Unbelievable

Yesterday I watched a story on the morning news that made me gag.

Abercrombie is apparently marketing a padded push up bikini for kids aged 7-14. (Since then they have apparently removed the "push up" in their description.)

I have to ask the question, WHY?

Why did they even feel the need for it? Who had the great idea of designing a bikini top for kids so young to make them "sexy"? Why does a kid need to be sexy? Those two words do not belong in the same sentence.

One of the first things that popped in my head was how easy it would be for pedophiles to get their "fix" if the little girls they lusted after were running around with their pushed-up breasts on full display. Does Abercrombie realize that they are easily providing another reason for pedophiles to molest kids? Promoting what barely constitutes as a bathing suit for such a young age group accomplishes nothing but putting them in dangerous situations and giving them a false definition of beauty.

And why shouldn't these young girls have a warped sense of true beauty? Everywhere they look they see "sexy" and "hot". It's all over the magazines, portrayed in movies, and heard in all the popular songs of today--in order to compete with those airbrushed, photoshopped models and actresses they MUST wear less clothing. Skirts must show off too much leg, shirts must be low enough to show off breasts, and everyone must wear bikinis that don't leave anything to the imagination. And if that doesn't boost their self-esteem, then Abercrombie swoops in with the answer--a padded push-up bikini top so these young girls can transform themselves into mini-versions of what they idolize as the "perfect woman".

As we all know, girls at that age are quite impressionable. We all remember how at that age we wanted so hard to be "grown up". To act like and dress like all the older girls. Unfortunately, nowadays acting like all the older girls seems to mean lowering ones standards to follow blindly the degrading path that the media and entertainment industries have laid down.

We need to change this ambition.

As the "older girls" it is our responsibility to make sure our younger followers have a better image to follow. It is our responsibility to act and dress in ways that are respectful to us, that don't degrade us, and which uphold our dignity as women. Since our dignity and worth don't diminish when we age, we should not lower our own standards either. As women, we should avoid flaunting too much leg, showing off too much chest, or wearing swimsuits that are better left in the bedroom, for just that reason. Whether we're 10 years old sporting the latest Abercrombie swim top or 25 years old wearing a string bikini, both lead guys to view us not as women, but as objects. Both lead even the best of guys through a visual struggle focusing on the amount of skin revealed instead of the beautiful woman in front of them.

And since we are the example for the younger generations we need to show them that some things are not okay--it is not okay to let ourselves be viewed in this manner just because the latest celebrity magazine tells us this is the only way we will be beautiful, or liked, or successful. We need to stand up for respect and TRUE beauty, for our sake and the sake of those who look to us for leadership.

Stairway to Heaven

Led Zeppelin creates some pretty accurate imagery regarding our journey to Heaven. Stairway to Heaven. We envision marble white stairs winding upwards to disappear high in the clouds, the top so far up it is out of our sight. Or maybe they're made of wood, worn from being heavily traveled. Either way, we see stairs--not an escalator where we don't even have to lift a foot to take a step, and certainly not an elevator that shoots us straight into Heaven like a rocket. Sometimes we forget that getting to Heaven isn't quite so easy as pressing a button and waiting behind closed doors to reach the top floor. It's a little more challenging than that.

It may start out like a breeze, and we may be invigorated and excited about the climb. Completely on fire for God, nothing will stand in our way of completing our journey to spend eternity with Him! We take off full speed ahead, taking those bottom stairs two at a time.

Soon, though, our initial adrenaline wears off and we start to slow down. The stairs seem to get steeper and steeper as we're faced with greater challenges. Our legs get heavy and it feels like we've just climbed the Empire State Building and still have the whole Eiffel Tower to go. Our goal seems so far away and we now look backwards in longing. Going down would be so much easier...

Isn't this how we feel at times? That the closer we get to Heaven, the harder the climb gets? We're faced with decisions to make greater sacrifices, sacrifices we may not have thought we'd have to make at first. Starting out all we had to worry about was taking those first few steps--saying yes to Christ. Now we're being asked to give up so much more! Certain movies, music, fashions and even jobs? All these things we were so attached to...they made us fit into this world, they're part of our identity. We never imagined we would be asked to sacrifice them. Our legs start to drag...

As we struggle to climb closer to our goal and become deeper in our faith, the temptations become deeper and more challenging as well. Why? The devil watches anxiously as we slip out of his reach and climb closer to God--he becomes desperate to keep us grounded and will throw anything in our path to hold us back. The devil knows what we struggle with and uses it to his advantage to try to pull us back towards him. Sometimes he succeeds and stops us in our tracks. We make excuses and justify holding onto things that keep us from furthering our journey. The nudity in that movie's not that bad...I don't actually listen to the lyrics of the song...everyone else I know is wearing that same outfit...it doesn't matter that my company provides support for Planned Parenthood as long as I don't personally...And if we're not careful it'll do more than just prevent us from moving forward, it will make us retreat backwards.

So how do we keep maintain the strength to make it all the way to the top of the stairway to Heaven? By leaning on Christ for support. Because while the elevator doors may be closed due to original sin, Christ opened up the stairway so we can still join Him in Heaven. And Christ knows every step and every pitfall along the way. All we need to do is lock arms with Him and move forward one step at a time. When we get tired, we just lean on Christ to help us through the tough parts, and ask Him to assist us in shedding the heaviness of sin that weighs us down.

Don't let the pressures of sin prevent us from climbing up the stairway of Heaven. These worldly temptations that cling to us aren't going to be there for us in the end and won't do anything but bring us down into the trenches. The path to God may be tough at times and we may even feel close to giving up, but keep pushing on! Nothing will be more satisfying once we reach the top and get to participate in the most beautiful view ever!

In the words of Led Zeppelin, "there are two paths you can go by".

Make sure to choose the stairway to Heaven. It will be so much more worth it.

Fork in the Road

Everyone else has it so easy. They get to go to parties and drink all they want; they can wear mini skirts, low-cut shirts and bikinis; they're able to sleep with guys and not even worry about pregnancy because birth control and abortion is an option. Why do I have it so hard? Why do I have to follow all the rules?

In this world we are constantly bombarded by images of our peers leading such lives without a care in the world. I'm sure each and every one of us has asked the question, "Why do they get to have all the fun while I have to be the stick in the mud?" And then we come to the conclusion: Being Catholic is extremely lame.

It would be so easy to say "screw the rules" and join our friends in the fun we envy so much. It would be so easy to ignore our values in order to have a good time and live without a care in the world. We start to wish that we could separate ourselves from our Catholicism--it's just holding us back, keeping us away from a "normal" life.

Our faith has turned into our prison.

So how do we break free? Do we just throw away over 2000 years of Church teaching because we think we know how to live a better life? We could do that. We could go to all the late night parties and get so drunk we can't remember what happened; we could sport the skimpy attire to attract guys who don't look at us for more than a one night stand; we could pop pills as an easy fix to sleeping around. We could do all those things.

But at the end of the day, under the guise of "fun" and "normalcy", we will feel used, abused and full of regret. And then we will look back with longing at our faith which has now become the greener side of the fence. We have gone from feeling like the stick in the mud to feeling trapped in quicksand--at first there may be a certain rush, but the only direction it's pulling us is down. And while we're trapped down there we realize that there is no true satisfaction in temporary gratification, and there is no joy in disrespect of one's body and dignity.

Our faith is actually our freedom.

These "rules" of our faith aren't just there because "God said so". They are there to free us from the bindings of a sinful world. Instead of seeing life as full of things we are not allowed to do, we should view life as full of opportunities to choose the path that will fulfill us and lead us to true joy. There is a reason our faith is the way it is.

God knows that if we overindulge in alcohol we won't think clearly and we will make decisions we will later regret. God protects us.

God doesn't want us to give away the most intimate parts of our bodies with revealing attire. God cherishes us.

God wants us to enjoy the fruitfulness of a true relationship, not one of selfishness. God loves us.

When we pick apart the pressures common in this society, can we honestly say they are looking out for our good? Do the pressures in society protect us? Cherish us? Love us? The answer is no. In fact they do the exact opposite.

So when we find ourself in a situation wondering if we should take that worldly road that appears easier, we should make sure to take a look a little further down that road. Chances are, we will only see emptiness, shallow happiness, and a rough ending. If we continue walking on the path of our faith, while we may face obstacles along the way, it will most certainly lead to a much more fulfilling destination.

More Than Ashes

"Father in Heaven,

Protect us in our struggle against evil.

As we begin the discipline of Lent,

make this season holy by our self-denial.

Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit

one God, for ever and ever."

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent--the first of many days of no more coffee, chocolate or soda. This self-denial is a sacrifice of love; love for our Savior who made the ultimate sacrifice of love for us. We may choose to sacrifice certain foods or drinks, or we may choose to sacrifice those unnecessary activities that tend to distract us from time with Christ (TV, Facebook, Video Games, etc). Either way, we should always strive to take our Lenten promise one more step forward. In addition to giving something up this Lent, let us also add more Christ-centered activities to our life. If you choose to give up watching television, fill that previously wasted time with saying a rosary or reading a passage out of the Bible. Or devote yourself to an outside ministry such as the homeless ministry or a pro-life organization.

The purpose of Lent is not to just sacrifice for 40 days and then come Easter fall back into bad habits or the same routine as before. It's so much more! This Lent, make a promise to carry on the good habits you establish during the Lenten season into the rest of the year. This Lent find something to committ to that will bring you closer in your relationship with Christ, and make an effort to continue with it even when the 40 days are up! With Christ we will find the strength and dedication to accomplish this.