|
Speaking of Modesty... Whatever our state in life, each of us has received a special vocation from God to participate in His creative and redemptive work in the world. Pope Pius XII described this call well: "The Holy Spirit" has called to himself, by a great and special grace, many beloved sons and daughters" so that"they may be for this dark world which has lost its savor"the leaven, small in quantity yet ever active, which always and everywhere at work, mingled with all grades of society, from the highest to the lowest, strives by word, example and in every way to reach and permeate them each and all until the whole mass is transformed and wholly leavened in Christ." (Primo Feliciter, Introduction) As we progress in recognizing and following our vocations as Catholics, an important witness we can give to the world is the example of modesty. In Miles Jesu our habit is to dress modestly and elegantly as the first means of evangelization. This shows our respect for the gospel of which we are the announcers, above all by our example, as well as our recognition of the dignity of our fellow human beings. (Const, 137) "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." (CCC, 2522) As the Bible proclaims in many passages, we belong to God. Our bodies, our minds, our souls, and every aspect of our personalities come from God and can be sanctified and transformed by God"s grace. We can in turn become vessels of the Holy Spirit in the world, by influencing those we come in contact with in the various spheres of family and professional life that occupy us. The men and women in Miles Jesu should always be gentlemen and ladies in their attire, speech and social manners. They should be gentlemen and ladies in dealing with the rich and the poor, the educated and uneducated, and with all races. In a special way the men should be gentlemen in dealing with women. Our brother Paul Murphy was a striking example of making women feel at ease and respected. A man is more of a man who knows how to respect women. (Const, 256) "Paul was unusually good looking. Over six feet tall, he carried himself well and was extremely fit"He believed in working hard, and demanding much from himself " he wanted to be tough, physically, mentally, and spiritually. This was combined with extraordinary courtesy and a great ability to put people at their ease"He was never awkward in the company of women " on the contrary, he was at ease and friendly with them, without ever approaching anything that could be flirtatious. He had a special respect for women, and they enjoyed his conversation, jokes and sense of fun."* As Paul showed throughout his life, modesty is simply the practical consideration of others. The essence of all manners is thinking of the other and there can be no truly Christian spirituality without consciously seeking the good of everyone we come in contact with. Just as it is important for a man to show the proper respect for a woman, so also women should show maturity and respect in their relations with men, not demanding privileges. (Const, 256) By dressing modestly, a woman not only shows respect for herself, but helps to elevate a man"s appreciation for her feminine gifts. When mutual esteem is present, there is also present an awareness of the spiritual dignity proper to man, made in the image and likeness of God. Personal appearance and our social manners affect our leadership and apostolic potentials. Very often the world judges our message by our appearance. If we present ourselves sloppily or act with poor manners we limit or impede the Christian message. A good appearance and proper education in social manners also helps to gain the respect and acceptance of our neighbor as well as a hearing for the message of Christ we are trying to bring them. Our dress and social forms should reflect the fact that we are sons and daughters of the King and Queen of the Universe and temples of the Most Holy Trinity. The goal of any evangelist is to draw the attention of their hearers to the message of the gospel, not to themselves. By dressing modestly and showing modesty in our social manners, we draw others to the good news through a balanced use of our own gifts and talents. Even when interacting with the poor, our dress should be modest and neat. Identifying with the poor does not mean dressing sloppily or adopting other uneducated habits. The poor need to be uplifted, not condemned to their own condition. (Const, 139) Modesty inspires us to appear in public in a way that we avoid calling attention upon ourselves either because we are too well-dressed or too carelessly-dressed, or in any other way. Our own vanity and pride inspires us many times to use tricks like these to attract attention. Modesty should not be confused with sloppiness. (Const, 138) Once again, we can look to Paul Murphy as an excellent model for laymen and women living and working in our world today. Paul used all his gifts and talents in a well-ordered way, attracting people through his own personality to the joy of the gospel: "Something that everyone liked about Paul was that he never bragged or acted in a superior way " ever," remembers Patricia Hudock. "He used to laugh about people who showed off and pretended to be grand. He had once met someone who claimed to be related to a number of famous people " i believe Anne Boleyn was somewhere in the soup. When he asked Paul if he too was related to anyone famous, Paul replied, "There"s no one left " you"ve taken them all!"*
|