Day 52. Another Look at the Veil
On ne voit bien qu'avec le coeur. L'essentiel est invisible pour les yeux.
It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; What is essential is invisible to the eye.
The Little Prince
A piece of fabric – a curtain of red and purple yarn – was all that stood between the priests and the inner sanctuary of God. They must have been curious to get a closer look at the Ark. As I wondered earlier, what restrained them from simply walking in? For my own part, I would have been very tempted to sneak at least a glimpse behind the veil. Then again, I can't imagine myself actually doing so. Why? Fear, no doubt, would have a great deal to do with it. To violate the veil would be to incur a death sentence. Still, something else can be observed in God's choice of a cloth barrier. I believe the Lord was expressing trust.
It's odd to think of God trusting himself to sinful humans, but that is what I think is intended by the veil that guarded access to the inner sanctuary of the temple. I perceive here a kind of vulnerability expressed by the Almighty. This is important. In observing God’s floor plan for relationships, his eternal order for intimacy, we see the prominent use of a veil. Let's compare this with our images of malls and walls from last week.
As models for building and ordering relationships, we found both inadequate. Malls offer too much access. Walls too little. Malls put all on display. Walls lock it away. Though God sets up his own sanctuary using walls – thick walls too, from the descriptions we read – at the most critical passage there is only a veil to bar the way.
I’d call this discretionary access. God doesn’t remove himself completely from people, but rather permits limited access based on clearly stated criteria. In God’s temple of relationships, access was allowed on the basis of time of season, sex, family heritage, ritual purity and what I would call right disposition or reverence. It was unwise to approach God too casually or carelessly. Still, it appears that some people did just that.
For someone whose inner person has been violated by the careless intrusion of another, the idea of God’s vulnerability may be surprising. God, who understands the careless impiety of men, nonetheless makes his inner-self vulnerable – protecting his deepest mysteries with only a curtain. He trusts us. Risky business, this trust.
Why not a window to mark off the holy of holies from the main hall of the temple? Indulge me here. Ignore the absence of plate glass in 1000 B.C. Curtains, unlike windows, bar our access in a very particular way. They block us from seeing what is within.
When we apply this to our relationships it seems wrong. Isn't seeing better than not seeing? Isn't openness better than hiddenness? Isn't it better to be up-front, honest and without any secrets in all our relationships? Not always. Not when seeing is actually blindness. Not when seeing what is evident and obvious clouds our vision of the subtle and mysterious. Did I lose you? This calls for further explanation.
Due to our pride, seeing often leads us to presumption. Seeing holds a very unique temptation for our fallen nature. If we can see something, we think we know it. If we think we know it, we hold a certain power over it. God, by veiling his inner sanctuary from our sight, expresses a deeper reality: physical sight alone cannot reveal the full meaning and significance of what we observe. That which remains hidden is often more significant than that which is seen. Until I see with a deeper sight, my seeing will deceive me; it will blind me to reality.
There is a word for this principle that has fallen out of popular usage; rejected most by those who favor the mall pattern for relationships. The word is modesty. In modesty, I conceal so that I may reveal with greater care and caution. By covering up my treasures – most particularly my sexual treasures – I invite the viewer to discern a deeper reality. I hide so that you may seek. I am not remote, not walled-off in a solitary vault of “never again,” but neither am I on public display. I show enough to be interesting and inviting, but I also know that what is most inviting – and therefore most worthy of protection – is that which is not seen.
The world has no time for modesty. Modesty is musty, dusty and quaint – like an antique rocking chair from your grandparents’ attic. It’s outdated for those who consider themselves “informed” and “current.” If you've got it, flaunt it. That’s the modern approach. Looks, money, brains, business savvy. Show them off with pride.
The body is the most obvious example of this desire to show all – though modesty is about much more than clothes. Current fashions present the human body as a tool for pleasure. And every generation of pop stars brings us new displays of indecency. We creep on Kim, Kourtney and Khloé. We gorge on Miley and Kylie. We follow all their steamy tweets and voyeuristic peeks for which we, as a culture, go Gaga [1].
No doubt you have heard the common protest against modesty. “I am not ashamed of my body. God made my body beautiful and natural,” goes the argument, “why should I cover it up as if it were something bad or shameful?” But shame has a purpose. Shame can serve as protection for me when I am ashamed not from guilt, but out of a deep awareness of the treasure that is my secret self.
St. John Paul II wrote about modesty precisely in terms of this kind of “shame.” “Shame is a tendency, uniquely characteristic of the human person, to conceal sexual values sufficiently to prevent them from obscuring the value of the person as such.” It is naïve to imagine that exposing our bodies can be done with no reference to our sexual nature. It is naïve to believe it can be done without causing temptation to the fallen natures of those around us. Sex overwhelms our senses and fogs our minds. The great danger of awakening such powerful feelings is that they cloud our vision of something deeper.
Was John Paul II saying that the body is ugly? Hardly. He was saying that the powerful beauty and attraction of the body can blind a member of the opposite sex to the greater and more enduring beauty beneath the flesh. Was this merely the writing of an old prude? Another example of a celibate man of the Church hopelessly out of touch with the passions and intense desires of the young? Decide for yourself. Check out his works, books like Love and Responsibility or Theology of the Body, and discover a very different side of the power of modesty.
Novena Prayer
Jesus says: “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.”
Pier Giorgio responds: St. Paul says that “the charity of Christ urges us.” Without this flame, which should burn out our personality little by little and blaze only for other people’s griefs, we would not be Christian, let alone Catholic.
Let us Pray: Blessed Pier Giorgio, teach me by your example of mercy to open my heart more widely to those in need, especially the poor and the sick. Guide me in extending that mercy both to friends and strangers, to those who love me and those who do not. Help me to reflect God’s own mercy, especially in words and deeds of forgiveness.
Blessed Pier Giorgio, I ask for your intercession in obtaining from God, Who is gracious and merciful and just, all the graces necessary for my spiritual and temporal welfare. I confidently turn to you for help in my present need: (in your own words, ask for the Lord to grant you grace in the struggle for purity of mind and body – especially in the area of chastity)
A Book of Prayers in Honor of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, by Rev. Timothy E. Deeter
Make it My Own
Daily Discernment Workbook
WORLD VIEWS
1. Clothing Optional?
These objections to modesty in clothing are common enough. Using today’s reading above, can I confidently reply to the following objections to society’s “clothing codes”?
a. In one culture, an exposed ankle is scandalous. In another, bare chested women are everywhere. It just goes to show that standards of modesty are random, human conventions that are designed more to control than protect anybody.
b. Our country is too puritanical about the body. We need to adopt a more enlightened view that sees the body as something to be celebrated as beautiful and not something shameful to be covered up.
c. If my body is a temptation to somebody of the opposite sex, how is that my problem? If I find tight pants or see-through shirts comfortable, it’s my right to wear them. Don’t tell me I’m a temptation, tell them to get their minds out of the garbage bin.
Stuck for answers? Some suggested responses are at the end of this section.
A QUOTE TO NOTE
2. People in Their Right Minds
Modesty is about more than clothing. It’s about knowing and governing our God-given abilities well. Where definitions leave us cold, examples inspire us. Consider the character of Atticus Finch from Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. In the excerpt below, Atticus has just killed a rabid dog that was threatening the children with a single shot at great distance. His kids, Jem and Jean Louise (Scout) are dumbfounded that their “ordinary” dad is a marksman. Their aunt explains why he never speaks of it.
Miss Maudie grinned wickedly. “Well now, Miss Jean Louise,” she said, “still think your father can't do anything? Still ashamed of him?”
“Nome,” I said meekly.
“Forgot to tell you the other day that besides playing the Jews harp, Atticus Finch was the deadest shot in Maycomb County in his time.
“Dead shot...” echoed Jem.
“That's what I said, Jem Finch. Guess you'll change your tune now. The very idea, didn't you know his nick-name was Ol' One-Shot when he was a boy? Why, down at the Landing when he was coming up, if he shot fifteen times and hit fourteen doves he'd complain about wasting ammunition.”
“He never said anything about that,” Jem muttered.
“Never said anything about it, did he?”
“No ma'am.”
“Wonder why he never goes huntin' now,” I said.
“Maybe I can tell you,” said Miss Maudie. “If your father's anything, he's civilized in his heart. Marksmanship's a gift of God, a talent – oh, you have to practice to make it perfect, but shootin's different from playing the piano or the like. I think maybe he put his gun down when he realized that God had given him an unfair advantage over most living things. I guess he decided he wouldn't shoot till he had to, and he had to today.”
“Looks like he'd be proud of it,” I said.
“People in their right minds never take pride in their talents,” said Miss Maudie.
…“Maybe it just slipped his mind,” I said.
“Naw, Scout, it's something you wouldn't understand. “ [said Jem], “Atticus is real old, but I wouldn't care if he couldn't do anything – I wouldn't care if he couldn't do a blessed thing.”
Jem picked up a rock and threw it jubilantly at the carhouse. Running after it, he called back: “Atticus is a gentleman, just like me!” [3].
Have I ever admired a person more when I learned of abilities they had which they never boasted about? Who was it and what was the ability?
Have I ever found myself showing off and giving away too much information that I would be better off keeping private or waiting for an appropriate time to reveal?
EXAMINE MY HEART
3. To Post or Not to Post…?
In the world of social media, modesty gets down to very specific decisions. What do I post? When am I showing off? When am I giving away too much personal info? Use the image of the temple designated into three basic regions: Social Self, Secret Self and Sacred Self. The answers to this are up to me, but if I’m not sure, I can ask a good friend or my Discernment Advisor to look at my answers.
Social Self is information about me that’s available to anybody (yeah, post it).
Secret Self is reserved for my trusted friends (shared directly, not posted) OR it’s not the kind of thing I’d want people to see/know.
Sacred Self is between me and God…and maybe a very trusted person in my life (not posting it, not even talking about it).
[ ] I got a new job that I’m really happy about.
[ ] I had a profound spiritual consolation that brought me to tears.
[ ] A shot of the incredible view from the balcony of my new apartment.
[ ] I’m really happy because I was told by my professor that I’m the best oral presenter in her class.
[ ] A picture from my spring break at the beach in a revealing swimsuit.
[ ] A quote from the Bible that inspired me at Mass.
[ ] A person I’m very attracted to confided in me.
[ ] A link to my Youtube sight with videos I’ve made of my past five vacation road trips.
[ ] I resisted a temptation to an old habitual sin successfully (thanks be to God!) and feel greatly encouraged by it.
[ ] An album of my high school awards banquet where I gave a speech and garnered several impressive honors.
[ ] I found myself acting foolish about a petty thing and it made me laugh about my inconsistencies.
Conclude with
“Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be.
World without end, Amen.”
[1] Disclaimer: Pop culture moves so fast that no list of entertainers will stay current for long. Enjoy the fact that this was out of date almost as soon as it was written.
[2] St. John Paul/Karol Wojtyla, Love and Responsibility, tr. by H.T. Willetts, San Francisco, Ignatius Press, 1981, p. 187
[3] Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird, New York, Lippincott Popular Library Edition, 1962, pp. 99-103
Question 1: Suggested Responses.
a. Clothing conventions are cultural, no doubt, but that doesn’t mean that cultural norms are arbitrary. Culture tries to teach what’s important through customs – especially when the lesson is obscure. The lesson of modesty? That we communicate with the things we wear. That’s why I need to pay attention to what I might be saying with my clothes (or lack of them). If my clothes placed in a specific situation or cultural context, say, “I’m sexually available,” should I be surprised that people misunderstand me? This doesn’t justify sexual aggression nor is it blaming the victim. Some clothes, however, can send mixed signals and it’s best for the wearer to be aware.
b. Actually, our country is obsessed with the body. It’s the best example of why too much viewing leads not to “seeing” but to blindness. Those who object to all the naked bodies on display are called Puritans while those who use the body’s sexually attractive power to manipulate people and sell products are the “enlightened” ones. Go figure.
c. Compassion for the weaknesses of others is what marks a truly civilized society. Many people find immodest clothing a very strong temptation to lust – which disrespects the value of the person and makes them an object to be used. The compassionate response is to avoid making a bad thing worse. With the problem of pornography addiction becoming more pervasive – especially infecting the young – can’t we agree that everybody has a part to play in decreasing the sex-over-stimulation that plagues our communities and our country?
To Post or Not to Post?
Here’s criteria I offer. If it honors God or the Church, if it encourages others or gives them worthwhile information, if it builds up bonds of friendship, I’ll post it. On the other hand, if it puffs me up with pride, disrespects God or the Church, or lays too much info out where I don’t know who’s seeing it, I’ll refrain. In general, I’m asking, is this adding to the clutter and the noise, or is it building up the body of Christ?