People, Places, and Things I Currently Fancy

This isn’t a lifestyle blog, since I hardly speak of my personal life or habits. If I did that would be so incredibly awkward, so I just share surface information. Anyway, I’m starting a new series of posts where every now and then I’ll post about people, places, and things I fancy at the moment. Just because I’m Catholic doesn’t mean I can’t like other stuff. Or people. So this is the first one. As a side note, I’m also going to begin a whole other string of posts on The Interior Castle by St. Teresa of Avila. In those posts I’ll go through the mansions one by one, explain them, muse through my own thoughts, and try to come to the understanding that St. Teresa left for us. I’m looking forward to it because if you know me, you know I love St. Teresa of Avila. 

Also, this blog now has a Facebook page. *Cue the confetti and children saying yaaaay* 

I’ll put a link in the sidebar, but here’s the link: The Salty Catholic 

Share it, tell your friends, like it, be cool.

In no particular order, I present to you the people, places, and things I currently fancy. 

Chris Pratt 

     
                                 

Because what’s not to like about Chris Pratt? Seriously. He’s likable without even trying. I’d watch Jurassic World again. I kept thinking of him as Andy from Parks and Recreation, but fighting dinosaurs are cool too.

St. Raphael 

St. Raphael is the best. He always helps me out with everything. When I’m lost, blind, need healing, or just praying for my intentions, he’s there. He didn’t fail Tobias, so he won’t fail us either. Plus the Book of Tobit is just all around awesome. It’s a love story with pooping birds, demon slaying, fishing, and victory. I don’t think any other story beats that.

School Supplies

Even though I’m in college I really do like shopping for school supplies. It’s almost time to go back to school, so I have to stock up on new notebooks, pens, sticky notes, and folders. Yes, I’m that student. I also changed my major to communications (future speech therapist up in huurrr) so you could say I’m excited to start the next semester. I also have to learn ASL so I’m really looking forward to that. 

AM by the Arctic Monkeys

Look away kids, I listen to secular music. But real talk this album is badass. I’ve always really liked the Arctic Monkeys older stuff, but this album is just something else. The new hip hop influence, sleek lyrics and falsetto tones spoke to me on a personal level. Especially the emotionally-cool lyrics. I’ve shed many a tear to this album. Cheesy, but you don’t get it unless you feel music on that level. I’m calling it now, Alex Turner is going to be one of the greatest lyricists of our time, bet on it. 

The beach 

Living in California makes this one pretty obvious. For me, the beach is emotionally and spiritually refreshing, like a little retreat. Every single time I go to the beach, I always think of Our Star of the Sea, too. I look out to the beautiful yet frightening mass of water and I’m always amazed by the thought that Our Lady is the Star of the Sea who brings us all home, no matter how lost out we are.

Chipotle

Source: Chipotle

Now, I’m Mexican-American and I know my Mexican food. I didn’t think I would like Chipotle because I pride myself in knowing what real Mexican food is and isn’t, but I was so wrong about this one. Humility is a valuable lesson. Especially when it comes to burrito bowls. I’m hooked. I’m basic. I’m sorry. I’m really not sorry.

____

So that’s it for now. Don’t be too scandalized. In the meantime I’ll be re-reading The Interior Castle and seeing what I come up with. Pax. 

The Case of Not Liking Being Catholic

Read on before you judge based off of the title alone. Or go ahead and judge me, although you’ll just help sanctify me in the process.

Two posts in one week? I must be going crazy. Or I’m just itching to write something before I go crazy. Both are true, more or less. It’s like I get these pounding ideas from keywords, phrases, or inspirations from anywhere, and I’m uncomfortably antsy until I spit it out. Or until I lose interest, it always depends. It’s been fun and interesting figuring out how I work as my personality settles in, because so far not many have been able to handle it. I blame it on being choleric. Well, the blame doesn’t solely lie there, but it is a momentum of prominence since some temperaments mesh better than others. My sister is phlegmatic and we get along fabulously, until someone wants to borrow a blouse or misplaces makeup. That’s sister life, yo. 

Anywho, all of the above has little or nothing to do with the continuation of this post. 

Source: Tumblr

A few days ago I was finalizing the outline for a talk I gave, and I started wondering why I’m still Catholic. I can be pretty terrible about it. Confession isn’t a sacrament for nothing, let me tell you. Having a veil and carrying around a rosary don’t count for much, not all the time. But that doesn’t mean I’m leaving the Church or even questioning the faith, not at all. Quite the contrary.

 So I continued to think about it, with Milky Chance accompanying my thoughts and the click-clack of my bright red nails pushing down letters, tying together biblical typology between Jesus and Jeremiah. Secret’s out, that’s how I (always) work, even writing this. As I continued to (surprisingly) think, I had one whiny thought.

Being Catholic is hard. 

The raw truth is that I don’t always like being Catholic. Romanticism aside, being Catholic is one of the most difficult feats I’ve ever attempted to accomplish. Sometimes my only reasons are just fides et ratio… faith and reason. Still, that doesn’t mean I’m quitting or throwing in the towel. I know damn well that the Catholic Church is the fullness of truth, and to go anywhere else would be to cheat myself not only of salvation, but also of complete truth. I couldn’t comfortably live with that, and the thought of living without truth is a scary one. Because if you don’t possess complete and full truth, what do you have instead? 

Nothing. 

I like to think that even in my choleric state, I pick my battles very wisely and carefully. I somehow know when to stand my ground, and when it simply isn’t worth it. This isn’t one battle I’m going to cave on. By the grace of God alone, I’ll reach the finish line, even if that means crawling on my gravel-filled hands and blood soaked knees. Graphic, but triumphs have never been for the pansy-hearted.

So I don’t always like being Catholic. That’s precisely because of my fallen nature, my own vanity, my own pride, my own blindness, and above all, my own sinfulness. However, because being Catholic is hard and because I don’t always like it, that’s exactly why I have to be Catholic. In continuation of that premise, I need to be Catholic because I don’t always like being Catholic. I keep saying I don’t always like being Catholic, and God could smite me for that, or you’re probably thinking, “Then just leave, you crazy girl.” 

But I won’t leave. I also hope God doesn’t smite me, because my beloved St. Teresa of Avila didn’t pray for years and she came back with superhuman holiness. Checkmate. 

No one is forcing me to be Catholic, I’m a grown girl and it’s my decision to remain where I’m constantly challenged and pushed. I am painfully aware of my faults, shortcomings and imperfections. I won’t pull a Popeye and say, “I am what I am.”, because that’s not what I am. And guess what? The only thing that uproots it all from the inside out, is Catholicism. Through Catholicism, faith, reason and maybe even nights like this, I am most myself. How could I ever leave that? Sure it’s not always pretty and petite, but I don’t believe life is meant for that. Without struggles, there is no celebration, and without pain, there is no comfort. Without Catholicism to challenge me and make my life difficult, I can’t imagine what I’d be. I actually can, but I’d rather not be that. 

So that’s it. I don’t always like being Catholic, but I am precisely because I need to be. It’s a paradox of sorts, but I can safely say that that is a part of me, and I’m fine with it. 

I think I forget that people actually read what I toss out in the open, so thank you for putting up with my choleric schemes and ridiculousness, because half the time I take to the keyboard, my mind is half here and half there, wherever there is. I’ll tell you when I find it. 

Cycle of Confusion

Let's get this straight. I loathe pornography. For my final public speaking speech, I spoke about how porn damages the brain, relationships, and society. The ethos, pathos and logos were on point because truth always prevails. If you can’t make those modes of persuasion work, then you’re probably not conveying the truth. I also discredited vaccines in another class, but that’s a different story for another time.

I find porn to be vile, disgusting, and a key destroyer of relationships. Whether they are marriages, dating relationships, friendships or family relationships, porn just shreds them up from the inside out. I call it the silent killer. I really don't have crazy, unrealistic standards for my future spouse, but I'll be damned if I get with anyone who's into it. That just won't fly with this chick, never has and never will. Ever. I'm that girl, and I won't apologize for wanting better for myself and others. I have standards, hear me roar.

I'm not in the mood to get into it about chastity and purity right now, so that's that. However I will say that pornography strips men of their much needed masculinity, and also deprives women of their true feminity. In turn we have effeminate men who don't know how to conduct themselves as men, and women who no longer possess the mystery of authentic femininity. No wonder everyone is so confused, because no one knows how to act in the first place. Since no one knows how to act, no one knows how to respond to one another. What we have now is a cycle of confusion where no one knows if they're coming or going. You can thank porn for that, since it shrinks the frontal lobe of your brain. It's only the part of the brain that's in charge of problem solving and decision making. No big deal, right? Immaturity is also a factor, and porn does a great job of keeping its viewers perpetually immature. No thank you.

The solution is simple. Painfully simple. Reject it. Don’t be lame, because that’s what porn is. Want better for yourself. There's no crime in that. Want better for your current and future relationships and you'll thank yourself later. If one little girl could reject what wasn’t good for herself and others, then why can't you?

St. Maria Goretti, pray for us.