We were sitting by the fireplace having supper when my husband brought up the age-old question, “What do women want in a guy?”
It turns out he had been bandying about ideas with some male friends, who confessed to being quite perplexed.
Something deep inside me prompted me to say “I know what many Catholic women want.”
We want a man who will protect us from bad guys who might come prowling around in the night.
We want a man who will hold us when lightning splits the sky in two – and tree limbs bang against the house like the arms of an angry giant.
A man who will calm us when the phone rings at 3 a.m. shattering our dreams with bad news.
We yearn for a man who will love us unconditionally even if we fall off the diet wagon for the hundredth time. Someone who will tell us we are beautiful even when we suspect the mirror suggests otherwise.
We want a guy who will get us smiling again on the days when the oatmeal boils over, the dishwasher breaks, and the dog absconds with the meat loaf.
We want a man who will make us chicken soup when we have the flu. Drive us to our mammogram appointment and sit there patiently in the waiting room until the doctor says, “You’re fine!”
A man who will stand by us even if the doctor announces that something is terribly wrong.
We want a man who will forgive us if we go on a shopping binge and come home with our fifth pair of black shoes. A man who will chuckle when the living room looks exactly like a page from a trendy home magazine—but it’s the “before” photo.
We long for a man who will vow to stick with us through thick and thin through the sacrament of marriage. Someone who will walk up the aisle with us at Mass to receive the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ.
We want a guy who is courageous enough to defend the teachings of the Catholic Church in a world that mocks them, especially when it comes to the sanctity of life.
If we have children, we want a man who will take fatherhood seriously. Someone who will work two jobs if that’s what it takes to keep the larder stocked. And who won’t be too tough to get down on his knees and pray the rosary with his kids.
Above all, we yearn for a man who will mirror Christ’s love to others and make sacrifices when necessary. A man who puts getting into heaven first on his to-do list. And who will help us get there too.
Lorraine writes about her journey from Catholic schoolgirl to radical feminist/atheist and back again in “Confessions of an Ex-Feminist.” She is also the author of two laugh-out-loud mysteries, “Death of a Liturgist” and “Death in the Choir.” Her website is www.lorrainevmurray.com.
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