Modesty
"Charm is deceptive and beauty fleeting; the woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Proverbs 31:30
But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the desires of the flesh." Romans 13:14
"For you were called for freedom, brothers. But do not use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh; rather, serve one another through love." Galations 5:13
"Similarly, (too,) women should adorn themselves with proper conduct, with modesty and self-control, not be braided with hairstyles and gold ornaments, or pearls, or expensive clothes, but rather, as befits women who profess reverence for God, with good deeds." 1 Timothy 2:9-10
"Your adornment should not be an external one: braiding the hair, wearing gold jewelry, or dressing in fine clothes, but rather the hidden character of the heart, expressed in the imperishable beauty of a gentle and calm disposition, which is precious in the sight of God." 1 Peter 3:3-4
"...it is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes you brother to stumble." Romans 14:21
Did you know that your body is a temple that houses the Holy Spirit? Yep, and because a person's body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, it contains the real presence of Christ. Because of this, you should look the way that brings out the best in yourself and those around you ... not wearing revealing, racy, suggestive and even provocative clothing. It is not only your looks but your virtue, talents and gifts that defines you and gives you dignity. A lifestyle of modesty is not just about the way you dress, it's about the way you talk, act, treat guys/girls and even the way you dance. Instead of a lifestyle of lust, you should aim for a lifestyle of modesty and self-respect. The immediate gratification of someone gawking at your body will leave you feeling unfulfilled in the end for your desire for love. For God himself is the source of all love and He doesn't want someone else experiencing pleasure at your expense and not seeing your internal beauty.
Are you really wearing an immodest bathing suit because it is the accepted style, or are you using your body to get attention, appreciation and approval ... drawing attention to yourself in a sexual way? Wouldn't it be better if someone noticed you for your worth, mind and beauty instead of flaunting your body and sexuality with immodest attire? Who needs stares and turned heads over just your looks? Instead of begging for attention, don't you want be taken seriously and feel like you're being respected for who you really are as well as experience REAL love and acceptance? Your bodies can really make a statement...some choose to cover their body with the graffiti of tattoos or hostile punk hair styles, piercings, gaudy makeup and threadbare clothes that show cleavage. In these cases, the body is an expression of vanity and pride and even provokes passion and lust. Guys are very visual and they know how to read a girl's body language. You don't want guys treating you as if you were not fully human, making you feel like an object instead of a person. Dressing modestly does the opposite, it personalizes you and reveals your dignity. It also protects the treasure of chastity in not encouraging immoral practices.
Do you want the opposite sex more interested in your body than in your mind, heart and spirit? Do you want them to approach you with respect and honor or just think that your body is the greatest thing about you...not your personality, soul and true identity. You shouldn't dress to call attention away from your face to your body. You want people to look at who you are and that is found in your face and reflected in our eyes, the mirrors to your soul. Dressing modestly ensures that people keep their focus on your face, on you.
Modesty in dress is an important value that reflects your personal dignity and integrity. So you should make it a point to cover your body with dignity rather than reveal your flesh because the way you dress sends messages about yourself to others and often influences the way you and others act. It really has a positive effect on your behavior and self-esteem and shows respect for God, yourself, and others. God especially wants you to be a person of influence with your character, and we should dress to please and honor God, not the world and what the fashion lovers world dictate. Your value comes from God, your Creator, and not from you appearance and what others think of you. God gave you the sacred gift of your body for a specific purpose and that is to do His work. Dressing modestly will help you focus on God's purpose for you.
The way you dress is a reflection of who you are inside. Your outward dress should match your inner beauty. When your outward appearance is not living up to the standard you may want to set, it really contradicts everything you may stand for and you become a cheap version of yourself. Worse yet, posing for indecent pictures, working at Hooters or being in a wet T-shirt contest speaks volumes on your faith beliefs. Being party to such things is inconsistent with righteous living and certainly does not allow you to become more virtuous.
Girls, instead of "short" shorts, micro-mini skirts, sheer blouses, skimpy bathing suits, skirts with slits up the side, tight cropped shirts and low-cut shirts (bare midriffs), low slung or tight jeans that show every little curve, wear clothing that doesn't reveal too much skin. A good rule of thumb is wearing shorts and skirts as long as your middle finger when your arms are down.
Boys, you should only take off your shirts when swimming. Don't let your eyes stray to female body parts especially when talking to a girl.
We as Catholic Christians are called to serve God's will in holiness. Modesty in dress is one of the identifying characteristics of true saints. It serves as a physical and spiritual guard against immoral behavior. Immodesty however, cheapens your image and reputation, and causes a loss of respect. It is not likely to win the hand in marriage of a Christ-like person. You can really tempt the opposite sex to sin especially when physical intimacy is supposed to be reserved for marriage.
Men and boys should be called to a higher standard as well. They should never use, abuse or take advantage of girls or women. A boy with integrity does not look at pornographic imagery and have lust in his heart. Even though certain clothing or lack there of may be socially accepted, they can be weapons of lust. We should help each other journey with Christ, and bring each other closer to Christ and not provide ammunition for each other's sin and cause another to lust.
Today's fashion says that women are sex objects and plain ignores God's purpose for clothing. The fashion industry believes that the principle purpose of clothing is sexual attraction. The scantily clad women in the magazines should have a sense of shame on how they are posing. Sex may sell, but we don't have to buy it. You can show the world how adorable and pretty (good disposition/handsome) you really are by keeping your clothes on. Why not show how sexy and respectable you are by living your faith and backing it up with your actions. It will set you apart as a person with substance and because you were made in the image and likeness of God, you must reflect God's purity with the way you carry yourself and respect the body He has given you.
So dress decently to display your godly character and don't show the body parts that only your future spouse should be allowed to see. After all, you're not hiding yourself to them but revealing your dignity to them ... leaving room for mystery. Do you wanted to be treated like a child of God or be reduced to an object? Exercise care when you buy your clothes and ask yourself if it's decent and would it be approved of by Jesus. You don't want to harm your chances to being loved. You want to be drawn to the right kinds of person who will treat you as a child of God. Instead of distracting or tempting the opposite sex and leading them to sin, you have the power to educate, influence and inspire them to virtue and changing their hearts and bringing the closer to the Lord. Show them that you respect yourself and that you recognize your dignity before God.
Girls, don't be afraid to be feminine, pure and modest. You'll be glorifying God, the source of unconditional love, and no matter what your shape or size, your body will always be precious in the sight of God. Your body is sacred because it is a temple of the Holy Spirit. Don't be afraid to be modest even in your behavior and speech. Be in control of your own actions. Your whole lifestyle, including your clothes should reflect Christ. Just ask God to change you from the inside out and He will help you make this commitment to yourself to be more like Christ in your daily life and give you the tools to live it out. You can change to live a modest lifestyle if this has been your flaw. Your past does not have to determine your future.
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*Land's End and L.L. Bean offer fashion that keeps up with trends but in kid friendly and timeless styles.
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Faith Lessons for our children to teach God's values and standards. Guidelines for parents in their role as primary educators and gatekeepers of the home when faced by negative pressures by their children and other parents. We need to communicate the Catholic faith to the next generation so it takes hold and endures. Our role is basically to assist the Holy Spirit's transforming work. Our kids deserve the fullness of our Catholic faith (our roots) and wings to allow them to fly!
Ask Yourself These Questions
Do you bring up God in your day-to-day living experiences to your kids? Are we raising kids who are transfixed by handheld devices all the time with no communal activities? Would you invite some of the performers of the music that your child may listen to into your family room? Have you taken the time to teach your children the virtues of purity and that their bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit, or did you instead choose to teach your children about condoms, birth control, and safe sex? Do you, by example and words, stress a Godly attitude towards drinking and drugs, or are you waiting for some school program to give your child a "just say no" lesson? Do you keep your children accountable to you as their parent and guardian, or are you more interested in trying to be their best friend and get them to like you? Does your home live by the words in Joshua "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord" or have you left your children to find their own way in this world full of temptations, sins, and evil?
Be different from your parents and don’t skirt the moral questions. It is proven that parents have the greatest impact on whether kids engage in premarital sex, smoke, get tattoos or partake in other risky behaviors. Yet parents often remain mum on these topics. The more that kids are barraged with information from the Internet, from media, and from electronic devices they’re plugged into, the smaller the circle of voices they trust.
The perfect time to talk to your child about drugs is when you think they're too young to talk about using drugs. Talk to your child before someone else does. So too, we must initiate our children at an early age into the mysteries of the faith and teach them the morals and values of our faith. It can be such an awesome duty to help them grow in faith by the witness of a Catholic life in keeping with the Gospel. The great principles of God are to be taught, practiced and cultivated in the home by us, their primary educators.
Let them see how your faith affects every aspect of your life and how Jesus Christ is your compass in making the moral decisions in your life. It means your faith is not just being a Sunday Catholic and not just something that you do but how you live, so much a part of your life so that you can’t help but bring it up at the dinner table. You end up talking about what happened in the news or praying for people who are sick and hurting.
If you want your kids and their friends to be in your company, stock the fridge with food, schedule game or movies nights for them, create an inviting fun atmosphere.
To make Mass more of a time that they get to go to church rather than have to go, try asking your kids what they thought of the Sunday homily. Ask them what they might have said about the Gospel if they’d given the homily that day.
It means not giving into letting a child have a TV or computer in their room but in a common area that is supervised. We also should be attending to what, and how much, electronic entertainment kids consume: TV, movies, music, video games, web activity...there's pluggedin.com and Godtube as alternative tools!
Tell your kids why you refuse to buy their clothing from Abercrombie & Fitch (with their advertising of models barely clothed). at the very least they’ll respect you for your point of view.
We must respect our children's faith journeys. However, while we can do many things for our children, we have to let them find their own way to God, even if means watching them try things we ourselves have tried and know lead to dead ends, even after they leave home. In their very real struggles to find God, the nourishment they need is from you. So live your faith out loud. Live it openly at home so your children catch it, learn it,will ask about, and grow in it. That’s how faith gets in them!
"My son, if your heart be wise, my own heart also will rejoice; And my inmost being will exult, when your lips speak what is right." Proverbs 23:15-16
Be different from your parents and don’t skirt the moral questions. It is proven that parents have the greatest impact on whether kids engage in premarital sex, smoke, get tattoos or partake in other risky behaviors. Yet parents often remain mum on these topics. The more that kids are barraged with information from the Internet, from media, and from electronic devices they’re plugged into, the smaller the circle of voices they trust.
The perfect time to talk to your child about drugs is when you think they're too young to talk about using drugs. Talk to your child before someone else does. So too, we must initiate our children at an early age into the mysteries of the faith and teach them the morals and values of our faith. It can be such an awesome duty to help them grow in faith by the witness of a Catholic life in keeping with the Gospel. The great principles of God are to be taught, practiced and cultivated in the home by us, their primary educators.
Let them see how your faith affects every aspect of your life and how Jesus Christ is your compass in making the moral decisions in your life. It means your faith is not just being a Sunday Catholic and not just something that you do but how you live, so much a part of your life so that you can’t help but bring it up at the dinner table. You end up talking about what happened in the news or praying for people who are sick and hurting.
If you want your kids and their friends to be in your company, stock the fridge with food, schedule game or movies nights for them, create an inviting fun atmosphere.
To make Mass more of a time that they get to go to church rather than have to go, try asking your kids what they thought of the Sunday homily. Ask them what they might have said about the Gospel if they’d given the homily that day.
It means not giving into letting a child have a TV or computer in their room but in a common area that is supervised. We also should be attending to what, and how much, electronic entertainment kids consume: TV, movies, music, video games, web activity...there's pluggedin.com and Godtube as alternative tools!
Tell your kids why you refuse to buy their clothing from Abercrombie & Fitch (with their advertising of models barely clothed). at the very least they’ll respect you for your point of view.
We must respect our children's faith journeys. However, while we can do many things for our children, we have to let them find their own way to God, even if means watching them try things we ourselves have tried and know lead to dead ends, even after they leave home. In their very real struggles to find God, the nourishment they need is from you. So live your faith out loud. Live it openly at home so your children catch it, learn it,will ask about, and grow in it. That’s how faith gets in them!
"My son, if your heart be wise, my own heart also will rejoice; And my inmost being will exult, when your lips speak what is right." Proverbs 23:15-16
Followers
Purpose of my blog
- What are parents to do?
- When I was putting together my webpage, catholicresourcepages, I found that there are no real Catholic devotions online. After finishing Jeff Cavins Great Adventure Bible Study, reading up on the catechism, and other resources, I decided to write posts on catechism topics like sexuality, the deadly sins and heavenly virtues, the fruits and gifts of the Holy Spirit and other everyday themes of life. When we school our kids in the faith, point our kids toward heaven, pray for them and release them into God's hands, our children will be able to grow into the people they were called to be and less likely fall away from going to Mass and slip spiritually. Fight back with my Faith Lessons so you can teach them the why's instead of just the don'ts...to help parents be armed with talking the faith during family prayer time...your kids will be listening even if you think they aren't since you'll be planting the seeds for them for the future! Thanks for visiting and guiding your child in truth. My hope is your kids will ask for them (when really it is the family togetherness that they are longing for).
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