02-13-2021, 07:45 PM
Chapter 1 (Part 6 - Final Part)
More recently in 1980, Fr. Robert J. Fox, in an article titled, ‘Where Did Modesty Go?’ states, “Together with the loss of the sense of sin-which popes for decades have been warning us was happening-has come the loss of the sense of modesty. I’ve discovered that teenagers and young adults have been exposed to so much nudity…that they are often not conscious of what is even meant by the word ‘modesty’.” Is this not so very true? Even though some may be aware of what modesty is, is there a desire to conform? Is there even a recognition of the importance of modesty and the necessity of it? There is no longer anyone for young people to look up to in society to imitate their modesty. Although we have Our Lady and the saints, especially St. Maria Goretti, who died to defend her purity and practiced modesty, they often cannot compete with the stunning singers, and glittery Hollywood stars. Even the toys today give a poor example of modesty. The first to come to mind here is the ever famous ‘Barbie’. If you allow barbies in your home do not be surprised when you find it impossible for them to remain clothed. A friend of mine related that, “(her) mother used to get very upset when she saw our babies in a state of undress.” They simply cannot seem to keep their clothes on! What could have been concocted in the mind of Satan than toys that resemble small naked women that can lie about a home so that to look upon them is considered so normal that adult nakedness these with wholesome toys that will inspire creativity and good morals.
The impact of the Media is so strong that we can barely ‘hear’ the truth over all the ‘noise’. Unless we can eliminate these harmful influences from the lives of our children, we have little chance of influencing them against the pull of humanistic society. For those who are able, homeschooling will help protect the children from much of the glare of society. In this day of videos and such, you should full your children’s hearts with the old movies that were made of the Saints and religious life. If your children are used to the highly visual media of TV these will do wonders in influencing them and raising their hearts toward God. Save them from the snares of the devil any way that you can! Many new companies have begun to produce Catholic movies as well. Some can be rented, otherwise they can be purchased. See appendix for addresses.
Sister Lucia, one of the seers at Fatima, who is still living, while speaking with an American couple sometime before 1969 said, “When I think of the United States, I think of this: One of the things Our Lady especially asked for was modesty in dress. There seems to me to be not much modesty in the life of the women of your country. But modesty would be a good sacrifice to offer to Our Lady, and it would please her. If the Catholics in your country could make a league for modesty in dress…it would greatly please Our Lady.” It is sad that our country is recognized as immodest by foreigners. That ‘freedom’ is equated with ‘moral freedom’ as well. But one cannot remain free if one doesn’t adhere to the restraints of modesty, unless one wishes to become a slave to his passions, which is not freedom at all. But since a league for modesty in dress is what will please Our Lady we have done just that! Our Lady’s League of the ‘Martyrs of Purity’ Crusade is dedicated to Our Lady of Fatima and under the patronage of St. Maria Goretti. We have placed it completely in the hands of Our Lady and wish that her ‘Crusade’ will spread far and wide, to every corner of the earth to proclaim the virtue of modesty! You can help us spread and grow with Our Lady’s message too. See Appendix. 7
Even Pope John Paul II’s New Catechism of the Catholic Church lists “modesty” as one of the fruits of the Holy Ghost. 1832 it also states, “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.” 2521. Later in 2422 it states, “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.” Lastly it states; “Purity of heart requires the modesty which is patience, decency and discretion.” 2533
There are even more statements that have been made, many by various saints and religious. What is surprising is that these statements have not been disseminated down to the everyday Catholic. We have lost our beautiful Catholic culture. All of us are aware of what secular and pagan countries we live in. But long ago, Catholics could be recognized by their dress. We stood out in the crowd as examples of purity and modesty, “like shining torches in the darkness” and this is what attracted and converted so many pagans in the early years. But that is all but gone now, one cannot pick out a Catholic on the street from anyone else. Catholics shop in the same stores, read the same books and look the same as non-believers. This should not be so!
If we look to many of the Protestant sects we see that many have adopted modesty and take it quite seriously. These are people who do not have the Magisterium to look to for counsel. After reading many books and articles I have seen that these people have taken one or two statements from the Bible, and by alone, they take modesty very seriously. Where have we gone wrong? Why do we, as Catholics, not take modesty seriously?
We have seen in this chapter, from the very beginning God had in mind to lay some basic rules for us concerning this issue. As time went on God choose various Saints to remind us of one aspect or another of this subject. Often they showed us the consequences of our actions. AS the centuries went on and immodesty and impurity accelerated to the degree it has taken on today, the Church itself began to release statements and comments about the situation. These statements are very specific, and make it quite clear what is expected of us and that what was developing in the fashion industry was not heaven’s approval. As many of these statements were ignored and never taken seriously, Our Lady began appearing herself, first at LaSalette, then Lourdes then Fatima and Akita and told us directly that what was opening up in front of us carried with it a stench from hell. The more society progressed and advanced to become ‘civilized’ the more we needed direction from the Church and heaven to guide us in modesty in dress which would safeguard the purity of the world.
In all Our Lady’s appearances she appealed to us as the beautiful Mother of God, adorned modestly with a countenance that heaven shone upon. Her fashions never changed, but were never outdated, and so remained the same. She calls us to follow her example of modesty and purity and adopt a modest wardrobe that follows Heaven, which ‘has no fashions, but always remains the same.’
We can see that as this sin escalated in the world, so did the intervention of the Church and heaven in attempting to redirect us back on the path of sanity. Still today our society is so steeped in this sin that we continue to ignore the demands of heaven.
We all belong to this beautiful Faith in which we have the direction of the Magisterium that has guided us century after century. We have a whole list of statements that have been made in the last 100 years by our Church to show us the way. Heaven has even sent us Our Lady to point out the evils in our time. Why are we no longer listening? Why do we not take their advice seriously? Is it perhaps a small voice inside of us, saying, “I will not serve”? Perhaps this is so, but what a mistake it is since the devil takes immodesty very seriously, very seriously indeed.
“The judgement of God upon your sex endures even today; and with it inevitably endures your position of criminal at the bar of justice. You are the gateway of the devil.” Tertullian on Women’s Dress.