Some say love

I think that the concept of a "soul mate" is a nice idea. Everyone would like to end up with their "perfect" partner. However, I think that people are looking for what they think is the perfect guy or girl, not what is perfect for them in particular. People are looking for their soul mate and creating an unrealistic ideal of who or what their mate should be. When it comes to love for me, I am seeking for a best friend. I hope to have relationships built on trust with someone I can laugh with and just be myself. One song that comes to mind is "Lucky" by Colbie Caillat and Jason Maraz. The song is about being in love with your best friend and how lucky they feel to have each other. In Justin Bieber's "U Smile," the young Justin talks about unconditional love. He proclaims his love saying your wish is my command demonstrating selfless love. Another song that illustrates love is "Everything" by Micheal Buble. He sings,  "whatever comes our way we'll see it through, and you know thats what our love can do!" In Alica Keys' "if I ain't got you," Alicia sings about how material things don't matter; all she needs is her significant other. The song "Ain't no mountain high enough," stresses being there of one another. In the song, if one is in need of the other, nothing can keep them apart.

The Changing Face of Marriage

I have had a very good experience with the domestic church.  At home my parents have taught me the importance of patience, unconditional love, and acceptance. They have demonstrated these values in their relationship with each other as well as my siblings and me. My mom has always stressed the importance of having faith and a relationship with God. Many tv shows are normalizing what was previously thought of as scandalous. Shows have all kinds of different marriages where gender, age, and race do not matter. I think it is a positive message to send that everyone should be accepted. Marriage should be focused on the love shared between two people. Some negative things in the media are focusing on the glitz and glam of the actual wedding instead of the marriage. It is also normalizing divorce. Because of this I think more people go into marriage with out fully thinking it through leading to divorce. I am very glad to hear that people with a college education are less likely to get divorced because I am fortunate enough to go to college next year. There I will hopefully discover myself and further develop my values. Doing this will eventually help me develop a domestic church one day.

Marriage and Vatican II

The Second Vatican Council formulated many teachings on marriage. One of these being that marriage and family are first on the list of modern needs of society. Marriage plays an important role in the church and society. The "Constitution on the Church in the Modern World," claims that marriage is a calling from God. Today, I do not think many people see it that way. People get married for a number of reasons, but I do not think that the majority of couples choose to get married because they feel it is their calling. In modern times, many couples choose to have nondenominational weddings, or elope. Modern couples are also getting married later in life, and because of the economic situation and current times, couples are not in any rush to start a family. I really liked the quote from "The Church in the Middle East" that stated "Conjugal love is not a fleeting event, but the patient project of a life time." It is sad to say that many couples are not in marriage for the long-haul. I feel that media and society has normalized divorce as a common occurrence so couples give up easily. I feel that patience is probably key when it comes to marriage.

Dating: What's the point?

I see why anti-daters think that dating is practice for divorce, but I do not agree with them. Dating does involve eventually breaking up, but without dating you will never learn what you want and need in relationships. If you do not date, how are you going to find a spouse? Through dating I think people learn a lot about themselves. By dating and interacting with others, you build relationships. You learn how to care for and respect another person. I don't think that people should carelessly date, but if two people genuinely care for each other  and have good intentions I am all for dating. I think it is healthy to casually date. By that I don't mean hook up with random strangers, but to go out on a date with someone with out the pressure or stress of a serious relationship. I am concerned with the hook-up culture in college. If that is not your style, where do you fit in? What do you do? How do you meet people?