Hello everyone! I hope you all are well and are having a most joyous and blessed Easter Season!
As many of my family and friends already know, modesty means a lot to me. Lately, I've noticed that impure dress and behavior is growing much worse. It deeply saddens me to see so many good people dress and behave in this way. There would be fewer sins against Chastity if more people dressed appropriately and avoided impure movies, music, books, and images (especially on the internet). The world would just be a better place. Dressing modestly and acting in a modest behavior isn't old-fashioned or hard to do. Wearing clothes that covers is awesome. There are amazing styles out there.
In my opinion, any outfit one wears cannot be transparent, formfitting, or the exact color of ones skin. Shoulders and knees should be covered (longer shorts and tank tops that are not strappy are fine). And ones cleavage and midriff must be covered. It's pretty simple. There are so many popular styles out there that meet or can be made to meet these standards. Also, asking yourself if a particular outfit is asking for trouble can be helpful in picking out an appropriate outfit .
I don't think these modesty suggestions are strict at all. Saint Padre Pio was extremely strict regarding modesty. "Padre Pio wouldn't tolerate low-necked dresses or short, tight skirts, and he forbade his spiritual daughters to wear transparent stockings. Each year his severity increased. He stubbornly dismissed them from his confessional, even before they set foot inside, if he judged them to be improperly dressed. On some mornings he drove away one after another, until he ended up hearing very few confessions. His brothers observed these drastic purges with a certain uneasiness and decided to fasten a sign on the church door; 'By Padre Pio's explicit wish, women must enter the confessional wearing skirts AT LEAST 8 INCHES BELOW THE KNEE. IT IS FORBIDDEN TO BORROW LONGER DRESSES IN CHURCH AND TO WEAR THEM TO CONFESSION.'" (www.franciscan-archive.org/padrepio). Times have changed and so have styles. What was considered inappropriate then isn't exactly inappropriate now, but certain clothing will definitely never be considered appropriate. St. Padre Pio must have needed to be that strict for one reason or another to help the women (and I'm sure some men) of the time grow closer to God.
Also, The Catechism of the Catholic Church states:
"2521 Purity requires modesty, an integral part of temperance. Modesty protects the intimate center of the person. It means refusing to unveil what should remain hidden. It is ordered to chastity to whose sensitivity it bears witness. It guides how one looks at others and behaves toward them in conformity with the dignity of persons and their solidarity.
2522 Modesty protects the mystery of persons and their love. It encourages patience and moderation in loving relationships; it requires that the conditions for the definitive giving and commitment of man and woman to one another be fulfilled. Modesty is decency. It inspires one's choice of clothing. It keeps silence or reserve where there is evident risk of unhealthy curiosity. It is discreet.
2523 There is a modesty of the feelings as well as of the body. It protests, for example, against the voyeuristic explorations of the human body in certain advertisements, or against the solicitations of certain media that go too far in the exhibition of intimate things. Modesty inspires a way of life which makes it possible to resist the allurements of fashion and the pressures of prevailing ideologies."
Here is a link to a past article I shared on modesty. www.littleromans.blogspot.com/2013/09/an-article-on-modesty.html
It's time that women and men alike start respecting the beautiful bodies God gave them. If we don't respect our own bodies others won't either.
Have a wonderful day and God bless!
~ littleromanJMJ
