The weather could be quite hot by the time you read this. At the time I write it, on June 2, cold winds are whipping Modesto from a cloudy sky, and snow still blankets the foothills in patches. I myself love cooler weather, and am so happy global warming has not yet struck our beautiful valley. But the summer heat will come, without a doubt, as it has for eons. What would summer be without those hot days? Hot weather causes us to shed our outer layers, and so it is time again for me to encourage all of us in the city of Modest-o to the virtue of Modest-y. I am pleased and proud of how well the vast majority of us dress for Holy Mass. Our parish really is a little island of sense and sensibility in a world seemingly gone barbaric or mad or both. But of course with warmer weather the temptation will be to “dress less.” That temptation is to be resisted. The biggest problem I see (and I have a particularly elevated point of view from the sanctuary steps) is cleavage. I am quite aware of today’s “fashions.”  It is usual in our pagan society for women to expose a good half of their breasts in public. But we are God’s holy people; we are called to holiness, to be set apart, and so this kind of pagan dress is not acceptable in St. Joseph’s Church. Neither is it acceptable for a man or woman to attend Holy Mass with bare shoulders, backs, or chests. Neither is it even remotely proper to wear tight fitting pants that display the shape of one’s privates.

What will not be accepted? Bare chests (lower than three inches below the collarbone); bare backs, bare shoulders, tight-fitting pants, see-throughs. How will it not be accepted? The priests will insist that those who are displaying much cleavage must button up. If one has no buttons, I reserve the right to distribute stylish loaner shawls. The shawls are really quite nice….Why will it not be accepted?  It will not be accepted because it disrespects our priests, our married men, our single men (and it constitutes an act of aggression toward other women). You may not intend to disrespect anyone, but the effect is still negative. Do we want pure priests? Then consider what priests see while distributing Holy Communion to a woman dressed like that. Do we want men to be faithful to their wives? Then do not taunt them. I want to end on a positive note. The vast majority of our parish community is prayerful, charitable, and pure. Let’s work to keep it beautiful. Let’s refuse cultural decline and be people of the Beatitudes: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”