What are some of the biggest societal pressures that you see young women facing today?
As Catholic women in today’s dating society, it is extremely hard to to combat what society tells you to do vs. what you truly believe is right. One of the biggest pressures Catholic women face when it comes to dating is sleeping with a man before marriage. There is a this pressure that makes you feel, “Well if I don’t sleep with him, he’s going to break up with me.” Society tells us to sleep with who you want and do what you want, but the Catholic church teaches us that sex is sacred meaning that it is created as the marital embrace. It is meant to be shared between husband and wife, & that is when it is most beautiful.
Society throws sex around in magazines, books, TV shows, music, etc. and its consumed so regularly that whether or not you are having sex becomes a “status.” What it all boils down to is your priorities. What truly matters to you? Your status or your journey with God?
Another pressure women face is the feeling of needing a relationship to be “good enough.” However, I can tell you from personal experience, that a man or woman (significant other) will never bring you eternal happiness–that is something only God alone can do. Although being in a relationship can “feel good,” that should not be your mindset. You should always have a “date to marry” mindset not a “date to mess around and use each other for a status” mindset.
What advice do you give for young women facing these societal pressures?
Stick with it, you can do it. It is so hard, but God calls you to the narrow path and the reward is going to be so great. You must keep God as your number one priority because He knows your heart, He knows what you’re looking for, and He knows what is in store for you. All good things take time and the wait is so worth it. Stay true to your morals and your values because God will bless you so abundantly.
How do you stay open to God’s will when waiting for a relationship?
Be open to the ways of the Lord. God will cross you and your future spouse’s path in a way that you wouldn’t ever imagine. For example, Francesca and her husband met through a dating app that both of them did not want to be on, but after God nudged them both to join, they met each other. Whitney met her husband as a prom date to her senior prom and had no intentions of dating him at the time, but as we spent time getting to know each other before prom, we both knew that God was calling us into a relationship.
What is one piece of advice that you want every young Catholic woman to know?
“Jeremiah 11:29, ‘For I know well the plans I have in mind for you–oracle of the Lord–plans for your welfare and not for woe, so as to give you a future of hope.’ Even when the path is hard, God is so proud of you and He sees you. If you are wanting to date right now, stay true to your morals. Society and the devil will do all that they can to pressure you into things that don’t agree with your morals. Everything He has planned is way better than anything you could plan for yourself. It is SO worth not fitting in. God will reward you until the day you die and enter heaven. He will say, ‘My daughter, you did it, you stayed strong and it will be so worth it.’ Your heart’s desires will be answered in His time or it might not be the way you expect but what God has in store for you will always be best.” -Francesca