Dear Catholic Romantics (cue romantic song),

With Valentine's Day being just around the corner sometime next year, I decided to give this little advice to my fellow Catholic romantics.

This is an open letter for all of those (including myself) who know, in their hearts, that they are romantic and Catholic. A letter for those who find themselves momentarily wondering if the cute guy sitting two pews in front of us is sitting with his girlfriend or his cousin or his sister. Or if you are a guy, then vise versa. Then, you convince yourself it has to be a family member because he looks like a family man. He is probably so sweet to his mom and looks after his sisters and takes them to mass. Yes, yes, that is exactly what it is. She is his sister.

Then, the Our Father comes and you wonder if he holds hands during the prayer. You should have sat in the pew next to him. That way, you could have held his hand for a whole entire prayer. At least, you two could have shaken hands during the sign of peace. Maybe God would see you both together praying and realize that you would be amazing together doing anything else and He would bless your marriage and all of your six children that would be adorable because they would have his color hair and your color eyes. They would have his nose and your smile.

Where will you have your wedding? At a beach? Then you remember you can't unless it is inside a church. Maybe it could be next to the beach and after mass you could go out and invite everyone to go out to the beach and then he could profess his love to you and it could be sort of a wedding on the beach. But your wedding dress couldn't be too long because it could get sand on it. Or it could get wet! That would ruin your wedding dress and then your daughters couldn't wear it on their wedding, which would be a shame because they would have your frame and it was made specifically for you so it would fit them perfectly. So, maybe it would be better if you had a shorter dress. Maybe you could change before your fake wedding on the beach. Yes! Wait, would that mean you would spend extra money on the dress that could later be used to send your children to Catholic school?

Anyways, enough about the wedding. What would be your first words with him? They can't be "peace be with you" since you sat so far back. Silly you.. always sit up front! Would he use a Catholic pick up line? They are absolutely awful, but since they are Catholic they are so cute! He could come up to you and say, "hey, I was reading the book of numbers, and I realized I don't have yours..." No.. no. He looks like an introvert, you know he wouldn't say that. Maybe he could say he likes your Scapulary brown eyes! That's cute. Catholic reference! Hmm... maybe he could propose to you with a Catholic pick up line! "I was praying about it, and I think I am called for the vocation of marriage.Can I call you later?" That would be soo cute since you met him, or saw him from two pews away, at church. Maybe you'll tell your kids that the first time you saw their father, he was sitting with his sister, their aunt, at church and you thought it was his girlfriend. How funny. Unless that is his girlfriend. Then you realize all good Catholic guys are probably already taken either by girlfriends or married or are already priests.

It is all a fun, inocent love story until you realized you spent the whole time fantazising about it until people start getting up for Communion. You suddenly remember why you were in Mass in the first place. It is because you believe in True Love. You believe in Jesus. You believe that someone created you just the way you are. And He thinks you are beautiful. He knows that although you mess up, and you sin, and you get distracted, you are His daughter and you are good. You believe that there is a love so strong that would allow a young girl (the Virgin Mary) to say yes and change the world. There are Consacrated women. Nuns. Priests. They were all called to love Jesus as their true and only love, and they are fullfilled and hapy and at peace. If you are a Catholic romantic you know that if God calls you to marriage, God will make sure He puts your future spouse in your life. Have faith, and give God the time and respect He deserves. After all, He repeats His sacrifice at every mass for you. For all of us. If you want to feel loved, I don't know of a better way, or a better place, or of a better person to feel loved by.

Don't fall in love with love. Fall in love with God. Someone once said to fall so deeply in love with God that he will only find you through Him, and he will find Him in you. In reality, our true love story was finding Him, the rest is just a continuation of that. Have faith in God, He works in funny ways. Just love God. The rest, He will provide.

Love and God bless,

a Catholic Romantic