Modesty of dress: “Beauty is never in exposure”

Modesty of dress: “Beauty is never in exposure” – Our Lady of the Roses, November 24, 1973

"Impress, My child, upon your world the existence of hell that man seeks to deny. There are fires of hell. These fires will be felt on those who have lost their modesty to modernization, who expose the sacred temple of God, placed when their spirit entered their body—expose them to ridicule! The flames will burn every inch of that which is exposed." - Our Lady of the Roses, November 20, 1971

Summer unfortunately brings with it the height of immodesty, in both men and women. This is a good time, then, to remember that words of Our Lady of Fatima who warned us that "more souls go to hell for sins of the flesh (i.e. sins against the 6^th and 9^th Commandments) than for any other reason." Our Lady of Fatima told Jacinta, "Certain fashions will be introduced that will gravely offend My Son." Jacinta also said, “People who serve God should not follow fashions. The Church has no fashions; Our Lord is always the same.”

Shorts, sleeveless tops, slacks on women, mini-skirts, swimwear, bare midriffs, tight and sheer clothing would all fit into this category of immodest fashions. Sadly, few priests warn their flock of the great danger associated with immodesty of dress, that of losing one’s soul for all eternity. So many girls and young women are growing up today without direction and, like so many misled sheep, are following immoral fashions to the destruction of souls.

The Bible tells us, "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." (1 Tim. 2:9-10)

The following are various warnings the Catholic Church has given to the faithful, for the protection of their immortal souls.

CHURCH STATEMENTS ON MODESTY OF DRESS

Pope Benedict XV wrote in his encyclical Sacra Propediem on January 6, 1921:

“One cannot sufficiently deplore the blindness of so many women of every age and station. Made foolish by a desire to please, they do not see to what degree the indecency of their clothing shocks every honest man and offends God. Most of them would formerly have blushed for such apparel as for a grave fault against Christian modesty. Now it does not suffice to exhibit themselves on public thoroughfares; they do not fear to cross the threshold of churches, to assist at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and even to bear the seducing food of shameful passion to the Holy Altar, where one receives the Author of Purity.”

On January 12, 1930, the Sacred Congregation of the Council, by mandate of Pope Pius XI, issued emphatic instructions on modesty of dress to all bishops:

“We recall that a dress cannot be called decent which is cut deeper than two fingers breadth under the pit of the throat, which does not cover the arms at least to the elbows, and scarcely reaches a bit beyond the knee. Furthermore, dresses of transparent material are improper. Let parents keep their daughters away from public gymnastic games and contests; but, if their daughters are compelled to attend such exhibitions, let them see to it that they are fully and modestly dressed. Let them never permit their daughters to don immodest garb.”

Pope Pius XII said in 1954:

“Now many girls do not see anything wrong with following certain shameless styles (fashions) like so many sheep. They would surely blush if they could only guess the impressions they make and the feelings they evoke (arouse) in those who see them.” (July 17, 1954)

Pope Pius XII seriously admonished Christian mothers:

“The good of our soul is more important than that of our body; and we have to prefer the spiritual welfare of our neighbor to our bodily comforts… If a certain kind of dress constitutes a grave and proximate occasion of sin, and endangers the salvation of your soul and others, it is your duty to give it up… O Christian mothers, if you knew what a future of anxieties and perils, of ill-guarded shame you prepare for your sons and daughters, imprudently getting them accustomed to live scantily dressed and making them lose the sense of modesty, you would be ashamed of yourselves and you would dread the harm you are making of yourselves, the harm which you are causing these children, whom Heaven has entrusted to you to be brought up as Christians.” (Pius XII to Catholic Young Women’s Groups of Italy)

The Canadian bishops in May of 1946 wrote:

“Man himself does not escape from the inclination of exhibiting his flesh: some go in public, stripped to the waist, or in very tight pants or in very scanty bathing suits. They thus commit offenses against the virtue of modesty. They may also be an occasion of sin (in thought or desire) for our neighbor.”

Cardinal Pla y Daniel, Archbishop of Toledo, Spain, stated in 1959:

“A special danger to morals is represented by public bathing at beaches ... Mixed bathing between men and women, which is nearly always a proximate occasion of sin and a scandal, must be avoided.”

In Our Lady of the Roses message, Jesus warned us:

"My children, it will become evident to you all why My Mother counseled you in the past to avoid all occasions of sin. And sin through the senses of sight is one of the major obstacles confronting mankind in the days ahead." (Jesus, June 18, 1977)

From a 1930 Letter of the Congregation of the Council:

“By virtue of the supreme apostolate which he wields over the Universal Church by Divine Will, our Most Holy Father Pope Pius XI has never ceased to inculcate, both verbally and by his writings, the words of St. Paul (1 Tim. 2:9-10), namely, ‘Women ... adorning themselves with modesty and sobriety ... and professing godliness with good works.’ Very often, when occasion arose, the same Supreme Pontiff condemned emphatically the immodest fashion of dress adopted by Catholic women and girls--which fashion not only offends the dignity of women and against her adornment, but conduces to the temporal ruin of the women and girls, and, what is still worse, to their eternal ruin, miserably dragging down others in their fall. It is not surprising, therefore, that all Bishops and other ordinaries, as is the duty of ministers of Christ, should in their own dioceses have unanimously opposed their depraved licentiousness and promiscuity of manners, often bearing with fortitude the derision and mockery leveled against them for this cause.”

From the Plenary Assembly of the Bishops of Brazil:

“Let the priests forcefully insist that women wear clothing which expresses modesty ...
“Let women, at all times, but especially, as the Apostle Saint Paul teaches, when they are in church, dress with modesty. If they should dare to enter the church immodestly dressed, let them, as Canon Law commands (Canon 1262, par. 2), be judiciously put out and prevented from assisting at any function whatsoever.
“Let those who are going to receive Holy Communion be decently dressed. Women whose heads are not covered and who are improperly dressed are to be excluded from the Sacrament, as Canon Law directs (Canons 855 & 1262, par. 2).”

St. Padre Pio, the stigmatist priest, who bore the bleeding wounds of Christ on his own body from 1918 until his death in 1968, refused to grant absolution to any woman who did not wear her skirt well below the knee. He also insisted that women do not wear slacks. (Verified by mail at Padre Pio’s monastery. Address: Rev. J. P. Martin, San Giovanni Rotondo 71013 FG Italy)

A General Pastoral Directive from 1915 reads: “Women must be decently dressed, especially when they go to church. The parish priest may, with due prudence, refuse them entrance to the church and access to the reception of the Sacraments, any and every time that they come to church immodestly dressed.”

MODESTY OF DRESS

The words of the Bible are very clear: "In like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing" (1 Timothy 2:9). As Our Lady of the Roses has warned us:

“Immodesty is a sin, My child. All bodies that are exposed will burn. The great flame of the Ball of Redemption will burn all exposed bodies. Cover yourselves well, My children, and you will be covered with the armor of God. Impurity of heart is promoted by lewd actions, My children. You not only sin, but you force others onto the road to destruction by your actions. Mothers and daughters, women of the world, you must be an example of purity and piety to your children. It is only by your actions as parents that your children will learn. Many parents will cry bitter tears of anguish when they see their children lost to them forever." (Our Lady, November 23, 1974)

St. John Chrysostom, Bishop of Constantinople and one of the 32 doctors of the Church, said the following regarding women who dress immodestly:

"You carry your snare everywhere and spread your net in all places. You allege that you never invited others to sin. You did not indeed by your words, but you have done so by your dress and your deportment. And much more effectively than you could by your voice. When you have made another sin in his heart, how can you be innocent? Tell me whom does this world condemn? Whom do the judges in court punish? Those who drink poison or those who prepare it and administer the fatal potion? You are more criminal than those who poison the body. You have given the death-dealing drink. You murder not the body but the soul, and it is not to enemies do you do this nor are you urged on by any imaginary necessity nor provoked by injury. But you do it out of foolish vanity and pride."

Unfortunately, today's attire seems to have almost no boundaries. It is a disgrace for Christian women to expose their bodies, which are the temples of the Holy Ghost after baptism. A women who dresses immodestly commits a double sin:

“You women who profane your bodies have been led by satan to soul destruction. You expose your bodies not knowing the evil that comes into the minds of the beholder. Therefore, your sin is twofold for you have led another to fall into sin!” (Jesus, July 25, 1971)

The Bible tells us: “Know you not that your members are the temple of the Holy Ghost, who is in you, whom you have from God: and you are not your own? For you are bought with a great price. Glorify and bear God in your body.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) Immodest dress is an offense to God and does not glorify God, but rather reduces the Christian woman to an object of lust and mocks the laws of God. Modesty in dress, on the other hand, helps safeguard the virtue of purity and is demanded by the moral law of God. St. Cyprian writes:

"Nothing so delights the faithful soul as the healthy consciousness of an unstained modesty. To have vanquished pleasure is the greatest pleasure; nor is there any greater victory than that which is gained over one's desires."

"Parents, how dare you allow your daughters to be looked upon with lustful eyes! Have you no shame? What is your example? Are you pagans?" - Our Lady of the Roses, May 30, 1972

The amazing Bayside Prophecies... http://www.tldm.org/directives/directives.htm

These prophecies came from Jesus, Mary, and the saints to Veronica Lueken at Bayside, NY, from 1968 to 1995:

A WAY OF LIFE
"I ask that a task force be set upon the world to eliminate the products of the forces of evil that seek to debase, destroy the souls of your children. Remove from your homes the corrupters of souls: the pornography, the infernal box—your television—and the destructor of souls, modesty and purity—the nakedness of the body.
"Parents, you shall be judged for the destruction by permissiveness, of your children's souls. Clothe them in goodness, holiness, and piety, and make modesty a way of life for the young." - Our Lady, August 21, 1975

EXAMPLE OF QUEEN OF HEAVEN
"The world must follow the example of the Queen of Heaven. Modesty, purity of heart and purpose." - St. Michael, December 7, 1973

SACRED TEMPLE OF GOD
"Impress, My child, upon your world the existence of hell that man seeks to deny. There are fires of hell. These fires will be felt on those who have lost their modesty to modernization, who expose the sacred temple of God, placed when their spirit entered their body—expose them to ridicule! The flames will burn every inch of that which is exposed." - Our Lady, November 20, 1971

AS BEFITS A WIFE AND MOTHER
"Women shall not approach the sacred Body dressed as pagans, exposing the temples of their spirit to shame! Cover yourselves, My children, or you will burn!
"I repeat: women will dress as befits a wife and mother, clothing themselves with modesty and holiness. Children will follow the example of their parents. Therefore, if your example is poor, your children will be your thorns. The sins of the parents are surely visited upon the children." - Our Lady, March 18, 1975

ARE YOU PAGANS?
"Parents, how dare you allow your daughters to be looked upon with lustful eyes! Have you no shame? What is your example? Are you pagans?" - Our Lady, May 30, 1972

DO NOT LEAD YOUR CHILD INTO DANGER!
"Mothers, why are you permissive with your children? Do you not recognize the plan of satan? Do you wish lustful eyes cast upon the innocence of your young child? Do not lead your child into danger!" - Our Lady, June 8, 1972

CHAIN OF EVIL
"Foolish virgins! Why do you choose to live in this world of earth? Have you become blind to modesty? Has vanity invaded your hearts? Woe to those who cause the downfall of Our dedicated by their examples. You are all following the evil circle, My dedicated; for it is like a chain of evil, link by link. By your example you build a solid chain to hell. For woe to those entrusted with the souls of the little ones, and who lead the little ones to hell!" - Our Lady, November 21, 1970

SAFEGUARD THEIR PURITY
"As parents your duty is manifold. You must teach your children within your homes. You must safeguard their purity. Modesty! Mothers, your daughters—do you permit them to expose their flesh to lustful eyes? Are you stripping from their young souls modesty and purity of purpose and spirit? What kind of example are you giving as parents in your homes?" - Our Lady, October 2, 1975

PERMISSIVE ATTITUDES
"Nakedness! Abomination! Aberrations have become the way of life in your country. Nakedness! Have you no shame to expose your body and cause another to fall? Mothers, you allow your daughters to sin and cause others to sin in your permissive attitudes. Have you no protective instincts for your children? Do you subject them willfully to the ravages of satanic agents?" - Our Lady, March 25, 1972

EYES: MIRROR OF YOUR SOUL
"Modesty must be retained. Modesty must be taught to the young. Keep pure and holy thoughts in your minds and the minds of your children, for your eyes are also the mirror of your soul." - Jesus, May 18, 1977

"CHASTITY", "MODESTY"
"You see, My child, you use the word 'Marylike,' but the word is truly 'chastity,' 'modesty.' It is a word, chastity, the word modesty, soon forgotten on your earth." - Our Lady, June 15, 1974

Directives from Heaven...

D128 - Modesty PDF
D200 - Lust PDF
D201 - Vanity PDF

Articles...

Women will not dress as men: 1960 letter by Cardinal Siri
http://www.tldm.org/News6/modesty4.htm

Pastor speaks out against immodesty, will refuse Communion to those so dressed
http://www.tldm.org/News7/modesty1.htm

St. Padre Pio and modesty
http://www.tldm.org/News7/modesty2.htm

The Marylike Standards for modesty in dress
http://www.tldm.org/News7/modestyMarylikeStandards.htm

Letter by St. Ignatius of Loyola on immodestly dressed women
http://www.tldm.org/news6/ignatius.htm

Clean love in courtship
http://www.tldm.org/news6/purity1.htm

Directives on Christian modesty
http://www.tldm.org/news6/modesty.htm

Let's bring back modesty of dress
http://www.tldm.org/News6/modesty3.htm

Links:

Some Directives of the Magisterium on Christian Modesty
http://www.fatima.org/library/cr57pg53.html

Rome’s Decrees on Modesty in Dress -- Still Victims of “Conspiracy of Silence”
http://www.national-coalition.org/modesty/moddecre.html

Marylike standards of modesty in dress
http://www.stmichaelonline.org/Modesty.htm

On Modesty, by Tertullian
http://www.ewtn.com/library/PATRISTC/ANF4-7.TXT

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