Why Some Catholic Women Veil

 I have a friend who likes to call me a rad trad because I exclusively attend the Traditional Latin Mass at a FSSP parish. I disagree with that statement "rad trad" because, to me at least, most "rad trads" are reactionaries. I do not define myself as a reactionary - I am not here in reaction. I am here because this is how I can worship God in a way that reflects His glory. 

But, I digress.  My friend likes to ask me questions that a "rad trad" might know the answer to. Such as, "what are your opinions on the chapel veil?" 

When I received that text, I hesitated. I was not in the mood to have this conversation today. I have three little kids (5, 3, and almost 2). My 3 year old has dropped her nap, so I have lost my middle of the day moment of peace. I did not want to have this conversation. So I answered, "They are lovely, but I find them impractical with little kids and prefer to wear a snood. Plus, a snood is culturally appropriate for my heritage." 

I knew very well that she wanted a philosophical answer, but I gave her a practical answer with the hope that she would get on tangent - even if for a moment. 

She didn't take my hint, and clarified, "I meant, do you veil as an act of submission?" And, reading her text, I sighed. Six years ago, I would have jumped at the opportunity to share why I veil, but today, I am just trying to survive toddlerhood. I pondered. I paused. I checked my sources. Then, I started my long, long text message answer. 

For context, my friend is a Catholic convert from a fundamentalist Christian background. She knows the New Testament from that perspective well. And, this is not always beneficial because fundamentalist sometimes overlook the literary perspective. Many will look into the niche historical context for areas of dissent in their communities. I am not against interpreting the Bible from a literal perspective when it is appropriate, but I caution here: Our Lord taught in signs and parables and the Faith He gave to the apostles is rich in signs and parables. 

So, my text message answer included most of the following, developed here in paragraph form with the addition of important context, such as the passage from 1 Corinthians, for clarity. 

Often the question of veiling is met with a passage from 1 Corinthians, 11:1-15, from the Knox translation: 

1

 

Follow my example, then, as I follow the example of Christ.

2

 

I must needs praise you for your constant memory of me, for upholding your traditions just as I handed them on to you.

3

 

And here is something you must know. The head to which a wife is united is her husband, just as the head to which every man is united is Christ; so, too, the head to which Christ is united is God.

4

 

And whereas any man who keeps his head covered when he prays or utters prophecy brings shame upon his head,

5

 

a woman brings shame upon her head if she uncovers it to pray or prophesy; she is no better than the woman who has her head shaved.*

6

 

If a woman would go without a veil, why does she not cut her hair short too? If she admits that a woman is disgraced when her hair is cut short or shaved, then let her go veiled.

7

 

A man has no need to veil his head; he is God’s image, the pride of his creation, whereas the wife is the pride of her husband.

8

 

(The woman takes her origin from the man, not the man from the woman;

9

 

and indeed, it was not man that was created for woman’s sake, but woman for man’s.)

10

 

And for that reason the woman ought to have authority over her head, for the angels’ sake.

11

 

(Not that, in the Lord’s service, man has his place apart from woman, or woman hers apart from man;

12

 

if woman takes her origin from man, man equally comes to birth through woman. And indeed all things have their origin in God.)

13

 

Judge for yourselves; is it fitting that a woman should offer prayer to God unveiled?

14

 

Does not nature itself teach you that, whereas it is a disgrace to a man to wear his hair long,

15

 

when a woman grows her hair long, it is an added grace to her? That is because her hair has been given her to take the place of a veil.

*I know that it is popular among some to discredit this admonishment because of the practices of prostitution at the time. We should be careful not to overly rely on such explanations. Addressing specifically this passage, I have heard fundamentalist Christian arguments for and against veiling that focused in on the culture in Corinth. I think it is important to note that St. Paul is talking about how the worship of God, what is know as liturgy, is to be conducted. He is not only speaking about the Corinthians, but of all. 

The passage above is not talking about the relationship between spouses or demeaning the place of women. The passage is talking about divine worship in general. The liturgy, and the faith, is all about signs - remember, the Church celebrates mysteries and sacraments. Veiling is not about submission to the authority of man, but to subdue the glory of man. 

Men are the glory of God. God created man out of his desire to show his Goodness. When man fell from grace, God became Man. The God-Man offered Himself as a sacrificial victim for the remission of sins. The God-Man established the True Faith and divine worship which he passed to men to safeguard. When much is given, much is expected. Men are called to reflect Jesus Christ in this duty and responsibility, even if they are called to lay down their lives. In the liturgy, it is God's glory which is being acknowledged. 

Woman was created for man. Woman is the most precious reflection of man, though having souls sharing in the image and likeness of God. Woman is the glory of man; man is the glory of God. All women are called to be physically or spiritually brides. They were created as brides, and fulfill their nature as brides. Veiling does twofold: 1) it subdues the glory of man; while, 2) serving as a reminder of the relationship between God and the Church, the Bridegroom and the Bride, and the communion of the soul with God. 

It should be noted that the “rules” for veiling is that women and girls should be veiled in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament, regardless of if there is/will be Mass. This has very little to do with being submissive to a man or under the authority of a man. It has more to do with the visual of Christ as the Bridegroom. 

But, also:

-There are thousands of years of recorded history across cultures especially related to worship, even pagan women veiled
-A practice in modesty and humility as these virtues are defined by the Church (not colloquial usage). That is related to your state in life and focused toward God (rather than man). 
-Veiling is part of the larger liturgical tradition of the Church for 2000+ years. Other things, aside from women, are also veiled during the liturgy. 
-Veiling, like MANY other things in the Catholic tradition, is more about an outward sign of a spiritual reality or internal disposition.
-Veiling also recognizes that men and women are different by supernatural design, and we have different roles, challenges, and opportunities for merit. 
-Some contemplative nuns use veils as a way to reduce distractions. They wear veils to create their own little world where they can pray without something distracting them from just beyond their field of vision. This is not as practical for mothers. 

And a fun bonus:

-If you haven’t gotten a chance to do your hair because you just got a bazillion people ready for church, a hat or scarf or something is a life saver. 

Ascension Thursday

 The feast of the Ascension is celebrated forty days after the Resurrection.  The Ascension took place on the Mount of Olives with the Apostles and many of the Disciples present. Our Lord ascended into Heaven, body and soul, in full glory. 

	Theme	Lessons	Scripture	Craft	Ideas
In Ascensione Domini	The Ascension of Our Lord into Heaven	My Catholic Faith Book: Lesson 37 (pg. 74-75) The Ascension	Mark 16:14-20	The Ascension Pull Craft from the Catholic Playground	Around the Liturgical Year with the Von Trapp Family (pg. 120-122) describes what the Von Trapp Family did in the Novena, or Nine Days, between the Ascension and Pentecost.

The Ascension is remembered in the sixth article of the Apostles' Creed. Christ ascended into heaven to enter into His Glory, to send the Holy Ghost upon His Church, to serve as the intercessor with the Father, and to prepare a place for us in Heaven (My Catholic Faith, pg. 75). After the ascension took place, the first novena, or nine days of prayer, was completed by the Apostles. While waiting for the descent of the Holy Ghost, the apostles prayed.  We can imitate their prayers by living a novena of prayer of study. 

One such novena is discussed in the book, Around the Liturgical Year with the Von Trapp Family, where the family studied the gifts and fruits of the Holy Ghost. The links below will lead you to sections of the Summa or other sources for further study. 

Day 1. Knowledge

Day 2. Understanding

Day 3. Counsel

Day 4. Fortitude 

Day 5. Piety

Day 6. Fear of the Lord

Day 7. Wisdom

Day 8. Love, Peace, Joy (see Gal. 5:22-23)

Day 9. Meditation on the Veni, Sancte Spiritus and the Veni, Creator Spiritus

Impiety and Modern Education

Among our niche traditional Catholic parish, most children are homeschooled either independently or in a co-op. Some families send their children to a private school or a classical charter school. Very few children attend the public school. Education of children is something taken seriously in these circles. Where a child attends school is a topic which dominates the thoughts and conversations for parents as they navigate educating their children well. 

Out of the families, many of the parents were sent to the public school. And, sadly, one or both have reasons from their own school experiences that they do not want to send their own children to public school. That, paired with the news of education as a place of experimentation for concepts such as critical race theory or sexual education without proper parental consent, and parents do not trust public schools. 

The experimentation in school systems is why my parents pulled me from school nearly twenty-five years ago. The school gained consent from my parents to show a puppet show during the red ribbon week specials. What was not disclosed in the permission slip was a presentation on sexual abuse. 

Teachers and schools have children for a good portion of the day and they influence the thoughts and behaviors of children. This hesitation of parents to allow a stranger to influence the mind and heart of their children is not misplaced. We should never simply trust someone. Children are vulnerable and need their parents to protect them from people and situations that could harm them. 

We homeschool our children in order to keep them as innocent as possible for as long as possible. And, to help guide them once they become aware of the greater world around them. We hope to prepare them with the tools so that someday, when they are old enough, they can make moral decisions on their own. 

Some people are surprised, then, that my husband is a public school teacher. The fact that we homeschool. The fact that we live a quiet, conservative life. The fact that I am a stay at home mother. All these things seem strange when paired with my husband teaching public school. Some ask how he can stand working for the liberals with their agendas. Something he says is that his bosses are not educators. They are administrators. And, most of them do not care what he teaches in his classes as long as benchmarks are being met. This is good for him, but not as great on a whole. Other teachers enjoy the same privilege and other teachers may not be as disciplined as my husband. 

Today, I was reading The Liberal Arts Tradition by Kevin Wayne Clark and Ravi Scott Jain. I only just began reading this book, and in the first part I identified the problem with education today that many of our peers have trouble articulating. Modern education is impious. In the book, Clark and Jain define piety broadly to include the rightful orderliness of sentiment, love, and respect for God and man. They define this by means of examples from ancient practices. Piety encapsulated the love and respect for man and culture. 

For the most part, the education system involves attempts at relevance for today's culture. It is not the attempt to provide the torch of tradition. There are some schools and some teachers who still teach history and culture in a way to pass on the torch, sure. But, much of the instruction in our schools today is aimed at being relevant, increasing test scores on a national and international level, and creating students able to enter the workforce. Education in the education is more about skill building than wonder. It is more about relevance than tradition. It is more about exposure than mastery.

Preparing for Lent: Do not look for the devil

Do not look for the devil around every corner and on every doorstep. If you do that, you will find him. Fascination with the devil, either in forms of curiosity or defense, opens oneself up to the influence of the devil.  

Remember, temptation comes from three main sources: the devil, the world, and the flesh. Do not flatter the devil, or yourself for that matter, by thinking that the devil is the sole thorn in your side. 

It is far better, far more efficacious, to live a life rich in merit and full of sanctifying grace than it is to constantly worry about demons and devils.  Too often reactionary Catholics, upon learning that they have practiced superstition of some kind, careen from embracing superstition to attempting to actively fight the devil, without the proper spiritual discernment or preparation. 

Our culture is seeped with images, activities, and superstitions that could open us up to the influence of the devil, the world, and the flesh. How often does a Catholic learn that a practice of theirs, or an entertainment of theirs, could potentially lead one down the wrong path? 

For myself, I learn more about the expectations of Almighty God often. And, I comfort myself in that I cannot be mortally held accountable for the things I did when I did not know. For a sin to be mortal, the sinner must know and will to commit the sin of grave matter. An example from myself, when I was young, I did not know that Yoga could be spiritually dangerous. It was merely a form of relaxation and exercise for me. I took a class at a college campus, and as I was taking the class I began to realize that Yoga was a form of spirituality. Then, I did some research on it. I realized that Yoga could be spiritually dangerous. So, I stopped doing Yoga.  If there was sin when I exercised using Yoga, it was not mortal because I did not know. 

Recently, I saw a post online saying that an unnamed exorcist stated that a company curses its religious products before sending them to customers. Although exorcists are usually unnamed for their protection, I have never heard this claim before. Aside from that, I am not fearful of curses. Living a sacramental life, frequenting the sacraments and Holy Mass, should suffice. If you know for sure something is cursed, then by all means, contact a good and holy priest for advice on what to do. 

Looking for the devil gives the devil power over your thoughts. How often have you listened to a song or watched a movie, then thought about that for days later? Worrying about what the devil might do can subconsciously control your thoughts and fill you with unnecessary anxiety more easily than a catchy song can linger in your mind. 

Do not think that this post is to discount the devil. He exists. He is smarter than us. He is stronger than us. He is openly opposed to all that is good, beautiful, and holy. We should not flirt with the devil. We should not antagonize the devil. We should not draw attention to ourselves. 

We should frequent the sacraments. We should live simple, good lives. We should seek to performs meritorious actions. We should do penance in reparation for sin. We should seek to know, love, and serve Almighty God above all else and in all things. 

Advent Preparations

 Can you believe that it is almost the new year? 

Are you excited for what a new year brings?

There are so many preparations that we make for the holidays and new year. Something that might fall by the wayside is the spiritual preparations for Advent and Christmas. 

This Sunday, November 29th, is the first Sunday of Advent. As such, it is the liturgical new year.  In the Eastern Churches, Advent is known as the time for the Nativity Fast - and Eastern Catholics and Orthodox Christians are already fasting. They begin their fast forty days before Christmas. In the West, we do not have the same emphasis on fasting as preparation today. 

In our secular society, Christmas decorations were on the store shelves before Halloween! The grand debate between many is Christmas music before or after Thanksgiving. Neither! Christmas music should be for the Christmas season. It is time for Advent music. 

It is time for penance and reflection. 

It is time for alms, fasting, and prayer. 

It is a time of preparation where we hear the voice in the wilderness cry: Make strait the way of the Lord. 

Need inspiration?

First, take a look at the Advent Guide for the Extraordinary Thoughts. 

Next, check out the Advent Overview at Fisheaters. 

Then, maybe read Around the Year with the Von Trapp Family.

Finally, listen to Advent music!