Entertained?

Sometimes - but only sometimes - I am entertained by my blog.

First, the Google searches that bring people to my blog (hopefully, another fun post on that soon).  We all have those kooky phrases that get people here, but I bet none of you can beat this one:

Yes, that's right. SEXY MODEST CATHOLIC brought someone to my blog.

And now that I've typed it all together as a phrase in a post, I'm sure that it will bring even more people to my blog.

If you, dear reader, were brought here by searching for "sexy modest Catholic" on Google, I welcome you. You have found the classy lady for whom you seek. I hope you enjoy your stay.

In other news, I am always intrigued when I'm able to see all the places that land on my blog. The internet is pretty cool that people from all over the world can find little ole me.

I think my favorite visitor I've seen thus far has to be all the way from Cebu, Cebu City.

While I am sure that Cebu, Cebu City is a fascinating place, this is not why it is my favorite. 

This is why:

Anyone else having Veggie Tales flashbacks?

Excuse me, I have to go achoo-moo-moo.

Oh, but before I go, because I like it when my blog entertains me, I'll also leave you with this:

In case I don't say it enough, sus suaves movimientos son como mantequilla en un chango pelón.

Is Blog-aversary a Word?

Today marks my two year anniversary of blogging!

And Liesl said, "Let them eat cake!"
And they did. And everyone was happy. 

I know I have learned a lot in the past couple of years - about blogging, about Catholicism, about my own spiritual journey - but mostly I have enjoyed learning through interacting with all of you!

To celebrate, I thought I would highlight some of my posts over the past two years. I hope you enjoy taking a step back in time with me, and be sure to let me know what you would have picked as the winners of these categories!

And the Oscar goes to...

Most Read  - It was a pretty big surprise when I realized how many people were reading The Porn Post! It has over 1,600 views so far!

Most Comments - Is it any surprise that The Porn Post has the most comments?

Shortest - While I haven't figured out if there is an official way to calculate this, I would have to say that the quickest and shortest post I've ever written was Be a Window.

Let's get real. I bend over backwards trying not
to write a 500 page novel for each post...

Longest - Every. Single. Post. I've. Ever. Written. Just kidding... (not really). Sometimes, I think I should've been a novel writer. Again, I don't know the official way of figuring this out, but I would say that the ones that took me the longest to write and thus ended up being way longer than I wanted to be were: The Porn Post and Spiritual Dry Spells, Part 1 & Part 2 (which were originally supposed to be one long post, but ended up as two because it was so long... so yea, I think it can win the longest post award).

Most Controversial - I would've thought that The Porn Post or The Largest Genocide our World has Ever Seen would have been the most "controversial", but I think based on the comments I got, Sharing Secrets was the most "controversial"!

Most Personal and Honest - I think many of the posts about my Spiritual Dry Spell could win this category, but I think the most honest was The Desert. It was the hardest post to hit "Publish" when I finished, but it was also the one I was the most glad that I did hit "Publish".

My Favorite - It really is tough to pick my favorite(s) because if I published it, I probably enjoyed writing it!  Many of those that I've listed here would be in my top ten list!

Funniest - I like to think that all of my posts are funny... aren't they? Because I often find myself making people laugh when I wasn't even trying, I'd love to hear what you thought my funniest post was, because honestly, I can't really pick one! I know that I definitely enjoyed some good laughs while writing Excuse Me While I Swoon, but then I usually get a good chuckle out of a lot of what I write.

No problemo crying at this age.

The One that Made Me Weep Like a Wee Babe - Honesty, I don't know if I've ever really wept while writing or reading any of my posts, although there have been a few where I teared up or wanted to cry. I think I probably teared up writing The Desert and I know that I wanted to cry while writing The Coach, but sometimes we find the catharsis we need in the places we least expect!

Most Catholic - I don't really know what this means (and yes, I made these categories up) since most of my posts are about CATHOLIC things, but I think Why Mary?, St. Joe, My Beau, Submit to Being Submissive are all viable options!

Biggest Surprise - This award goes to the post that got a lot of reads, but I could never figure out why! And the winner is... Why Mary? with 488 reads!

The One that Went Unnoticed - I thought that The Coach would get a comment or two, but it hasn't had too many page views. I think the timing of my post was just off - it happens!

Bringin' sexy back since 1986.

Most Likely to Snag Me a Man - If I'm trying to snag a good holy man, perhaps Patience: A Call to Holiness is a good one. If I'm trying to snag a regular old Prince Char, Excuse Me While I Swoon is a great one. Or, if I'm trying to snag a man that thinks smart ladies who don't wear makeup are sexy, then  Bringin' Sexy Back is a winner!

Most Likely to Make Said Man Run Away in Fear - Since I only blog about beer, sports (hockey), and never about emotions, I can't even imagine me writing anything that would make said man run away in fear... Nothing at all... (unless said man is the jealous type, because, you know, St. Joe is my beau)

I love comments, so comment away! What posts do you think fit into these categories?

Better yet, leave me a link to a favorite post that you've written, so I can continue learning from you all as I step into another year of blogging!

To Be a Saint

I came across a post I wrote last year called The Message of Love:

...I'm not talking about the sappy kind of love that pervades our culture today. I'm talking about real love, as in the "let us love one another, because love is of God" and "God is love" (1 John 4:7,16) kind of love. 

It all comes down to how we define love, which we read more about in St. Paul's letter to the Romans. Many non-Catholics (and unfortunately, even some Catholics!) would cite this passage as evidence that we no longer have to follow the ten commandments given to Moses by God, in the saying that we "owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law." (Romans 13:8) Adultery? Coveting? It's okay if I do these things as long as I do them because of love. 

Yet, what does Paul mean when he says to love one another? By whose standards should we love? My standards? Your standards? The standards followed by the president of the United States? No, we are commanded to love by God's standard. This means loving the entire person, where "love does no evil to the neighbor." (Romans 13:10)

Read the rest...

I find that we as Catholics have to constantly be reminding ourselves of what it means to Love, and what it requires of us to love by God's standards. No, it's not always easy, but we are all called to speak the Truth, especially in the current state of our society.

We have to remember that Catholics are so very blessed. We belong to the Church that Loves us, wholly and completely, and wants the best for us. We belong to the Church that wants us to get to Heaven. Sometimes, that means the Church has to say no to us. Even us Catholics don't always like it, but we have to remember that this message of the Church is always one of Love.

Recently, the Church, her leaders, her shepherds, including my priest, and her followers have come under attack for standing up for Truth and speaking out against things such as abortion, contraception, and gay marriage. In the past few weeks even, how many of us have been called intolerant and judgmental bigots, when all we are trying to do is Love the whole person? I found this quote from Peter Kreeft, and I pray that this is the message that we send to the world:

The Church is the best friend of homosexuals, both because she tells them they are made in God's image and have intrinsic dignity and rights and are called to be saints, and because she is the only social force left that insists on moral absolutes. So when they sin against themselves she says NO, just as she does to heterosexuals who sin against themselves sexually, but when others sin against them she says NO also. No one else dares to say NO. She speaks up for everyone, including homosexuals. Source

We are all sinners. Every single one of us. I'm a sinner! But, we are all worth it.

As my favorite Catholic radio host would say, "Be a Saint! What else is there?"

Christ died for each and every one of us, because we are all in need of a savior. He died for each of us because we are worth it. We are all called to spend eternity with Him in Heaven. The path to holiness is never easy, but it releases you from slavery when it is freely chosen. The Church Loves each and every one of us, for who we are in our entirety, and not by how society labels us. Yet, the Church also wants us to aspire to be the person we each were created to be. She is willing to lead us there - are you willing to accept that path?