Hopeful Dee

Every week our pastor, Fr. Joseph Illo,  has a little letter that is entitled “From the Pastor’s Laptop” on the cover of our bulletin. It is usually a though-provoking letter meant to move us to prayer or action in some way, shape, or form. I was SO moved to prayer after reading this last week’s letter that I wanted to share it with you all….

” I told her not to “settle”, a friend told me thirty years ago. “What does “settle” mean?” I asked her. ” It means settling for a man who does not meet her standards.”

A priest, it is said, marries the Church. Does the Church “settle” for priests that don’t meet her standards? Do you settle for a merely good man, or will you accept nothing less than a good priest? “A good priest is a very good thing,” wrote Victor Hugo in Les Miserables. How is a good priest more than just a good man?

A man puts you at ease; a good priest puts you at ease, but often challenges you as well. A good man makes you laugh, but sometimes makes you cry. A good man help you reach success in life; a good priest helps you reach success, but he also prepares you for heaven. A Catholic priest must be a good man, certainly, but God calls His priests to a greater personal sanctity. A really good priest never ceases to call others, as well, to sanctity.

I am not a morning person. If you know me AT ALL, you know that about me. I need a gallon of coffee, and about an hour of quiet before I get out of my zombie-like state. I have always been that way. Surprisingly enough, I am the only one of my family with an aversion to mornings. My mom would LITERALLY wake up singing, my dad would be laughing and cracking jokes at 5 am, even my brothers seemed to feel renewed each day. Me? Notsomuch.
That being said, they were always quiet for me. They wouldn’t bother me with morning pleasantries such as, “Good morning”, they would simply talk to one another and let me be. This has become somewhat of a blessing for me in my adult life. When I was on NET, both of my teams did the same thing. Even my friends, usually leave me alone for a while once I emerge from my hibernation.
This is really a great gift. For some, it might seem small, or that I should learn to be a morning person. But for me, it really is such a blessing. It reminds me that God loves me in the littlist of ways. He loves me when my hair is crazy, when my breath could kill a small army, and when my mood is less than lovely. That really astounds me. He loves me at my very worst. In my crankiness, sin, ugliness, tiredness.
Now, don’t misunderstand, I need to work on becoming a morning person. If for no other reason, for the sake of those I live with. But until that morning comes, when birds sing, I am refreshed, and so happy that the morning has arrived, being a morning person will remain something on my “To-Do” list; along with trying to love others the way that God loves me.
This also makes me think about how much I fight waking up to the things that God is trying to reveal to me. He will put someone or something in my path, and I sleepily ignore it, thinking that I have better things to do. But the truth is, I need to say, EVERY day, “Awake, my soul.” I need to be aware of Christ in every person that I encounter. I need to stay awake and open to hear what God might be saying to me. I want to be the kind of person who wakes up and hits the ground running looking for opportunities to love Jesus. THAT is the kind of life that I am called to live.
So…here goes….

I have to begin this particular post with a disclaimer: if, as you read this, you begin to feel offended, then I am probably talking to you…not because I want to upset you, but because maybe someone hasn’t told you that you are worth more than your body.

The thing is, modesty is one of those topics that people feel is really important, but that when push comes to shove, we don’t want to actually call someone out on immodest behavior because it is uncomfortable and we want to be nice…and liked…and basically not rock anyone’s boat.

That being said, I must say that I am appalled and often frustrated at how immodest people are today. I am speaking mostly to the ladies, but men are also prone to immodesty. I am so bothered by women who dress as though it is summer, at the beach, and no one else is around. The whole idea of “less is better” ONLY applies to makeup and carbs. (and I am even willing to concede that at times more carbs are better…) But my point is that this concept does NOT apply to clothing. Short skirts, and shorts that keep you from bending over or moving at all for fear that you will pull a Brittany Spears, or tight shirts, dresses, or mini skirts that leave NOTHING to the imagination are NEVER ok. Not at a party with a hundred other women dressed like that, not at a family event where you may know every person in the room, not on a date, where they guy is just wonderful and would NEVER take advantage of you, it is just NEVER ok.

You are more than that short dress, or that shirt that is basically a glorified bra. You are more than beautiful externally. Which I am sure that you are. Because God made you…and He only makes beauty. And maybe you don’t even know that you are dressing immodestly. Perhaps you think, “this is fashion”, when what everyone else is thinking is, “whoa that girl has a lot of cleavage going on”….

If you think, “no one thinks that”…I have to be honest…I think that. And although, this is NOT about what people think, people DO get an impression of someone based on how they dress. I don’t agree with it, but that is what it the truth. And you know what? Some of the women in my life that are the MOST stylish are the ones that are both modest, AND super hipster….

Another form of immodesty is our speech. Sometimes I hear women call each other these horrible names, or allow men to speak to them in disgusting ways, and I think…”NOT OK.” I understand that sometimes we want to look like we are so cool and just “one of the guys”…but each time that we allow people to talk to us disrespectfully, or that we call each other names, we take away from the beautiful person that we were each created to be. Never let someone talk to you like you are nothing.

To God, you are EVERYTHING.

I have this great friend who always looks like she is walking out of an Anthropology ad but with a SERIOUS modest flair to her…and I am always inspired by her because she took fashion, her style, and modesty, and blended them in such a way that make her look amazing and beautiful all the time. And not just that, she is modest to the core. She doesn’t speak poorly about anyone, she never gossips, she calls people out when conversations turn impure and unholy. She is convicted to keep all those around her as close to Christ as possible.

I think you can do that. I think you are very capable of dressing like a lady because you DESERVE to be treated as one….and God truly sees you for the beautiful woman that He created you to be.

So let us try to be more modest in our dress, and our speech, and everything about ourselves, to glorify God, and also to uphold the dignity that He has given us.

Because you are more than your clothes.

You are lovely.

You are beautiful.

You are worth more than silver or gold.

You are precious.

You are Loved.