Tolerance #1

For some time I have been wanting to put together a list of good blog entries on tolerance. I was inspired by Jan B's entry today:

"There is also teaching about women and modesty that in my opinion could bear some re-thinking. Last year we had a rosary in the park and invited surrounding parishes to join us, and a few did. It was ferocious weather and we ended up in our church and one of our youth was scandalized by two of the women from another parish who came back to church with us, because they wore pants. The pants were loose, thick, worn under long coats, and were perfectly modest. It made me think that we could perhaps do better to teach ‘modesty’ rather than ‘no pants no where no time’ and also wonder if the present interpretation didn’t originally come from a certain quarter of the community which has departed."

Chapel Veils: Ask Mom for Help

This is a repost from Philothea on Phire

The following is a comment made by good friend of this blog, Elizabeth, on my “Happy Mother’s Day” post. I thought it was worth sharing more widely, as a post of its own.

I wanted to share a "mother moment" I had this morning, I truly believe, with our Blessed Mother. 

Before I entered the church at the nearby Novus Ordo parish, I came up with a compromise of sorts with my self-consciousness when wearing a veil at a NO church. All winter, I simply wore a hat at Mass. Now that it's not hat weather… uh oh.  

So I put the veil over my head and tied it back under my hair, like a bandana. Silly, eh? I figured that this would be a way to ease into wearing it, while at the same time not being quite so noticeable to others. I know… like everyone in the church is looking at me, right? :) And besides, who cares if everyone looks at you! Further silliness!

So I knelt in my spot in front of the gorgeous statue of Our Lady, right up front in the handicapped row, and asked her to please help me to not be concerned about the looks I may get from others, or what other people may or may not think about it (including the army of VII priests there). I asked Her to please help me to don my veil at every Mass – just like I used to when I was able to attend the Traditional Mass, where every woman wears one. Please, please, please. Then I said a Hail Mary and the St. Michael prayer to settle myself in for the Mass, and sat back in the pew.

There was a tap on my shoulder.

I turned around to face a rather handsome, serious-faced man who leaned forward to whisper to me, "I haven't seen a woman wearing a veil in church in decades. I just wanted to tell you how beautiful it is to see you wearing a veil. Thank you for that."

I kid you not: that's what he said. And no one can tell me that that wasn't an answer to my heartfelt prayer! It brought a tear to my eyes, and I thanked Our Lady.

Awesome moment.

Rosary Procession May 5th