So, so, so... scandalous!

Ack... I know, that really disgusting Mis-Teeq song from who knows when always gets in my head when I think of this word. (yes, I had to look it up, and, no, I will not link to it.  It's gross, trust me)

It was a great wedding! Really.
I mean, it would have been really awesome
if they were Catholic! ;)

For some reason scandal, causing scandal or being scandalous has been floating around in my head lately.  I really have no idea why, but I thought I would explore it a little more.  If you follow me on the Twitters, then you know that I was all things Ashley and JP's wedding last night (it aired on TV), ya know, from the Bachelor/Bachelorette franchise.  Never heard of it?  That's probably for the better.  Yes, I watch(ed?) that show.  It's the one show that I allow myself to watch that has absolutely no moral boundaries.  I mean, everyone has something, right?

Anyway, the show reminded me of a time in my life a few years ago, where Mart had signed me up for The Bachelor.  Yup, you read that correctly.  My amazing, devoutly Catholic, moral BFF signed me, also devoutly Catholic with high moral standards, up for this crazy show.  Who knows why?!  But, I got a call back!!  They were interested in me and wanted me to send in a video and fill out this application and audition.  Isn't that crazy?!  I actually did start to make a video, take nicer pictures and all that jazz.  I knew I would be able to create drama due to my morals and beliefs, so I had that going for me.  I mean, I was so serious about it that I even talked to my boss at work about taking this random amount of time off so I could go, if I was selected, of course.

And, then... everything caught up to me.  What.the.heck.was.I.doing?!  This is CRAZY.  Did I really want to go on this show, where girls were being judged mostly on how they looked or how sexy they could be, and not a whole lot about who they were as a person?  Did I want to go on that show and proclaim my morals and values and my Catholic faith and risk the Church being viewed in an even more negative light?  (I did think it might have been good evangelization, though... maybe?) I was going to cause scandal in some way, whether it be from non-Catholic people looking at me as Catholic, or from all of the Catholic people seeing this 'Catholic' girl participating in this crazy, immoral show objectifying men and women (wait... why DO I watch this show?!).  Or my family... I wonder what my family would have thought about all of that, if I had actually gone through with it. *shudder*

Ok, let's look at some definitions of scandal, shall we?

From the Google:

noun /ˈskandl/

1. An action or event regarded as morally or legally wrong and causing general public outrage
2. The outrage or anger caused by such an action or event
3. Rumor or malicious gossip about such events or actions
4. A state of affairs regarded as wrong or reprehensible and causing general public outrage or anger

Ok... interesting.  So, something that is viewed to be wrong that causes public outrage.  Really, this could be anything.  The murder of innocent children, domestic violence, an affair, etc.  Things that have been deemed immoral from a wide range of people, and are, thus, affected by it.

I found this definition from Merriam- Webster (ode to my relation to the Websters.  For real... ask my mom!):

loss of or damage to reputation caused by actual or apparent violation of morality or propriety

Huh.  This would have to be those things that we may or may not do, but are perceived to be something different than we intend, but not on such a large moral compass as above.  These thing may have people thinking something completely wrong about you, thus causing scandal in and of itself.  For example, I almost stayed in a hotel with a guy friend the other night because it was a convenient, and safer/more comfortable, option than staying at the airport all night.  Then, having to explain the situation to someone, who may or may not know me well, would bring about questions, and cause, scandal as to why I, being the person that I am with said morals/values, would be staying in a hotel room alone with a guy that I am not married to.  Why would I want people to question my integrity in that way?  Why would I want people to think of me as saying and believing one thing and doing something completely different? (and, thank you to said friend for getting me another room and respecting my morals!  And, yes there is a lot to say about causing scandal when members of the opposite sex hang out alone who are not dating/married.... I know. There is too much to discuss about that for this post!)

In both of these definitions, scandal is something that involves morality.  Those things in life that we perceive as right and wrong.  When we proclaim something as such, we are then held to those standards, don't you think?  For me, this is where my faith comes in.  I love the Church so much, and am so grateful for all of Her wisdom.  She teaches us, leads us to Truth and provides the guidelines to live our lives.  For some, those ways may seem radical, but for a believer like me... they make sense.  I trust in the Church.  I trust in Her ways.  I trust that God uses the Church to bring His children to Him.

For that, I want to live my life this way.  I am proud to be part of a church that holds it's members, and the world, to these standards.  I don't want to cause scandal in any way that would lead people to believe I am something that I am not, or that my Church is something that She is not.  (there are already enough people to do that.  Just Google scandal and Catholic... it's so sad)  I am not perfect.  No-siree-Bob.  My desire to not cause scandal is so strong that I hope I am actually living what I preach.  But, I am human.  I make mistakes.  I have moments of turning away from God, my faith and the life that I want to live.  Most everyone has those times.  It's not an excuse, it's reality.  And, lately... realizing that there are so many wonderful little kiddos in my life, I want to be a person they can look up to... about everything.  I would dislike it greatly hate to scandalize those kids for not living up to the standards I have for my life.  It's the reason why I dress modestly, don't stay in hotel rooms alone with men, choose to love versus hate, not curse (errr, I try really really hard), and on and on.  Scandal will happen, publicly and privately, no matter what.  I want to live my life this way, and hope by doing so, I encourage others to do the same, and minimize the scandal that is in our world, thus leading to more sin.

St. Therese, pray for us!
Padre Pio, pray for us!
Blessed JPII, pray for us!