Modesty & Wearing One's Best for Church

    It is important to wear clothes that are modest and the best we have when going to church. If you were going to meet the President of the United States for example, you would immediately find the best outfit to look presentable in. Since Jesus is far more important than the President of the United States, He deserves to see you in your best! This does not mean you need to wear a tuxedo or a ballroom dress to church every Sunday, but to wear presentable outfits that are modest, and are the best you have. [Read "Worship the Lord in Holy Attire!" and Dressing with Dignity for more information.]

    The former archbishop of the Archdiocese of Galveston - Houston, Joseph A. Fiorenza, beautifully emphasizes the importance of modesty in dress at Mass, by writing the following:

“As with many important benefits in life, we can become too casual about receiving the Body and Blood of Christ and not being properly disposed to receive this invaluable gift of the Redeemer into our lives. We are often so casual that almost automatically we process to receive Communion without thought or realization of this magnificent moment by which we enter into the holiest of union with Jesus. Sometimes, our all too casual approach is evident in the inappropriate clothes we wear.”

 
    Also, it is important to wear modest clothes for school, work, around the house, and for recreational activities. In the world today, human life is being degraded through immodest clothing, providing both genders the temptation to sin. Since our bodies are temples of God, we must treat them with respect by always presenting ourselves in modesty, so that men and women can remain pure.

    Lastly, it is important to mention that modesty includes the use of pure language when dealing with the opposite sex. In our society today, men and women degrade each other's human dignity through the use of impure language. This impure language turns people into objects, and leads to lust. The saints and Sacred Scripture emphasize the importance of pure language, and give tips on how to speak purely. Here are some examples:

"A man who has the habit of abusive language will never mature in character as long as he lives"
-Sirach 23:15

"Filthy talk makes us feel comfortable with filthy action. But the one who knows how to control the tongue is prepared to resist the attacks of lust."
-St. Clement of Alexandria

"Never talk of impure things or events, not even to deplore them. Look, it's a subject that sticks more than tar. Change the conversation, or if that's not possible, continue, but speaking of the need and beauty of holy purity--a virtue of the men who know what their souls are worth."
-St. Josemaria Escriva

The man of impure speech is a "person whose lips are but an opening and a supply pipe which hell uses to vomit its impurities upon the earth."
-St. John Vianney

"That conversation . . . was as dirty as a sewer! It is not enough for you to take no part in it. You must show your repugnance to it strongly!"
-St. Josemaria Escriva

"I have never talked about impurity. . . . But I have spoken many times, as I have to do, about chastity, purity, and the joyful affirmation of love."
-St. Josemaria Escriva