Modesty

[dominicansoul]

don't leave this phorum for a while... :(

 

 

 

*sigh* 

[MarysLittleFlower]

don't leave this phorum for a while... :(

 

 

 

*sigh* 

 

I like VS :) open mic is a little intense.. maybe I'll just post here. I don't know I need to pray a little. God bless you :)

Edited April 9, 2013 by MarysLittleFlower

[dominicansoul]

God bless you! :)

[MarysLittleFlower]

I've been wondering.. is it judgemental to believe that there are objective modesty standards? If you don't say if individual people are sinning or not (because certain things could limit culpability and you don't know people's hearts etc). Any thoughts? I did read some things about Saints and how they did seem to talk about certain things like that objectively........ ??

Edited April 10, 2013 by MarysLittleFlower

[arfink]

I've been wondering.. is it judgemental to believe that there are objective modesty standards? If you don't say if individual people are sinning or not (because certain things could limit culpability and you don't know people's hearts etc). Any thoughts? I did read some things about Saints and how they did seem to talk about certain things like that objectively........ ??

 

Yeah, because they lived hundreds of years ago. :|
 

[PadrePioOfPietrelcino]

To put it shortly: over the past couple years, I have went through some changes in regards to how I dress, etc, some related to discernment (being drawn to dressing more simply to be more detached from clothing, though I've failed in this a lot) - and some just to modesty. I also began to cover my head at church, partly due to St Padre Pio (a whole story about this) and partly because I like the Latin Mass and women there often wear mantillas, so I got used to it.

Your Welcome :)





























Oh you meant the REAL St Pio, yeah he's Avvesome too :) .

[MarysLittleFlower]

Yeah, because they lived hundreds of years ago. :|
 

 

Not all... some lived in the 20th century...

 

I don't think our time is particularly known for advanced morals, more like relativism :) that's why I started wondering.

Your Welcome :)





























Oh you meant the REAL St Pio, yeah he's Avvesome too :) .

Hehe :P

[dominicansoul]

we really can't judge people's hearts, so I think its wrong to think ill of people who may not dress the way we dress.  there are standards, of course modesty is not relative.  But you have to be balanced and you have to use simple common sense...

 

I think you need to be careful not to become overly scrupulous about it, it can literally drive you nuts.  I really really like this quote from Pope John Paul II that the phatmasser "awed by His Grace" posted in the other thread:

 

 

 

"While we are on the subject of dress and its relevance to the problem of modesty and immodesty it is worth drawing attention to the functional significance of differences in attire. There are certain objective situations in which even total nudity of the body is not immodest, since the proper function of nakedness in this context is not to provoke a reaction to the person as an object for enjoyment, and in just the same way the functions of particular forms of attire may vary. Thus, the body may be partially bared for physical labour, for bathing, or for a medical examination. If then we wish to pass a moral judgement on particular forms of dress we have to start from the particular functions which they serve. When a person uses such a form of dress in accordance with its objective function we cannot claim to see anything immodest in it, even if it involves partial nudity. Whereas the use of such a costume outside its proper context is immodest, and is inevitably felt to be so. For example, there is nothing immodest about the use of a bathing costume at a bathing place, but to wear it in the street or while out for a walk is contrary to the dictates of modesty."
 

( Karol Wojtyla in Love and Responsibility)

 

 

[Starets]

I am a middle aged man, so there is a limit to what i can add.

 

First of all, i am glad that this conversation is at least taking place, both here and on some other threads on this site. Back in the late 90s i was on a Catholic mailing list that had a couple thousand members. whenever the subject of modest dress came up, either you would have supporters of modesty  vilified as judgemental people who are neglecting their Eucharistic host at mass or you would have nitwits saying "i have such-and-such grubby piece of clothing, can i wear it to Mass? huh? can I? please? Can i? Can I?" So I am glad that the conversation is taking place in a rational, intelligent, respectful manner.

 

Second, I love beauty whenever I see it, and that certainly includes the female form. If I do see a lady I think is beautiful, i will thank God for the beauty I see displayed and ask God to bless her. It is hard to lust after someone you just asked God to bless! I won't look down on someone because of what they are wearing. I won't scream or berate someone because I think their skirt is "too short" or their top is "too revealing".  I do have some standards, though. For example, I would say that butt cleavage on someone young enough to be my daughter is not sexy. I say the same for women of any age but i suspect most of the gals here are in their 20's and I hit 50 in June! Sometimes, with a female hairdresser whi was a friend of mine, I have had to concentrate on looking at her eyebrows because *ahem a certain two pats of her anatomy wee very much in view and I didn't want to, ummmmmm, get distracted!

 

Third is an apropos snippet from blogger Mark Shea: "an inability or refusal to exercise self control on my part is not a problem for all women everywhere." I think that is valid. This is certainly a problem given the sheer amount of sexualization and pornification there is of people nowadays. nevertheless my half of the human race can be expected to show self control, even though that is much harder in our current culture than it was even 30 years ago.

 

Anyway enough babbling from a doddering old fool!

 

*avuncular hug and forehead smooch to all the ladies in this thread