Dating Gracefully for Catholic Girls

The number one thing  for guys to do in a relationship is to uphold the dignity of a woman. If they do this then they will never have a bad date. The most important thing for a girl to do on a date is to remember she has great dignity and worth.

Before a girl even says yes to a date, she must know that she is a beautiful, perfect creation of God. Similar to the magnificence of Heaven, her worth can be likened to the “pearl of great price” that the man went in search of and gave up everything for (Matthew 13:45-46).

If a lady doesn’t know her own worth, then we may put herself in situations where she be looking for the guy taking her out to provide her with her sense of worth. Ladies may try to act or look a certain way so that their date likes them . It’s not a bad thing to want to impress others, but your ultimate goal in dating shouldn’t be to please the guy who asked you out. Our goal is to please the One who created you.

God created women intentionally, unique within all of creation. Saint John Paul II refers to the great dignity and mystery of the design of women as the “feminine genius” (Letter of Pope John Paul II to Women).

It’s no coincidence that the creation story in Genesis builds in beauty and is crowned with the creation of Eve. As a woman you can always imitate Mary as the perfect example of womanhood. You should look to her as your role model and constant inspiration for living out your feminine genius. How did Mary live her life? In a “service of love.” It was through this service of love, to God and others, that she was able to experience in her own life all that God had planned for her.
But what does Mary’s life have to do with dating? It’s not like she went on a lot of dates before she finally met Joseph.
What Mary did perfectly, and what all ladies need to try to imitate, is her consistent “yes” to God’s plan for her. Her aim was to please and obey God. She knew her worth and dignity came from Him. She was able to love and serve others, because she knew God loved her first.

Knowing that God loves you just as you are allows you to be yourself on a date. Since you are loved by Him, there’s no need to question whether or not you are lovable. Knowing that you were uniquely created, with your own beauty and mystery, will help you “guard your heart” and not feel like you have to share every detail of your life early in the dating process. Knowing that God wants us to love others will guide you to be respectful and thoughtful on a date.

Practically speaking, men like to pursue women. Women like to be pursued. That’s why every fairy tales have the prince chasing after the princess, not the other way around.
It is your job as a lady to let a guy prove himself worthy of getting to know who you really are. This does not mean that every guy who asks you out will be up to the task. It does not mean that you’ll like every guy who does treat you well. It’s okay to say no to a date. That’s why the guy asks you: so that you can respond, graciously and politely, with either yes or no.

Adapted from Life Teen Blog