02-07-2021, 05:09 PM
If you would like to purchase a hard copy of this book, this link is where you can find it. It is the latest addition and it is the latest addition of the one I'm posting, with even more content. https://www.littleflowersfamilypress.com/immodestybook/
Table of Contents
Preface to the Second Edition
Dedication
Acknowledgement
Introduction
Part One: A Look at Traditional Catholic Modesty
Chapter One: What Does the Church Have to Say?
Chapter Two: A Conspiracy, Really?
Chapter Three: Nakedness and the Purpose of Clothing
Chapter Four: The Disappearance of True Womanhood and Femininity
Chapter Five: Church Attire
Chapter Six: Headcoverings
Chapter Seven: What Else Does It Include?
Chapter Eight: Modesty is For Men Also
Part One: Conclusion; Reparation
Part Two: Questions, Concerns and Practical Tips
Chapter One: What Me Sew?
Chapter Two: Adjusting to Temperatures
Chapter Three: How to Work and Play in Dresses, Some Tips
Chapter Four: Final Conclusion
Bibliography
Appendix One: Catholic Resources
Appendix Two: Quotes to Remember; A Handy Reference
Appendix Three: Men’s Dress Worn by Women by Cardinal
Appendix Four: A Crusade & League for Modesty in Dress
My heart goes out to all of you, and I want to particularly thank all those of you who have read this book and have written or called. All your kind comments have helped us to see how necessary our book is today and we are so grateful and humbled that Our Lady was able to do so much good through this book.
With this new edition you will hopefully note an improvement in grammatical errors that we must especially thank the tremendous help, support and editing of Mrs. Colleen Drippe. Without whom we may never have been ourselves clear of all our own errors! Thank you so much!
I would also like to thank the generous supporters and benefactors who helped us to see this book get back into print once again. Without their help we surely would be at loss for seeing these new books.
Satan had a fine time trying to dampen our sales on the first edition with limiting the amount of publications that would review this book. But, the sales of the first edition still managed to be brisk considering that we had nearly no budget for advertising. I would very much like to thank those publications truly deserve the support of Traditional Catholics.
We sincerely hope that this edition will be just as welcome as the first and invite bookstores, church’s or individuals who would like to help get this book into people’s hands to write or call us for information.
May this New Year bring us all a new chance at peace and a break in the tide of sin that is enveloping the world at such an alarming rate…Our Lady of Fatima, ora pro nobis!
R. Davidson,
Lanark, Ont.
January 2003
And to Jacinta, the little soul who received Our Lady’s message about Fashions that would be introduced.
Also to St. Maria Goretti who gave up her life to be a ‘Martyr of Purity’. May we all be as brave in our everyday life and love Christ as much as she did.
And last, but not least, Padre Pio, who bravely defended modesty in women even at the expense of offending people.
I want to thank my dearest Sister in Christ, Jennie Lou, who was the one to introduce the issue of modest dress to me and inspire me in my practice of this virtue. Also, to my dear husband, who loves me despite all my weaknesses, and who often did my ‘dishes’ so that I could write this. Thank you also to my dearest blessings, my children, especially our eldest Sierra who graciously was the perfect example for many areas of this book, and is often an inspiration to me of womanly femininity and modesty as she becomes a young lady, (all too quickly I might add!). To Kenna, Hannah, and August who sat on my knee, nursing, much of the time I was writing this book, until his new little brother Andrew decided to join him on my lap too. Thank you to all of my children for helping me to learn how to love with the heart of Christ.
I cannot forget to thank the priests and sisters who supported me and helped me with research, editing, typesetting and printing of this book; especially, Fr. Gavigan, Fr. Skierka, Sr. Mary Josephine and Sr. Mary Agnes.
Last, but not least, is the immense support, input, advice and editing that I received from some dear friends, especially; Mr. Dick Lloyd and Miss Marjorie Schmidt. Without their help this book would have never been accomplished. You will remain forever in our prayers….
With this book in your hands you have made an important step in following God’s holy will. I say this because I do not feel that modesty is for the few, but for many! Yes, even you! If you are reading this may I ask you to join me in saying a Hail Mary to our Blessed Mother, in honor of her modesty?
“Hail Mary, full of Grace the Lord is with Thee, Blessed art Thou among women, and Blessed is the fruit of Thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, Now and at the hour of our death. Amen.”
It seems the time has come to address the issue of modesty. I am very glad that I can share with you what I feel God is guiding me to say during a time when it is always the “Season of undressing.” I hope with this book to be able to introduce you to a long-forgotten topic. If this book leads even one woman to fully embrace modesty in dress then I will have accomplished what I set out to do.
I humble admit my own inadequacy in writing this book. Though I must confess I felt compelled to begin it. The more I wrote, the more I recognize my own past faults, and I only hope that for that reason I may have some particular insight that will be helpful to those who will be reading this book.
God has sent me many lifeboats in my lifetime, trying to get me back on track. I am sure He has many more planned too. The first real lifeboat that He sent that saved my Faith and brought me back to the Church was our first daughter. I am one of many who grew up thinking that what was really immodest was just normal. That, coupled with a mediocre Catholic upbringing, led me to become a mother at the age of 18. What a deceptive world we live in! To be led into committing such sins without even being aware of it, is the great evil of immodesty. It enlists the most unaware. Those who should know better are enlisted through pride by refusing to believe and then refusing to act. I am so grateful that we have a merciful God, and that He thought I was worthy enough to save me from my path toward hell. Perhaps, this is why I felt such a great need to write this book. Knowing that if I had this information myself I may have been lead down a much different path, I only hope that you will learn from the great wealth of information that I am presenting here. God sent the great ‘lifeboat’ to me – a baby. That baby changed the path of my life forever and I will be forever humbly grateful, to God, for sending her, our eldest baby….for becoming the greatest inspiration of my life, and this book.
So, next on this new ‘path’ was homeschooling. It was my great love for our first daughter that made me want to homeschool and naturally want to give her a Catholic education (as I thought I was given!). So, with the recommendations of those wiser in the faith than I, I used all the traditional texts for her First Communion and First Holy Communion then found myself in the confessional after a 15-year absence! Deo Gracias!
There were many other small lifeboats that God has sent me and I know that I need so many more. But one of the next greatest things that came into my life was my dear friend, J.L. It was by her example that I was lead to consider a deeper understanding of my Faith. It was by her outer example of modesty that I was inspired to follow her manner of dressing too. I questioned her about it extensively and her answers slowly melted away the many obstacles that were making me hesitate to make the move.
By this time we had just moved from the city to the country and our eldest girl was nine years of age. We had two other girls by then, aged five and two so a few girls’ wardrobes had to change! I knew as a Catholic wife and mother, it was important for me to be an example for my children in many ways, one of them being modesty. The fashions of today are much of the time outrageous for a Catholic have not realised the importance of modest dress. The virtue of modesty is all but forgotten everywhere from the media, magazines, and on the street. And frequently I saw this as I withdrew from the city and mainstream society and could see the world from a new perspective based on my faith. As a Catholic I thought it shouldn’t be too difficult for us to embrace this virtue and make it part of our lifestyle. When we have young children growing up, it is a good to be able to have them in an atmosphere where modesty is the norm rather than the exception. It is an absolute must if they are to have any chance of acquiring this virtue.
I realized that our Faith is much more than just a list of virtues and commandments and Church. It is a way of thinking, acting and living. It should be so much a part of us that it shapes the way we think, the way we live and the choices we make.
It is very important for the young children that God has entrusted to us, that, we regain as much of our Catholic culture as we can by incorporating modest dress and living into onto our daily life. My husband did not completely agree when he saw me packing away all of our daughter’s and my pants. I was little nervous too! But I persevered and prayed and it was not very long before he totally agreed that he much prefers me in dresses than in pants, that I am much more feminine that way. I then realized that it can be difficult at first making such a drastic change, especially when there are few to help you to see the reason for it. It was a friend who inspired me to change, and another that inspired me to write this book. The world is Satan’s mouth piece, and every one of these ‘mouths’ deceives us by telling us many lies – lies we have heard for all of our lives. Many of us did not know any better, and some because we were afraid to change. It was over six years ago when I made this change in my life and I now realize that all hesitations can be overcome if we pray because our Blessed Mother will ensure that we receive all the graces necessary to make the changes successfully.
Why would our Blessed Mother care what we wear? Why would She concern Herself with such inconsequential things when there are so many more important things to be done? I believe that this issue is much more important than we thought or Our Lady would not have mentioned it at Fatima. Modesty is one of the foundation stones of our spiritual life. Immodesty is the issue that underlies much of the sinfulness of our world which is growing every day. Satan has used every opportunity to make us believe that this issue is a non-issue. Every day the world is more blinded by its own sins, the sins of impurity, which promote the sins of immodesty which damages purity even more. We face the result of these sins, every day, with all the thousands of babies that end up in dumpsters at abortion clinics, suicide rates and increasing rates of crimes of a sexual nature. Can you see the connection? All sin begins with a thought. A sin must be first thought of and then consented to…If Satan can succeed in breaking down the natural barriers of modesty in children, then he can succeed in opening a door for those children to choose impurity in their adolescent years. Without this natural barrier to turn them away from the first hints of impure thoughts or attractions they feel comfortable with them instead. So, you see, Satan is very clever. He plans well head. If he can get at the children earlier, he can affect a whole generation in the future. With a whole generation of people living lives of impurity, abortion now, becomes a possible choice when an unexpected pregnancy is the result. And we all know the horrific abortion rates in both Canada and the U.S….Would you not agree then that all these poor aborted babies are just sacrifices on Satan’s unholy altar?
I began to write this book after realizing what a dark world we live in and seeing many faithful Catholics following the lead of the world because there is no other voice in this great wilderness from which we are striving for heaven. No on wishes to speak of something like modesty. It is out of style, old-fashioned, un-important. But I tell you IT IS NOT! I hope I have managed to put together an argument of defense of modesty that will convince you.
There was a distinct change in me when I began to wear dresses and skirts. Yes, I looked different but more than that I thought differently. I felt different inside and this made all the difference in my spiritual life. Dressing femininely has a way of putting you a little closer to our Creator, which is a humbling experience. It helps us develop reverence, not just in Church, but always. It helps us to live reverently, with a great respect for God and His loving Omnipresence everywhere, which is the goal of our spiritual lives; to develop holiness, becoming holy, and attaining heaven. This is one of those external practices that can help us develop our interior life which is what spiritual directors have been telling us for centuries. Venerable Louis of Granada in the Sinner’s Guide tells us, “that a true servant of God must not be content to seek interior virtues only…but must also add the practice of exterior virtues, both to preserve the first and perfectly fulfil the obligations of justice.” He goes on to explain to us the importance of our external practices just as a vine supports the fruit, saying, “He who would become a perfect Christian must remember that the interior and exterior virtues are as inseparable as soul and body…” and goes on to warn us that we must have exterior practices if we are to derive profit from our interior virtues. Our exterior works of piety protect our interior virtues. In other words our spirituality is manifested and protected by our exterior practices. For the perfection of our natural and spiritual life both external and internal practices must be used. Both are dependent on each other.
You might be saying, “Well that’s okay for her but I have work to do, wood to bring in and gardening to do.” Fine! I say, why can’t you do these things in a dress? I do, although at first I doubted that I could. I can carry wood, garden, bake, clean the house and have done so in a dress for the last six years. I never even think of wearing anything else now. But, when a woman wears a long flowing dress and then has to do the gardening, it’s funny how it begins to influence her movements too. Now suddenly she is actin modest. She is learning to pick up her skirt when moving around, and how wonderful a feeling it is to be free to be feminine! What a gift. Skirts are a blessing in disguise to women. We are the ones who have to carry all the children and then carry all the extra pounds and scars to match! Dresses thoughtfully cover these areas so that we can still feel pretty rather than old and worn out (even when we are!).
Just because we are women on the homestead and have a lot to do does not mean that we have to dress and act like our husbands (even if we can carry more wood than they can!). Many activities that women do today are really something that, 60 years ago, were done by a man. When we come upon an activity like, wood-working, using a chainsaw, we should ask ourselves if this is something that we should really be doing. We know that we CAN do these things, but we need to ask ourselves, SHOULD we be doing these things? This is a question we don’t ask ourselves too much today since we women are told that we can do everything now. But, would St. Joseph have let Our Lady lift heavy amounts of wood or do other manly activities? Never! He would have offered to do it for Her and, I assume, She would never have considered doing it Herself without asking for his help.
And this brings us to the crux of modesty: how it is deeply tied to femininity for women and honour and obligation for men. Men are truly men when they feel obligated to offer to help a women with a heavy task and that obligation comes to them from our practicing of feminine modesty. There are limitations on the activities that we should do as a woman. I hope this book will help with that. There are many other areas to be touched on concerning this issue too, as it is not simply a ‘dress’ issue. I have attempted to cover many other areas concerned with this topic as well. I would encourage both men and women to read this since all men are in contact with women. Their mothers, daughters, cousins, friends and perhaps they too, can speak up and defend this issue to the women in their life and introduce this book to them. Surely, they can guide their daughters! Mothers use this book as a guide to help inspire your girls to the beauty of feminine modesty and purity perfectly shown to us in our Blessed Mother. Be an example for your sons, so that they may grow up knowing the charms of this virtue too.
Finally, I pray that Our Lady has guide me correctly in the writing of this book and that through me, She has told you all that She would like to have said if She had written it Herself. Please pray for me…
“Everyone argues in favor of the virtue he practices easily, and exaggerates the difficulties of the virtues which are contrary to it.” Says St. Francis de Sales.
And I have seen many women complain about the difficulties of always wearing dresses or skirts. But as St. Francis says here, a new virtue is often difficult to practice and if the difficulties seem exaggerated, we are less apt to begin its practice. But to keep in mind that this was a common practice not so long ago, that of dressing modestly all the time, (except among those of ill repute). The Church has always been very clear about its position on the subject of modesty and heaven has given us divine warnings about it as well.
“If men do not repent and better themselves, the Father will inflict a terrible punishment on all humanity. It will be a punishment greater than the Deluge such as one will never have been seen before. Fire will fall from the sky and will wipe out a great part of humanity, the good as well as the bad, sparing neither priest nor faithful.” This was Our Lady’s warning at Akita, Japan in 1973.
Now looking from where you are sitting right now…the world is, from some perspectives, quite normal looking. But, as Catholics, we all are aware of the terrible evils that lie just underneath the surface, it is a false peace. Secular humanistic materialism has overtaken society and the world and shows itself in the killing of human life, especially the unborn but perhaps soon, the elderly and disabled. Just recently there was the attack on the World Trade Center in the U.S., where a plane described as “an orange fire-ball” crashed into one of the Twin Towers. “Orange fire-ball” really reminded me of Our Lady of Akita’s prophecy. I could go on and on. The above warning from Akita, similar to what was said at Fatima earlier in 1917, should be no surprise to us. Why? Because you and I are very aware that this world is in great need of some punishment for all the evil that it is allowing to happen. And we simply cannot wait any longer to fulfill Our Lady’s request.
The prophecies of Our Lady of Good Success from the late 17th century, which are only now becoming known, describe for us with wonderful accuracy what the end of the 20th century would be like. Speaking to Mother Mariana de Jesus She said, “…that impurity would inundate the streets like filthy ocean waters so that ‘there would be almost no virgin souls’.” Also, “Innocence will almost no longer be found in children, nor modesty in women. In this supreme moment of need of the Church, those who should speak will fall silent.” Then, “…The vices of impurity, blasphemy and sacrilege will dominate in this time…” Lastly, in one of Her apparitions She saw swords above the head of Christ that read “I shall punish heresy, blasphemy and impurity.” Does this not perfectly describe the state of our society today?
Our Lady appeared to two young people at LaSalette. At Lourdes, She appeared to the sweet innocent Bernadette, at Fatima he appeared to three young peasant children and changed their lives forever. At Akita, She appeared to a young nun. Just look at yourself right now. What are you wearing? If Our Lady came to see you right now, would you be comfortable with what you are wearing? Would you wish you had a chance to change first? Your response to that thought is very important for you and for your soul. If you answered that you would rather have changed then I hope you would take the contents of this book seriously enough, so that if our heavenly friends should decide to choose you for a visit you may be properly prepared. More than that, we must realize that as Temples of the Holy Ghost, we are in the presence of God at every moment and that is the real reason we should take modesty in dress seriously: because our bodies hide within them a beautiful secret that is God. Our clothing should act as the curtain which covers the tabernacle which hides our Hidden Lord within.
Now you may be wondering just why the Church would be so interested in modesty and modest dress. They have been speaking about it for centuries, in fact, ever since the Church began! Our Lady has been concerned about it as well. Like Her warning above, She warns us in every apparition to change our ways, to convert, repent, sacrifice for sinners, pray, pray and pray more. Sin is rampant, and immodesty is one of those sins. This book wishes to show you what it is, what the Church has said about it and how you can practice it effectively in your own life thereby, doing what Our Lady has asked at Fatima and helping to secure the salvation of your own soul and perhaps others.
Immodesty is one of those sins that I have rarely heard spoken about in its proper perspective although we see the fruit of immodesty everywhere! Impurity! It is a cancer in society that is eating away at the souls of young and old alike. Yes, there are greater evils in the world, and that may be true. But a lesser evil is still an evil and if we are to expose this immodesty for what it truly is then we must begin talking about it. Only when we truly understand, can we combat it.
But rather than just taking my word for it, I would like to present you with some ‘evidence’, so to speak, that will help explain this position which is also the position of the Church. By what standards do we judge what is and what isn’t modest? Has the Church spoken directly on this topic? Let us look at the earliest and first authority, the Bible.
In Ecclesiasticus 19:27 we read, “The attire of the body, laughter of the teeth, and the gait of the man, shew what he is.” Clearly, this says that what we wear very much shows just who we are. And also, how we laugh and carry ourselves. What overall image are we portraying to others? Sexually attractive or respectful and modest? Modesty is concerned with the entire person. We are stressing the importance of modesty in dress but, it is by no means the most important thing. This book emphasizes it because it needs the emphasis. There are no voices today that are telling us the true path to follow. The voice of the world has become Satan’s mouthpiece and is full of lies by which he deceives us.
Next, is the most controversial verse in the Old Testament: “A woman shall not be clothed with man’s apparel; neither shall a man use woman’s apparel; for he that doeth these things is abominable before God.” Deut. 22:5. Here we read not only about modest, but more importantly about the issue of men’s vs. women’s clothing. This distinctly says that women should not dress with men’s apparel and vice versa. This would explain why cross dressing is such an abomination, not just in our sight, but in God’s as well. In our Western culture trousers have always been predominately men’s clothing. This simple Bible quote, all by itself, tells us that it is improper or “abominable” for woman to wear men’s trousers. Even in cultures other than ours, there was always a distinct difference in the way women and men dressed. It has been a slow and even suspicious change that our fashion industry has made it fashionable for women to dress like men. Remember the in-style women’s pant suit? What about today’s sloppy look, with manly looking stripes and trousers for girls? We will stop here for now, but we will discuss this further later.
The third quotation I want to look at is 1 Tim. 2:9-10. We are told, “In like manner I wish women to be decently dressed, adorning themselves with modesty and dignity, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing, but with good works, such as become women professing Godliness.” God gave us these serious statements through the Bible. Remember now, the Old Testament was written over 2000 ears ago when all women wore robes to the ground. Imagine how much more these, and other statements, apply to us today! Are women adorning themselves with ‘modesty and dignity’ today? The wisdom of the Bible never becomes outdated! It even surprises us with its truth always ‘fitting’ even in our day!
Immodesty – Satan’s Virtue
Rita Davidson
Preface to the Second Edition
Dedication
Acknowledgement
Introduction
Part One: A Look at Traditional Catholic Modesty
Chapter One: What Does the Church Have to Say?
Chapter Two: A Conspiracy, Really?
Chapter Three: Nakedness and the Purpose of Clothing
Chapter Four: The Disappearance of True Womanhood and Femininity
Chapter Five: Church Attire
Chapter Six: Headcoverings
Chapter Seven: What Else Does It Include?
Chapter Eight: Modesty is For Men Also
Part One: Conclusion; Reparation
Part Two: Questions, Concerns and Practical Tips
Chapter One: What Me Sew?
Chapter Two: Adjusting to Temperatures
Chapter Three: How to Work and Play in Dresses, Some Tips
Chapter Four: Final Conclusion
Bibliography
Appendix One: Catholic Resources
Appendix Two: Quotes to Remember; A Handy Reference
Appendix Three: Men’s Dress Worn by Women by Cardinal
Appendix Four: A Crusade & League for Modesty in Dress
Preface to the Second Edition
As I sit here and try to decide just what to write in this Preface, my mind wanders back to all those letters we have received over the last seven months since this book has been in print. My heart goes out to all of you, and I want to particularly thank all those of you who have read this book and have written or called. All your kind comments have helped us to see how necessary our book is today and we are so grateful and humbled that Our Lady was able to do so much good through this book.
With this new edition you will hopefully note an improvement in grammatical errors that we must especially thank the tremendous help, support and editing of Mrs. Colleen Drippe. Without whom we may never have been ourselves clear of all our own errors! Thank you so much!
I would also like to thank the generous supporters and benefactors who helped us to see this book get back into print once again. Without their help we surely would be at loss for seeing these new books.
Satan had a fine time trying to dampen our sales on the first edition with limiting the amount of publications that would review this book. But, the sales of the first edition still managed to be brisk considering that we had nearly no budget for advertising. I would very much like to thank those publications truly deserve the support of Traditional Catholics.
We sincerely hope that this edition will be just as welcome as the first and invite bookstores, church’s or individuals who would like to help get this book into people’s hands to write or call us for information.
May this New Year bring us all a new chance at peace and a break in the tide of sin that is enveloping the world at such an alarming rate…Our Lady of Fatima, ora pro nobis!
R. Davidson,
Lanark, Ont.
January 2003
Dedication
I dedicate this work to the Immaculate Heart of Our Lady of Fatima, who always pure and modest, came from Heaven to warn us of the sins of immodesty that were about to envelope the world. And to Jacinta, the little soul who received Our Lady’s message about Fashions that would be introduced.
Also to St. Maria Goretti who gave up her life to be a ‘Martyr of Purity’. May we all be as brave in our everyday life and love Christ as much as she did.
And last, but not least, Padre Pio, who bravely defended modesty in women even at the expense of offending people.
“How beautiful then is modesty and what a gem among virtues it is.”
Saint Bernard, Confessor and Doctor of the Church
Acknowledgments:
Ave Maria!I want to thank my dearest Sister in Christ, Jennie Lou, who was the one to introduce the issue of modest dress to me and inspire me in my practice of this virtue. Also, to my dear husband, who loves me despite all my weaknesses, and who often did my ‘dishes’ so that I could write this. Thank you also to my dearest blessings, my children, especially our eldest Sierra who graciously was the perfect example for many areas of this book, and is often an inspiration to me of womanly femininity and modesty as she becomes a young lady, (all too quickly I might add!). To Kenna, Hannah, and August who sat on my knee, nursing, much of the time I was writing this book, until his new little brother Andrew decided to join him on my lap too. Thank you to all of my children for helping me to learn how to love with the heart of Christ.
I cannot forget to thank the priests and sisters who supported me and helped me with research, editing, typesetting and printing of this book; especially, Fr. Gavigan, Fr. Skierka, Sr. Mary Josephine and Sr. Mary Agnes.
Last, but not least, is the immense support, input, advice and editing that I received from some dear friends, especially; Mr. Dick Lloyd and Miss Marjorie Schmidt. Without their help this book would have never been accomplished. You will remain forever in our prayers….
Introduction:
My Story
“I confess to Almighty God, to blessed Mary ever Virgin, to blessed Michael the Archangel, to blessed John the Baptist, to the holy Apostles Peter and Paul and to all the saints, that I have sinned exceedingly through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault. Therefore I beseech blessed Mary ever Virgin, blessed Michael the Archangel, blessed John the Baptist, the holy Apostles Peter and Paul, and all the saints, to pray to the Lord our God for me.” Raccolta 691.With this book in your hands you have made an important step in following God’s holy will. I say this because I do not feel that modesty is for the few, but for many! Yes, even you! If you are reading this may I ask you to join me in saying a Hail Mary to our Blessed Mother, in honor of her modesty?
“Hail Mary, full of Grace the Lord is with Thee, Blessed art Thou among women, and Blessed is the fruit of Thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, Now and at the hour of our death. Amen.”
It seems the time has come to address the issue of modesty. I am very glad that I can share with you what I feel God is guiding me to say during a time when it is always the “Season of undressing.” I hope with this book to be able to introduce you to a long-forgotten topic. If this book leads even one woman to fully embrace modesty in dress then I will have accomplished what I set out to do.
I humble admit my own inadequacy in writing this book. Though I must confess I felt compelled to begin it. The more I wrote, the more I recognize my own past faults, and I only hope that for that reason I may have some particular insight that will be helpful to those who will be reading this book.
God has sent me many lifeboats in my lifetime, trying to get me back on track. I am sure He has many more planned too. The first real lifeboat that He sent that saved my Faith and brought me back to the Church was our first daughter. I am one of many who grew up thinking that what was really immodest was just normal. That, coupled with a mediocre Catholic upbringing, led me to become a mother at the age of 18. What a deceptive world we live in! To be led into committing such sins without even being aware of it, is the great evil of immodesty. It enlists the most unaware. Those who should know better are enlisted through pride by refusing to believe and then refusing to act. I am so grateful that we have a merciful God, and that He thought I was worthy enough to save me from my path toward hell. Perhaps, this is why I felt such a great need to write this book. Knowing that if I had this information myself I may have been lead down a much different path, I only hope that you will learn from the great wealth of information that I am presenting here. God sent the great ‘lifeboat’ to me – a baby. That baby changed the path of my life forever and I will be forever humbly grateful, to God, for sending her, our eldest baby….for becoming the greatest inspiration of my life, and this book.
So, next on this new ‘path’ was homeschooling. It was my great love for our first daughter that made me want to homeschool and naturally want to give her a Catholic education (as I thought I was given!). So, with the recommendations of those wiser in the faith than I, I used all the traditional texts for her First Communion and First Holy Communion then found myself in the confessional after a 15-year absence! Deo Gracias!
There were many other small lifeboats that God has sent me and I know that I need so many more. But one of the next greatest things that came into my life was my dear friend, J.L. It was by her example that I was lead to consider a deeper understanding of my Faith. It was by her outer example of modesty that I was inspired to follow her manner of dressing too. I questioned her about it extensively and her answers slowly melted away the many obstacles that were making me hesitate to make the move.
By this time we had just moved from the city to the country and our eldest girl was nine years of age. We had two other girls by then, aged five and two so a few girls’ wardrobes had to change! I knew as a Catholic wife and mother, it was important for me to be an example for my children in many ways, one of them being modesty. The fashions of today are much of the time outrageous for a Catholic have not realised the importance of modest dress. The virtue of modesty is all but forgotten everywhere from the media, magazines, and on the street. And frequently I saw this as I withdrew from the city and mainstream society and could see the world from a new perspective based on my faith. As a Catholic I thought it shouldn’t be too difficult for us to embrace this virtue and make it part of our lifestyle. When we have young children growing up, it is a good to be able to have them in an atmosphere where modesty is the norm rather than the exception. It is an absolute must if they are to have any chance of acquiring this virtue.
I realized that our Faith is much more than just a list of virtues and commandments and Church. It is a way of thinking, acting and living. It should be so much a part of us that it shapes the way we think, the way we live and the choices we make.
It is very important for the young children that God has entrusted to us, that, we regain as much of our Catholic culture as we can by incorporating modest dress and living into onto our daily life. My husband did not completely agree when he saw me packing away all of our daughter’s and my pants. I was little nervous too! But I persevered and prayed and it was not very long before he totally agreed that he much prefers me in dresses than in pants, that I am much more feminine that way. I then realized that it can be difficult at first making such a drastic change, especially when there are few to help you to see the reason for it. It was a friend who inspired me to change, and another that inspired me to write this book. The world is Satan’s mouth piece, and every one of these ‘mouths’ deceives us by telling us many lies – lies we have heard for all of our lives. Many of us did not know any better, and some because we were afraid to change. It was over six years ago when I made this change in my life and I now realize that all hesitations can be overcome if we pray because our Blessed Mother will ensure that we receive all the graces necessary to make the changes successfully.
Why would our Blessed Mother care what we wear? Why would She concern Herself with such inconsequential things when there are so many more important things to be done? I believe that this issue is much more important than we thought or Our Lady would not have mentioned it at Fatima. Modesty is one of the foundation stones of our spiritual life. Immodesty is the issue that underlies much of the sinfulness of our world which is growing every day. Satan has used every opportunity to make us believe that this issue is a non-issue. Every day the world is more blinded by its own sins, the sins of impurity, which promote the sins of immodesty which damages purity even more. We face the result of these sins, every day, with all the thousands of babies that end up in dumpsters at abortion clinics, suicide rates and increasing rates of crimes of a sexual nature. Can you see the connection? All sin begins with a thought. A sin must be first thought of and then consented to…If Satan can succeed in breaking down the natural barriers of modesty in children, then he can succeed in opening a door for those children to choose impurity in their adolescent years. Without this natural barrier to turn them away from the first hints of impure thoughts or attractions they feel comfortable with them instead. So, you see, Satan is very clever. He plans well head. If he can get at the children earlier, he can affect a whole generation in the future. With a whole generation of people living lives of impurity, abortion now, becomes a possible choice when an unexpected pregnancy is the result. And we all know the horrific abortion rates in both Canada and the U.S….Would you not agree then that all these poor aborted babies are just sacrifices on Satan’s unholy altar?
I began to write this book after realizing what a dark world we live in and seeing many faithful Catholics following the lead of the world because there is no other voice in this great wilderness from which we are striving for heaven. No on wishes to speak of something like modesty. It is out of style, old-fashioned, un-important. But I tell you IT IS NOT! I hope I have managed to put together an argument of defense of modesty that will convince you.
There was a distinct change in me when I began to wear dresses and skirts. Yes, I looked different but more than that I thought differently. I felt different inside and this made all the difference in my spiritual life. Dressing femininely has a way of putting you a little closer to our Creator, which is a humbling experience. It helps us develop reverence, not just in Church, but always. It helps us to live reverently, with a great respect for God and His loving Omnipresence everywhere, which is the goal of our spiritual lives; to develop holiness, becoming holy, and attaining heaven. This is one of those external practices that can help us develop our interior life which is what spiritual directors have been telling us for centuries. Venerable Louis of Granada in the Sinner’s Guide tells us, “that a true servant of God must not be content to seek interior virtues only…but must also add the practice of exterior virtues, both to preserve the first and perfectly fulfil the obligations of justice.” He goes on to explain to us the importance of our external practices just as a vine supports the fruit, saying, “He who would become a perfect Christian must remember that the interior and exterior virtues are as inseparable as soul and body…” and goes on to warn us that we must have exterior practices if we are to derive profit from our interior virtues. Our exterior works of piety protect our interior virtues. In other words our spirituality is manifested and protected by our exterior practices. For the perfection of our natural and spiritual life both external and internal practices must be used. Both are dependent on each other.
You might be saying, “Well that’s okay for her but I have work to do, wood to bring in and gardening to do.” Fine! I say, why can’t you do these things in a dress? I do, although at first I doubted that I could. I can carry wood, garden, bake, clean the house and have done so in a dress for the last six years. I never even think of wearing anything else now. But, when a woman wears a long flowing dress and then has to do the gardening, it’s funny how it begins to influence her movements too. Now suddenly she is actin modest. She is learning to pick up her skirt when moving around, and how wonderful a feeling it is to be free to be feminine! What a gift. Skirts are a blessing in disguise to women. We are the ones who have to carry all the children and then carry all the extra pounds and scars to match! Dresses thoughtfully cover these areas so that we can still feel pretty rather than old and worn out (even when we are!).
Just because we are women on the homestead and have a lot to do does not mean that we have to dress and act like our husbands (even if we can carry more wood than they can!). Many activities that women do today are really something that, 60 years ago, were done by a man. When we come upon an activity like, wood-working, using a chainsaw, we should ask ourselves if this is something that we should really be doing. We know that we CAN do these things, but we need to ask ourselves, SHOULD we be doing these things? This is a question we don’t ask ourselves too much today since we women are told that we can do everything now. But, would St. Joseph have let Our Lady lift heavy amounts of wood or do other manly activities? Never! He would have offered to do it for Her and, I assume, She would never have considered doing it Herself without asking for his help.
And this brings us to the crux of modesty: how it is deeply tied to femininity for women and honour and obligation for men. Men are truly men when they feel obligated to offer to help a women with a heavy task and that obligation comes to them from our practicing of feminine modesty. There are limitations on the activities that we should do as a woman. I hope this book will help with that. There are many other areas to be touched on concerning this issue too, as it is not simply a ‘dress’ issue. I have attempted to cover many other areas concerned with this topic as well. I would encourage both men and women to read this since all men are in contact with women. Their mothers, daughters, cousins, friends and perhaps they too, can speak up and defend this issue to the women in their life and introduce this book to them. Surely, they can guide their daughters! Mothers use this book as a guide to help inspire your girls to the beauty of feminine modesty and purity perfectly shown to us in our Blessed Mother. Be an example for your sons, so that they may grow up knowing the charms of this virtue too.
Finally, I pray that Our Lady has guide me correctly in the writing of this book and that through me, She has told you all that She would like to have said if She had written it Herself. Please pray for me…
PART ONE: A Look at Traditional Catholic Modesty
Everyone argues in favor of the virtue he practices easily, and exaggerates the difficulties of the virtues which are contrary to it.” St. Francis de Sales
CHAPTER ONE (Part 1)
What does the Church have to say?
Let’s take a look through history.
And I have seen many women complain about the difficulties of always wearing dresses or skirts. But as St. Francis says here, a new virtue is often difficult to practice and if the difficulties seem exaggerated, we are less apt to begin its practice. But to keep in mind that this was a common practice not so long ago, that of dressing modestly all the time, (except among those of ill repute). The Church has always been very clear about its position on the subject of modesty and heaven has given us divine warnings about it as well.
“If men do not repent and better themselves, the Father will inflict a terrible punishment on all humanity. It will be a punishment greater than the Deluge such as one will never have been seen before. Fire will fall from the sky and will wipe out a great part of humanity, the good as well as the bad, sparing neither priest nor faithful.” This was Our Lady’s warning at Akita, Japan in 1973.
Now looking from where you are sitting right now…the world is, from some perspectives, quite normal looking. But, as Catholics, we all are aware of the terrible evils that lie just underneath the surface, it is a false peace. Secular humanistic materialism has overtaken society and the world and shows itself in the killing of human life, especially the unborn but perhaps soon, the elderly and disabled. Just recently there was the attack on the World Trade Center in the U.S., where a plane described as “an orange fire-ball” crashed into one of the Twin Towers. “Orange fire-ball” really reminded me of Our Lady of Akita’s prophecy. I could go on and on. The above warning from Akita, similar to what was said at Fatima earlier in 1917, should be no surprise to us. Why? Because you and I are very aware that this world is in great need of some punishment for all the evil that it is allowing to happen. And we simply cannot wait any longer to fulfill Our Lady’s request.
The prophecies of Our Lady of Good Success from the late 17th century, which are only now becoming known, describe for us with wonderful accuracy what the end of the 20th century would be like. Speaking to Mother Mariana de Jesus She said, “…that impurity would inundate the streets like filthy ocean waters so that ‘there would be almost no virgin souls’.” Also, “Innocence will almost no longer be found in children, nor modesty in women. In this supreme moment of need of the Church, those who should speak will fall silent.” Then, “…The vices of impurity, blasphemy and sacrilege will dominate in this time…” Lastly, in one of Her apparitions She saw swords above the head of Christ that read “I shall punish heresy, blasphemy and impurity.” Does this not perfectly describe the state of our society today?
Our Lady appeared to two young people at LaSalette. At Lourdes, She appeared to the sweet innocent Bernadette, at Fatima he appeared to three young peasant children and changed their lives forever. At Akita, She appeared to a young nun. Just look at yourself right now. What are you wearing? If Our Lady came to see you right now, would you be comfortable with what you are wearing? Would you wish you had a chance to change first? Your response to that thought is very important for you and for your soul. If you answered that you would rather have changed then I hope you would take the contents of this book seriously enough, so that if our heavenly friends should decide to choose you for a visit you may be properly prepared. More than that, we must realize that as Temples of the Holy Ghost, we are in the presence of God at every moment and that is the real reason we should take modesty in dress seriously: because our bodies hide within them a beautiful secret that is God. Our clothing should act as the curtain which covers the tabernacle which hides our Hidden Lord within.
Now you may be wondering just why the Church would be so interested in modesty and modest dress. They have been speaking about it for centuries, in fact, ever since the Church began! Our Lady has been concerned about it as well. Like Her warning above, She warns us in every apparition to change our ways, to convert, repent, sacrifice for sinners, pray, pray and pray more. Sin is rampant, and immodesty is one of those sins. This book wishes to show you what it is, what the Church has said about it and how you can practice it effectively in your own life thereby, doing what Our Lady has asked at Fatima and helping to secure the salvation of your own soul and perhaps others.
Immodesty is one of those sins that I have rarely heard spoken about in its proper perspective although we see the fruit of immodesty everywhere! Impurity! It is a cancer in society that is eating away at the souls of young and old alike. Yes, there are greater evils in the world, and that may be true. But a lesser evil is still an evil and if we are to expose this immodesty for what it truly is then we must begin talking about it. Only when we truly understand, can we combat it.
But rather than just taking my word for it, I would like to present you with some ‘evidence’, so to speak, that will help explain this position which is also the position of the Church. By what standards do we judge what is and what isn’t modest? Has the Church spoken directly on this topic? Let us look at the earliest and first authority, the Bible.
In Ecclesiasticus 19:27 we read, “The attire of the body, laughter of the teeth, and the gait of the man, shew what he is.” Clearly, this says that what we wear very much shows just who we are. And also, how we laugh and carry ourselves. What overall image are we portraying to others? Sexually attractive or respectful and modest? Modesty is concerned with the entire person. We are stressing the importance of modesty in dress but, it is by no means the most important thing. This book emphasizes it because it needs the emphasis. There are no voices today that are telling us the true path to follow. The voice of the world has become Satan’s mouthpiece and is full of lies by which he deceives us.
Next, is the most controversial verse in the Old Testament: “A woman shall not be clothed with man’s apparel; neither shall a man use woman’s apparel; for he that doeth these things is abominable before God.” Deut. 22:5. Here we read not only about modest, but more importantly about the issue of men’s vs. women’s clothing. This distinctly says that women should not dress with men’s apparel and vice versa. This would explain why cross dressing is such an abomination, not just in our sight, but in God’s as well. In our Western culture trousers have always been predominately men’s clothing. This simple Bible quote, all by itself, tells us that it is improper or “abominable” for woman to wear men’s trousers. Even in cultures other than ours, there was always a distinct difference in the way women and men dressed. It has been a slow and even suspicious change that our fashion industry has made it fashionable for women to dress like men. Remember the in-style women’s pant suit? What about today’s sloppy look, with manly looking stripes and trousers for girls? We will stop here for now, but we will discuss this further later.
The third quotation I want to look at is 1 Tim. 2:9-10. We are told, “In like manner I wish women to be decently dressed, adorning themselves with modesty and dignity, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing, but with good works, such as become women professing Godliness.” God gave us these serious statements through the Bible. Remember now, the Old Testament was written over 2000 ears ago when all women wore robes to the ground. Imagine how much more these, and other statements, apply to us today! Are women adorning themselves with ‘modesty and dignity’ today? The wisdom of the Bible never becomes outdated! It even surprises us with its truth always ‘fitting’ even in our day!