Virginity and Purity...What's the difference?

Okay, so I stumbled upon an article dealing with these themes and while reading it I became inspired to define as to what many people in society confuse.

To say that one is a virgin doe not imply they are pure.
You can be a virgin as much as possible, but if you have impure thoughts, have impure intentions then you are not pure.
There is a difference.
Many people confuse these and combine both together.
To no longer be a virgin is to have sex and lose your virginity.
However if you do not directly have sex, but talk dirty, send inappropriate pictures, fantasize, lust and have impure thoughts you are not considered pure.
To be pure is something you are constantly working on.
To be pure means working towards purity every day. Choosing to be selfless over selfishness is pure. To serve someone out of the goodness of your heart because they are a brother or sister in Christ rather than to please them, is pure.
This does not have only to do with our sexual intentions but with any part of our life.
To think good of others rather than judge them, is pure.
To not be greedy, or selfish is pure.
To give and not expect something in return is pure.
As Christians were are called to have pure of heart and this is what it means.
Granted, this is not easy but it is what we are called to do.
To be pure of heart is greater than all the riches in the world we must strive for it daily and not settle for the minimum amount of work.

We must not allow virgins to think it is okay to continue to internally sin. If you are doing something to better benefit you, that is not pure intention.Give give give and love love love as Christ has endlessly loved us.

"Blessed are the pure of heart for they shall see God" Mt 5:8

Loving the stone throwers

All else put aside, vulnerability.

How comfortable must one be with this in order to get through life? 

What is God calling us to do? 

One thing we must recognize is that we are not from this world. We are in it but not of it. This is not out final destination, having said so, we will suffer. We are going to hurt, we are going to struggle.

we are called to struggle, constantly.

Family, oh family, how beautiful and yet breaking.

Iron sharpens iron.

Family is people destined to be in your for to help you on the road with holiness.

Christ did not pair us up with these people for pure enjoyment.

In some way or another, we will lead each other to heaven.

We do this through prayer, intercession, guidance and healing.

No matter what happens, no matter what you go through, YOU are responsible for showing Christ to your family. YOU are responsible for showing what authentic LOVE is.

Authentic love is loving through thick and thin.

If your sister criticises you; LOVE her.

If your parents belittle you; LOVE them.

If they do not show you any support through hardships; LOVE them.

Oif your family does not show you love; LOVE them.

This Is extremely crucial because it only shows that Christ is first and foremost our true love. The one whom are supposed to be In union with. This is why  mass is so important, the Eucharist is the source and summit of our faith.

Our heart must break, we must be hurt, so that we may rely soley on Christ. Do not expect love and comfort from earthly beings. Seek from God first.

He is the most important in our life. With him as our center, we can get through anything. 

Our hearts will break, yes several times and the beauty of that is Christ has expirienced all we will. 

He has a plan for all this.

As comfortable as we are in complacency. We are called to suffer on different forms. 

Love, give give give love.

Receive first from Christ.

This will only strengthen us into the person God is calling us to be.

It WILL be emotionally, mentally, spiritually and physically draining at times. But The Lord will provide graces.

All glory to his honour and name.

My journey thus far: marathon in training

About this time last year, an idea to run a full marathon sparked my brain. The desire slowly came and to actually fulfil this turned my wishful heart to being coated with determination. It could have been all just talk. I wouldn't be able to train until May of 2014. I kept on repeating my future dream to others. And it was so often said that I felt as if I did not fulfil it, I would be a failure for advertising it,and not following through with it. 

I dreamt of all that would come along with completing a marathon; cheers, applaudes, supportive family members, tears and pride. 

So May 2014 came around and I put together a schedule. I began my training. I was alone in this. In training I mean, I would be training alone there was no one else whom I knew that would be doing this.

When I told my family what I was about to do, they simply nodded their head. Not surprised, yet not fully against it.

As training continued, I felt as if people didn't take me seriously. I doubted my purpose for doing this. 

(Early in May I promised a good friend of mine that I would run my marathon for her sister who had been recently diagnosed with cancer) 

"Out father does not inspire us to do anything that cannot be done" St. Therese of Leisuix 

When I first read this, my thoughts went straight to my marathon. 

There is not one dream that isn't God based. He places desires in our hearts for a reason. This entire time I had forgotten that with Christ anything is possible.

He believes I can do this, and so if he thinks I can accomplish this, then I can.

This quote sparked a new rejuvenated feeling of determination and preserverance to continue with my training. Granted, training for 5 months is not a breeze but so worth it in the end.

With that being said, if The Lord places a desire in your heart. Pray about it. "Lord of this from you let it stay, if not take it away" 

With Christ, nothing is impossible. 

New Insight on clothes: how little clothing means back then and now-a-days

Today during prayer I read about the death of a saint. The death itself was brutal as mostly all are, but the thing that caught my attention was something I have often overlooked.
I noticed that many saints were killed with little clothing on.
In the description of their death, it is said that the soldiers "stripped them of their clothes"
I read this many times in history books and knew that when clothes were being torn off, it brought upon humiliation, mockery and embarrassment due to the fact of how properly clothed they were back then.
To show one's skin was not common. They were covered mostly from head to toe (considering the time era and where exactly there were in the world)
For time's sake let us say we are talking about AD 250
How they would kill Christians varied but many times- as I have stated before- they would take off their garments leaving them with almost nothing on.
So, wearing little clothing was humiliating due to the fact that one was exposing himself to the world.
Let's fast forward to today's day and age.
Granted the times have changed and we no longer dress as people did however the radical-ness of how one properly dresses oneself is baffling.
To think that there was a time in society where wearing little clothing was humiliating, embarrassing and shameful and how people freely choose to do that now!
We see people walking around with bottoms as short as 2 inches, see-through shirts, stomachs exposed, backs bare as if it means nothing.
This has become normal.
The body was once a mystery and treasured, only showed to their betrothed and to think that now 95% if not all of our skin is exposed for the entire world to see?
It seems as if showing skin now means prideful, and as if accepted into today's society.

I often have felt as though I am being looked at or judged for dressing modestly and sometimes old fashioned.
Perhaps it is because I have no desire to show every part of my skin to the world,
perhaps it is because I am consciously aware that depending on what I exposed means I am giving permission to be fantasized after
perhaps it is because I want people to know me for my intellect and dignity not my body,
perhaps it is because I may have a similar mindset to the people back in AD 250.

Where is Life in society?

Our world is full of paradoxy.
They say one thing, but do another.
We have too may people in charge, too many people telling us what to do, what is in, what is out, what is cool, what is not.
Let's focus on the models. on what Society is telling us that represents the people. Models.
I will not be talking about sizes, because there are a plethora of articles that cover that.
Pictures say a thousand words, they say.
Well when we see pictures of models what goes through our mind? Or even supermodels?  And Those who walk the runway.
I ask myself, why aren't they smiling? Aren't they happy to be alive?
 Why do they always look so mad or upset or apathetic or in despair?
I have heard the answer of, "they are not trying to draw attention on themselves but rather on what they are wearing" And I understand that for those supermodels that wear such things that make you question as to wear you would ever wear that to?
But how about the models in the magazines that promote clothing to actually buy and wear?
If you look at their facial expressions, they look serious, upset, mad, angry, seductive and I simply do not understand.
I see no life in those photos. I only see how this can lead to the mindset of despair and indifference.
Our society is all about indifference, about showing no feeling, showing nothing but that we are apathetic.
I see no joy, no life.
Our faith calls us to be the opposite of that. We are called to laugh, love, share joy, hearts, tears, struggles.
That is why we are so confused. Because our faith calls us to step out of our comfort zone.
How will one spread joy and peace if you look mad all the time? I do not understand one bit.
Granted, perhaps walking around with a smile twenty-four seven might seem a little strange, but give off an air that is hopeful and approachable not one that looks like you woke up on the wrong side of the bed.
When I see pictures of models, I pity them because I wish I could see their smile because I am sure it is ten times more beautiful than the glare they give to the camera.
These blank-stared photographs that are being taken everywhere in social media aren't attractive to me. They give me a feelings of despair, of not caring. Granted, I understand that they show much emotion. I am not condemning all photographs but those photographs that have life are more interesting.
It is not even just models or photographs,but they way we carry ourselves when we are running errand. Walking by, not even acknowledging the people we pass by, what happened to hello and good days. No manners, no respect, no life.
We live in a world where we are taught by society to only care for ourselves. We are great students.  It will not kill for one to smile at a stranger, or a simple hello won't damage you. If you promote happiness, then live it. If you promote good vibes, then give off good vibes. Practice what you preach.

Comfortably, and preserverence

In the moments that we are dry in our prayer, it is then that we have to persevere the most.

Sometimes I question why.

We must never be satisfied with our prayer life we must always strive for more, more dying to oneself, more mercy, more everything.

If we begin to be satisfied in our prayer life, grow in complacency then we will not strive to perfect our relationship with Christ, there is always more that can be done.

The times we are dry are the times we must try the hardest.

If we stand idle, we aren't moving forward. 

We can say that we are Christian, but if we are not living out our faith in the sense that we are doing everything Christ-like, What good is that?

This means to love. Love one and all, through good and bad.

We must grow in tolerance. We must be uncomfortable. Pope emeritus says We were not made for comfort. 

If talking to the cashier is uncomfortable, do it more. Smile to strangers, lend out a helping hand, you may think this is ridiculous and not so life changing but it does make a difference. 

The thing is that we life in a world where it is "all about me" and selfishness is our societies motto. No one helps another. 

Holding the door open for another person is rare, and putting yourself first is the norm. 

A simply conversation, smile, or lending hand is Christ-like.

This is how you show love.

Do not let your emotions control your actions, how you treat others or your entire day. 

Just because you got off on the wrong side of the bed doesn't mean that all you come in contact with that day need to suffer for it.

Our past mistakes and sins have a reason::

I often find myself wondering in frustration how the Lord will be using my struggles in my past mistakes  to glorify him in the future

The damage is done I know I still have the scars in my hunting memory.

And I don't understand fully how the Lord will use that in my life to bring others closer to him.

We may never know how The Lord will use the good and the bad in our lives for his greater glory.