The Changing Face of Marriage

I have been attending a Catholic school ever since kindergarten and have therefore been taught a lot about the Catholic Church based on my parents' decision to send me to Catholic schools. Outside of school, however, there is not a strong presence of religion or a "domestic church". We used to attend mass much more often when I was little and I even used to go by myself some days, but eventually we stopped participating altogether. Starting around my freshman year at the Mount, we began attending masses at a Methodist church with my uncle and were enlightened by this experience. The services there are so much more spirited and uplifting and meaningful, so we went back more and more - and we were genuinely excited to go instead of the obligatory drag we felt when attending mass even on Christmas and Easter. That said, we again got lazy with attending and since the pastor recently changed we have been reluctant to go. I feel that a personal spiritual relationship is much more substantial and meaningful than simply participating in church and religion. In the future, I hope to set the same example for my future family by introducing them to the church but encouraging spirituality as opposed to religion. This is my definition of a "domestic church".

Dating and Marriage

I had always been a believer of committed and long-term relationships. That said, the current timing in my life make the idea of being in such a relationship rather unrealistic - college is just a few months away and therefore an endpoint would already be set at the beginning of a relationship. For these reasons I have begun to change my intentions slightly in relationships. For the time being, I hope for something less serious, light, and fun, if at all. I am looking for companionship more than anything and someone with similar views as me and who is open to communication, one of the most important factors in any relationship. I think that my views reflect more of society's values instead of the Catholic Church's values, but I think that each individual needs to set up their own morals to know when things are "right" and this cannot be determined by neither society nor the Church.

As mentioned in the articles, some couples are preoccupied with the idea of self-serving relationships. I think this is true to a point, especially in short-term and not very serious relationships, but do not create lasting and loving relationships in the future. they serve a different purpose and that is to be short-term. The difference between this kind of relationship and a serious one is the selfless giving of oneself to their significant other.

I agree with Maddie Koestler's blog post saying that a relationship should change you for the better and a couple should bring out the best qualities in each other. I love the idea that you pick up on each others' quirks and attitudes and I notice this in my own life with anyone I spend a large amount of time with. This is a little step in achieving that idealistic unity that is crucial in a successful marriage.