If you know me at all, you know my love for super-trashy reality television. I seriously can't get enough of it. I don't know why - maybe it's an escape from my life, maybe it's my introverted personality and need for an almost voyeuristic look at other people's lives. Who knows. For whatever reason, I've been kind of obsessed with the MTV show "Snooki & JWoww".
I think a lot of people my age have a guilty fascination with the kids of "Jersey Shore". I was coming into my own the same time they were fist-pumping it up and selling shitty t-shirts on the shore. And while I didn't take things to quite the extreme that they did, I still felt that early-20's rebellion, and part of me was like "YASS. Live it up, kids." Whatever the reason, we all seemed to have a "love to hate ya" relationship with the guidos and guidettes of Jersey Shore.
Fast forward to a few years later. Snooki and JWoww found their guys, and both ended up having babies out of wedlock. Oh, the scandal! But, still. They stayed together They didn't run to the nearest abortion clinic. They embraced this new life and the changes that came with it. Hello, openness to life! I like.
And then there were the proposals. These crazy kids were not only sticking by their baby mamas (in Snooki's case, at least) but they wanted to seal the deal.
And then (for Snooki) there were more babies. And their TV spot even shows them going through what I can only guess is pre-cana (which all us Catholic peeps have to do) and they are pretty honest about it. Will Snooki go to confession? No. Will her husband? Yes. Will they cease to have sex until after the wedding? Well, Snooki replies "I don't see the point - I'm already pregnant with my second kid!" and I totally get her point.
We were the couple that had to fill out the "alternate" pre-Cana questionaire. You know, the one for "co-habitating" couples. Everything was approached differently for us. All because we were already "shacking up" and enjoying the "fruits of marriage" (which, I will say, change DRAMATICALLY when you actually do get married). But our priest also told us that he had never advised another couple that understood eachother and were on the same page as Daniel and I were. So, we were breaking the rules and fulfilling God's will to the extreme at the same time. Win some, lose some.
So... all of this rambling for what? For me to get to the point. Are Snooki and her hubby perfect examples of Catholicism? Should they be held up as ideals for all of us to imitate? No. Not even close. But I don't think that's what we're called to do. We aren't called to be perfect. Here's what I love about them - they decided to get married in the Church. They have a sweet Irish priest, and they have an actual wedding mass, and it is beautiful. And that was on national TV! Yay for them! They could have decided to forgo all that "old fashioned stuff" and get married in a field somewhere with no priest present. It may not be what you and I want, but it is still a valid marriage and they are still choosing to raise their children in the Church. They have two kids that have been baptized! Count up all those blessings and graces - baptized, confirmed, married... all those make their mark on us as a person. They are the part of the Church that I think a lot of us neglect - the ones that mean well and continue traditions, and are just one nice orthodox person away from really delving into what it means to be Catholic.
And who knows? Could we one day be praying for the intercession of Saint Snooki? My brain says "I don't think so", but as a Catholic I believe that we all have the potential of Sainthood... so I won't discount a single member of our faith. I would hope that I'm met with the same amount of mercy.
I think a lot of people my age have a guilty fascination with the kids of "Jersey Shore". I was coming into my own the same time they were fist-pumping it up and selling shitty t-shirts on the shore. And while I didn't take things to quite the extreme that they did, I still felt that early-20's rebellion, and part of me was like "YASS. Live it up, kids." Whatever the reason, we all seemed to have a "love to hate ya" relationship with the guidos and guidettes of Jersey Shore.
Fast forward to a few years later. Snooki and JWoww found their guys, and both ended up having babies out of wedlock. Oh, the scandal! But, still. They stayed together They didn't run to the nearest abortion clinic. They embraced this new life and the changes that came with it. Hello, openness to life! I like.
And then there were the proposals. These crazy kids were not only sticking by their baby mamas (in Snooki's case, at least) but they wanted to seal the deal.
And then (for Snooki) there were more babies. And their TV spot even shows them going through what I can only guess is pre-cana (which all us Catholic peeps have to do) and they are pretty honest about it. Will Snooki go to confession? No. Will her husband? Yes. Will they cease to have sex until after the wedding? Well, Snooki replies "I don't see the point - I'm already pregnant with my second kid!" and I totally get her point.
We were the couple that had to fill out the "alternate" pre-Cana questionaire. You know, the one for "co-habitating" couples. Everything was approached differently for us. All because we were already "shacking up" and enjoying the "fruits of marriage" (which, I will say, change DRAMATICALLY when you actually do get married). But our priest also told us that he had never advised another couple that understood eachother and were on the same page as Daniel and I were. So, we were breaking the rules and fulfilling God's will to the extreme at the same time. Win some, lose some.
So... all of this rambling for what? For me to get to the point. Are Snooki and her hubby perfect examples of Catholicism? Should they be held up as ideals for all of us to imitate? No. Not even close. But I don't think that's what we're called to do. We aren't called to be perfect. Here's what I love about them - they decided to get married in the Church. They have a sweet Irish priest, and they have an actual wedding mass, and it is beautiful. And that was on national TV! Yay for them! They could have decided to forgo all that "old fashioned stuff" and get married in a field somewhere with no priest present. It may not be what you and I want, but it is still a valid marriage and they are still choosing to raise their children in the Church. They have two kids that have been baptized! Count up all those blessings and graces - baptized, confirmed, married... all those make their mark on us as a person. They are the part of the Church that I think a lot of us neglect - the ones that mean well and continue traditions, and are just one nice orthodox person away from really delving into what it means to be Catholic.
And who knows? Could we one day be praying for the intercession of Saint Snooki? My brain says "I don't think so", but as a Catholic I believe that we all have the potential of Sainthood... so I won't discount a single member of our faith. I would hope that I'm met with the same amount of mercy.
No comments:
Post a Comment