, “ how boring!” and he laughed. I answered with a resolute, “ No I do not” and rolled my eyes, but what I heard next shocked me. “ Maybe you actually have some self-respect.” He said and another guy agreed saying, “ wow, that’s a new one! What girl has self-respect these days? They just throw themselves out in the open.” This was the last thing I expected to hear from these guys- guys with few morals, and dirty jokes. Yet, This was not the last time that they mentioned self-respect and modesty. Not long after this event, they began talking about the pictures that girls posted on Facebook. You know the pictures- the ones where the face is hardly meant to be the center of attention…. Well, while they might seem to enjoy these pictures, they were actually ragging on them and again recognized that I did not post such pictures and were grateful. Yes, maybe a scantily clad girl will grab a boy’s attention but not his respect nor his love. Self-respect is what will gain admiration. These guys recognized and admired a bit of self-respect, they admired purity, and modesty though you would never think so.
They were in the darkness but they were drawn to the light.
This made me ever more resolute in my choice to live a good and pure life for my Lord. No matter how much of an anomaly you may be by living purely and holily- do so. You may not realize it, but those in the darkness will be attracted to the light that you possess, and thus directed towards the Lord. One who lives a pure Christian life will stand out in this world, as set apart from the others. This rarity will draw attention, and people will long for it, and see that it is found in a life of faith. I never expected to hear these guys speak in such a way, but they did. Deep down they knew what was good, and it was more appealing than the immorality of the world.
It is not always easy to live such a life but I had done it in a small way and gave witness to what I realized all souls were attracted to. Guys do desire a woman to live a life of purity and morality even if they will not admit to it. After witnessing this in my friends, that ache that I felt for the lost souls in adoration ached just a little bit less. For I saw that souls desired goodness, or at least were drawn to it, and this gave me hope. It was self-respect and purity that was noticed first – live a life of purity. You will be a beacon in the darkness, directing lost souls to the goodness that is in the Lord.
You are loved, remember this, recognize your own worth and honor it, never sell yourself short. Though this world may be a scary place when you face it for the first time on your own, cling to the Lord and he will give you strength. He will give you strength to be a shining light, a witness of his love. As St. John Bosco a young saintly man stated, "Holy purity, the queen of virtues, the angelic virtue, is a jewel so precious that those that possess it become like the angels of God even though enclosed in mortal flesh." Be a jewel, pure, rare and beautiful, shining for the glory of God!
Being out in the world on your own, amidst the secularism and depravity of this day and age can be a challenge. Yet, it can also be a chance for us Catholics to be a witness for our faith and Lord. A light will shine its brightest where there is darkness. If you simply live your live as a pure vessel of Christ’s love, you will be noticed like a lamp in the darkness. Live out your faith, loving God, and living a life of purity.
This past fall was my first semester at college away from home and on my own. It was a lot of change all at once, and though I was excited for the new chapter of my life I was a tad overwhelmed, to say the least. The only way I got through those first couple of weeks was by clinging to my Lord, finding a Catholic group to keep me busy, and praying in earnest for strength. It was the first or second week that I had been away when the Catholic Campus ministry had adoration on campus. Now, I’m not a very weepy person, in fact I often get quite jealous of people who are so easily touched that they cry during a sappy movie or during Mass. I can watch the saddest movie ever and, though its quite touching, I won’t cry. I can have an amazing time in adoration with my Lord, but again, I won’t cry. Yet, this time was different. I was home- sick, overwhelmed, and felt alone. When you feel so helpless nothing gives you more comfort than that constant that we often take for granted- God. I knelt in adoration, bowed before our Lord, letting go of all my fear and anxiety and weeping in the comfort of his goodness. But with my tears, I was also crying for all the lost students on campus, for I had come to see that there were few with faith, and many in vice. In awe of my creator, I pitied these lost souls and wept and prayed for their conversion, that they might know the goodness of the Lord. I wanted so badly for everyone to understand that they were loved so very much. As time passed, I came to realize more fully that to live for Christ, even in seemingly small ways, is the best way to draw others to recognize truth and know God’s love.
It was saddening to hear of, and witness, the immorality of campus. You would hear stories of people getting hooked up after the first weekend at college. Girls, in the warmth of the early weeks of September, revealed as much skin as possible, and boys spoke braggingly of all the alcohol they had consumed. The rugby team was known for date rape, and sorority girls for wanting attention, no matter how base. I managed to find a good group of friends who were not amongst these lost souls for whom I prayed. Yet, I live in a co-ed dorm (they seem inescapable in public colleges unfortunately) and so my roommate and I would sometimes hang out with a couple guys from down the hall, some of which were lost indeed. Several were Catholic, though only one lived by his faith. Another was agnostic and enjoyed picking at the faith for kicks, which kept me busy. Three of the four guys were the sort that would take no shame in speaking of impure things; they were the ones that made me ache because I just wanted them to embrace the truth. Yet, I never directly addressed them on their way of living, but through my own choices and way of life they knew I did not approve. They knew I was Catholic (well if you ever enter my dorm room its kind of hard not to know.) There is a crucifix directly above my bed, catholic books on my shelf, and prayer books and prayer cards strewn across my nightstand. So it all gives me away rather easily! Sometimes they would ask questions about the faith and sometimes make jokes about me going to Mass during the week- who does that? I often felt as if they thought my conservative lifestyle was ridiculous and boring, but a day came where I realized they considered it more appealing than I had believed.
One day, one of the guys got a hold of my phone and thought he might get me riled by scrolling through my messages, which were very few. (I had learned that not making a big fuss was often the best way to approach such attempts at riling and so I said nothing.) At last he put down the phone seemingly disappointed, “ You have no juicy texts or pictures!” he said, “ how boring!” and he laughed. I answered with a resolute, “ No I do not” and rolled my eyes, but what I heard next shocked me. “ Maybe you actually have some self-respect.” He said and another guy agreed saying, “ wow, that’s a new one! What girl has self-respect these days? They just throw themselves out in the open.” This was the last thing I expected to hear from these guys- guys with few morals, and dirty jokes. Yet, This was not the last time that they mentioned self-respect and modesty. Not long after this event, they began talking about the pictures that girls posted on Facebook. You know the pictures- the ones where the face is hardly meant to be the center of attention…. Well, while they might seem to enjoy these pictures, they were actually ragging on them and again recognized that I did not post such pictures and were grateful. Yes, maybe a scantily clad girl will grab a boy’s attention but not his respect nor his love. Self-respect is what will gain admiration. These guys recognized and admired a bit of self-respect, they admired purity, and modesty though you would never think so.
They were in the darkness but they were drawn to the light.
This made me ever more resolute in my choice to live a good and pure life for my Lord. No matter how much of an anomaly you may be by living purely and holily- do so. You may not realize it, but those in the darkness will be attracted to the light that you possess, and thus directed towards the Lord. One who lives a pure Christian life will stand out in this world, as set apart from the others. This rarity will draw attention, and people will long for it, and see that it is found in a life of faith. I never expected to hear these guys speak in such a way, but they did. Deep down they knew what was good, and it was more appealing than the immorality of the world.
It is not always easy to live such a life but I had done it in a small way and gave witness to what I realized all souls were attracted to. Guys do desire a woman to live a life of purity and morality even if they will not admit to it. After witnessing this in my friends, that ache that I felt for the lost souls in adoration ached just a little bit less. For I saw that souls desired goodness, or at least were drawn to it, and this gave me hope. It was self-respect and purity that was noticed first – live a life of purity. You will be a beacon in the darkness, directing lost souls to the goodness that is in the Lord.
You are loved, remember this, recognize your own worth and honor it, never sell yourself short. Though this world may be a scary place when you face it for the first time on your own, cling to the Lord and he will give you strength. He will give you strength to be a shining light, a witness of his love. As St. John Bosco a young saintly man stated, "Holy purity, the queen of virtues, the angelic virtue, is a jewel so precious that those that possess it become like the angels of God even though enclosed in mortal flesh." Be a jewel, pure, rare and beautiful, shining for the glory of God!