Defining the Relationship… As Friends

Defining the Relationship… As Friends When I was in college I lived in a Catholic guy’s house for the men of my campus ministry. We lived not just as roommates who shared the faith, but truly strived to live in an intentional community. We had a rule of life for our house which involved prayer,…

What Does Chastity Actually Mean?

Traditional. Pure. Restrictive. These are the words the culture uses to label chastity.  Even amongst Christians though, many of us lack a full understanding of this beautiful virtue. I’ve found that “chastity” oftentimes is one of those buzzwords that gets thrown around in Catholic circles, leaving many young people confused and without a clear path…

What Does It Mean To Be Strong?

When you think of “strength,” what comes to mind? A lot of us probably think of someone like Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. That dude is jacked. On a good day he can bench 450 lbs. That’s the weight of a fully-grown male tiger. The Rock’s physical strength is no joke. People who have recently watched…

Boundaries for Guy-Girl Friendships

Once as I was walking to a college class with a guy friend, we ran into my very best friend on campus. As I was introducing them, he said “Hi! I’m Caroline’s boyfriend!” …Um, hello? He definitely wasn’t–especially because I had an actual boyfriend in a different city at that time. What about our friendship…

Self-Loathing Isn’t Humility

When I was a kid, I was a huge fan of Yu-Gi-Oh! 5d’s, and one of my favorite characters on the show was Kalin Kessler. Kalin was this antagonist who turned into an anti-hero. As a kid, I liked Kalin so much because he had this dirty vagabond aesthetic, and I thought that was so…

Cool, Time to Pray. Now What?

If you have been involved in Catholic community or have run in circles with people of faith, I am sure you have heard about the importance of the interior life. So often do we hear that we must “pray, pray, and pray some more.” But few times do we learn about what this actually looks…

The Myth of Victimless Crimes

As missionaries who live in community with each other, good team bonding is crucial, and few things are more fun to bond over than a good movie. I always love having a great conversation after the movie, or, equally likely, during it—only to enhance the experience, of course. My teammates were in for a particular…

Approaching the “Chastity Conversation”

I know from experience that talking about chastity with the person you are newly dating can be intimidating. When I first started going on dates with my current boyfriend, I was so nervous to tell him how I wanted to be in a chaste relationship.  Yet, after our second date, I knew I needed to…