Immodesty Satan's Virtue

[Pax Vobiscum]

“Where virtue is, there are many snares.”

St. John Chrysostom

 

CHAPTER THREE:

Nakedness and the Purpose of Clothing

 

     What is most interesting is just how the bible views this nakedness. Adam and Eve were naked in the garden and when they discovered their nakedness “they sewed together fig leaves, and made themselves aprons.” Gen. 3:7. Later when God found out what they had done, it was evident that their new knowledge had tripped them of ‘original grace’ and so He now clothed them to cover up their ‘original sin’.

     The devil had first corrupted Eve and through her was able to make Adam fall. And so, it is with society today. The devil lures women by their vanity into immodest fashions, which in turn makes men fall and become beasts incapable of attaining heaven. Throughout history we can see it is a woman’s fate to bring out the best or worst in a man. The fate of the world very much depends on the response of women!

     We are all decedents of Adam and Eve and consequently of their original sin as well. Before their fall they were ‘Pure of Heart’ and clothed in God’s grace and therefore, not in need of clothing. But after the fall, they were afraid. They had lost the grace of God and this lack of grace weakened them and made it necessary for God to clothe them to protect their dignity, perhaps, even to save them from the occasion of sin in their new weakened state.

     The dignity of the person is protected by clothing. Its purpose being both protection and adornment. It is what covers for all the minor imperfections that naturally come with life and aging. So when a person is stripped of their clothing, it is a humiliation.

     This is why it is done to prisoners of war and we read about this in the accounts of the concentration camps in World War II. In a talk given by the late Dr. Marra, he tells how Cardinal Mindszenty was chased around the room naked when he was being interrogated. And we are all aware of the ultimate humiliation caused Our Lord Jesus Christ when He was stripped and made to hang upon a cross. This act of humiliation strips the last shred of dignity from the human form.

     Nakedness, in itself, was seen wherever there was idolatry and sin. It was sinful men who stripped Jesus. In the New Testament, we see that it is the demon possessed man who is naked. Luke 8:27. “there met him a certain man who had a devil now a very long time, and he wore no clothes.” Later, after Jesus drove out the legion of devils, “found the man, out of whom the devils had departed, sitting at his feet, clothed, and in his right mind…” Luke 8:35 and in Exodus 32:2-25 we read of Moses being delayed up the mount and when he returned he discovered the people worshipping a golden calf in their nakedness. God severely punished them for this and removed their names from His book. Clearly then, nakedness is associated with evil and sin and it was by the influence of the devil that the people became naked. The people themselves in nakedness, were also practicing idolatry and this cost them their lives.

     In this day and age, does it surprise us to see so much nakedness? A poet of ancient pagan Rome wrote: “Vice necessarily follows upon public nudity.” In a society that thinks the rights of women are above committing murder on a defenseless child, where one is bombarded with bare flesh at movies, from magazine covers sitting on shelves, from billboard advertisements and even on the street, can you ask: is this a Godless society? You bet it is! As the level of nakedness in society has increased so has the level of promiscuity, abortion and crimes of a sexual nature. Every day we hear of all the crimes of this type. The media never shrinks from giving us all the horrible details of these crimes perhaps thinking the details will be of interest to a society with an infinite curiosity about morbid things. Who do we believe is master of this world right now?

     Satan has deceived humanity into falling for his hedonistic materialism thinking they will find great happiness. Little do they know they are simply helping to increase the amount of evil in the world, thereby adding to the wars and strife. Immodesty is one of the greatest sins of our age. Our Lady of Fatima told us that “If you do what I tell you, many souls will be saved, and there will be PEACE.” 14. Would you ever have thought that the wars and persecution of this age are greatly a result of the sins of immodesty in society? Many would be astounded at this thought. But this is what Our Lady has said. Adopting a modest wardrobe and lifestyle will not only do a woman some good, but in a small way it can help bring about peace. This is no small issue as you can see. The whole world is waiting for our response!