Monday Morning Musings on Modesty

Is Dad guarding your family?

I was just reading a great post on Dymphna's blog about modesty.

So many parents these days seem to consider Mass as no different from a day at the beach! Hey, you want to wear short shorts and a tank top to meet the Lor of the Universe?, No problem. But really, parents, modesty is the guardian of chastity. Do you care about your kids' souls?

Dymphna mentioned the responsibility of the mother and so did someone commenting on the post, and clearly, moms are the ones who generally go shopping with their kids, so the purchase of modest clothing falls squarely on Mom. She plays a major role in fostering the virtue of modesty.

But Mom is not, ultimately, the one who has the greatest responsibility to protect her children. DAD DOES! He is the guardian of the family!

DAD IS THE SPIRITUAL HEAD OF THE FAMILY AND THE GUARDIAN AT THE GATE! IF HE ABANDONS HIS POST, HE WILL ANSWER FOR IT!


As a man, Dad knows the temptations women's immodest clothing can cause himself and his sons. He is the one who should be like a knight watching over his lady fairs with a warrior's heart. If he allows his daughters to dress in ways that draw attention away from their faces and their eyes, the windows of the soul, to parts of the body that incite lust, he will be held accountable by God.

Dads, protect your children. Teach your sons about custody of the eyes. Help them realize that they endanger their souls when they fill their minds and hearts with pornographic images or even carelessly enjoy ogling immodestly dressed girls on the beach or at the mall. Teach your daughters to value the virtue of modesty and to encourage the young men in their lives to explore the universe of their minds and hearts rather than to lust after their bodies.

Modesty begins in the home with moms and dads. But it's a wise parish priest who takes an opportunity, like the one Dymphna describes, to preach on modesty and custody of the eyes.

St. Maria Goretti and St. Dominic Savio, pray for us.