This week’s topic is favorite saints! But not just any saints . . . some related to purity, chastity, etc. Here goes!

Mother Teresa is probably my favorite saint EVAH (and she’s not even technically a saint yet). St. Joan of Arc was quite a boss. I’ve also learned more about JPII recently and love, love, love him. The Catholic church has so many beautiful people for us to look to as role models.

Buuut I’m supposed to be writing about saints related to purity, chastity, etc. 🙂

There’s the obvious St. Maria Goretti who refused to give in to an attacker and then forgave him (yes, that’s rather vague, someone remind me of the story!). She’s one that many people look to as a beautiful example of purity. But for me? I stick to St. Michael and St. Raphael, two of the archangels.

St. Michael is pretty much always pictured defeating Satan. I’ve grown to love (and know by heart!) his prayer which is a beautiful plea to be protected against evil. It’s appropriate in many ways, and definitely for asking for his intercession for the courage and grace to beat Satan to a pulp when he tries to temp us into straying from the straight and narrow.

Here is his prayer:

“St. Michael, the archangel, defend us in battle. Be our safeguard  against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray. And do thou, O prince of the heavenly host, by the power of God, cast into hell Satan and all the evil creatures who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.”

St. Raphael, I’ve learned, is the patron saint of happy meetings (among other things). There’s a beautiful story derived from the Book of Tobit about how he healed Sarah who was grieving and influenced Tobias and after stuff they got together and yay! It’s deeper than that, though. Read about it!

Here’s a prayer I found asking for his intercession (which I think is really beautiful):

“St. Raphael, loving patron of those seeking a marriage partner, help me in this supreme decision of my life. Find for me as a helpmate in life the person whose character may reflect some of the traits of Jesus and Mary. May he (she) be upright, loyal, pure, sincere and noble, so that with united efforts and with chaste and unselfish love we both may strive to perfect ourselves in soul and body, as well as the children it may please God to entrust to our care.

St. Raphael, angel of chaste courtship, bless our friendship and our love that sin may have no part in it. May our mutual love bind us so closely that our future home may ever be most like the home of the Holy Family of Nazareth. Offer your prayers to God for the both of us and obtain the blessing of God upon our marriage, as you were the herald of blessing for the marriage of Tobiah and Sarah.

St. Raphael, friend of the young, be my friend, for I shall always be yours. I desire ever to invoke you in my needs.

To your special care I entrust the decision I am to make as to my future husband (wife). Direct me to the person with whom I can best cooperate in doing God’s Holy Will, with whom I can live in peace, love and harmony in this life, and attain to eternal joy in the next. Amen.”

And that’s that.

Head over to Jen and Morgan‘s for more on this topic!

I have somewhat neglected participating in this series because it feels strange publishing things on topics I only talk about with family and girlfriends and such. But I figure it doesn’t hurt. Maybe someone I know will read something good and benefit from it, and if not . . . what’s the big deal? Not much. So! This weeks topic is: Marriage.

Most of us here feel called to the vocation of marriage…but what is it exactly that you’re attracted to? What have you seen in others’ marriages that you’ve learned from or would do differently? 

Well.

I’ve always loved playing with kids. I babysat and watched my siblings and led things  for kids in high school. It only seemed natural to assume I would get married.

But then I went to a seriously Catholic college.

Shoot.

I actually have to do this whole discerning thing.

How does that work? What the heck was I supposed to do? I don’t want to be a nun! What does this mean? Holy cow I’m going to die, I’m so not sure now! Somebody tell me for crying out loud!

That lasted a couple minutes.

Then I put my big girl panties on (it’s a metaphor, people!) and found out that to discern you really have to look at what the options require, look at your talents and abilities and characteristics and see what matches the most.

Boom bam!

It became very clear to me that I would die am not suited for religious life. It’s hard to describe why or how I knew/know. I just know.

It’s not like I expect to find Prince Charming and run off into the sunset. I know marriage isn’t easy. And I think that’s kind of why it’s appealing to me, strangely. I like a challenge. Promising to love a person through the good and bad until you die is a pretty big deal. You’re vowing to live for the good of this person until you DIE. Whoa. But at the same time, the other person vows to love you in return. And if you put God at the root of your relationship, you’re a cord of three strands (which it says somewhere in the Bible is not easily broken). How awesome is that?

I never, ever, want to live alone in my entire life. I want to share my life with another person, and I hope to someday bring kids into the world if that’s the plan (eh, God?). Marriage requires that you give love unconditionally, and your mutual love create this trinity-mirroring sacred kind of love that God grants to people through the awesome sacrament of marriage. And your spouse vows to love you unconditionally in return.

If I though about it more, there are probably deeper reasons, but that’s it for now. I am thankful to have beautiful examples of people who have made marriage work (both sets of grandparents for almost 54 years, parents for 25). If it’s what God has in store, then I’ll pray for the grace to accept all the challenges and beauty it gives. And until then? I’ll keep on praying for the grace to live my current vocation gracefully.