Weekly Encouragement September 13th
Dear Friends,
I want to begin by thanking all of you for a tremendous start to our program year here at Christ the King. We had a great turnout this weekend for Community Sunday, hosted by the Altar Society. I enjoyed meeting more of you, and I was particularly happy to see many of you manning tables and telling inquirers about our ministries.
That Man is You has now had two meetings, and I am pleased with the participation so far. If you know of any men who would like a regular opportunity to learn more about their faith and connect with other men, please send them my way. It's never too late to join!
Finally, we're getting excited about a new ministry now called Choice Wine, designed for couples to strengthen their marriages and their faith. Feel free to reach out to me for more information, or sign up here. The first session is September 20 at 7:00 p.m. in the Community Center.
Keep reading for my reflection on this week's fruit of the Spirt: Modesty.
God bless you all!
In Christ,
Andrew Petiprin
Director of Community Life
Christ the King Catholic Church
Modesty is a virtue that you know when you see it. Modesty is the disposition of a person - a man or a woman, by the way! - who is both confident and careful. A modest person wants the right kind of attention, and she or he elicits admiration rather than desire. Think of it this way: When you see a modest person you are likely to think, "I want to be like that person," rather than "I want that person." A modest person is always a subject to be contemplated rather than an object to be possessed.
The Church requires modesty of its members not because it wants to control us, but because it wants us to flourish as humans. The Catechism of the Catholic Churchsays, "Modesty protects the mystery of persons and their love" (paragraph 2522). Mystery is a wonderful word to assign to a person, just as we assign it to God. What is mysterious offers an infinite source of meaning. Mystery is so valuable precisely because it affects us and changes us, but we cannot control it or merely use it. A person who pursues the virtue of modesty seeks to be a true gift to other people, and that person opens herself or himself up to receiving the gift of others too.
Finally, sometimes people disagree on what constitutes modesty, just as they may disagree on what constitutes other virtues. That's ok. Again, the Catechism says, "the forms taken by modesty vary from one culture to another" (para 2524). But I invite you to look closely not only at a person's clothes or hairstyle, but at the vitality that radiates out from that person. A man or a woman with a well-formed conscience and spiritual maturity cannot be mistaken for anything else. And we can ALL grow in these areas, by God's grace. Pursue modesty in your life this week, in whatever way it may take shape for you.
Prayer:
Father, awaken my consciousness and fill my heart with gratitude. Make me modest, that I may respect the dignity of myself and others. Inspire me to teach others modesty, that our world may increase in love. Through Christ our Lord, Amen.