Dressing - Are We being too Fashionable

Praised be Jesus Christ! Dear Brothers and Sisters, Something interesting here, from the Vicar of Christ: Imprimatur dated Sept. 24, 1956 "A dress cannot be called decent which is cut deeper than two fingers breadth under the pit of the throat; which does not cover the arms at least to the elbows; and scarcely reaches a bit beyond the knees.  Furthermore, dresses of transparent materials are improper." (The Cardinal Vicar of  Pius XII) ( This is the same Pope who solemnly defined the dogma of the Assumption of Blessed Virgin Mary in 1950 - that is, She was taken into heaven, both body and soul after Her earthly life. ) Boy! that sounds too "middle agey, doesn't it? Nope, this is from the 20th century, not more than 60 years ago. That's Rome, the so called "modern" western culture - more about that in the later paragraphs of this email. Also, Our Lady of Fatima to Blessed Jacinta Marto in 1917: the sins which bring most souls to hell are the sins of the flesh.  Certain fashions are going to be introduced which will offend Our Lord very much... the Church has no fashions; Our Lord is always the same..." And our own Bl.Mariam Thresia from Kerala, had been so tormented by visions of obscene images, and her constant cry was, "Jesus, Mary and Joseph, I love you, save souls". She was probably foreseeing the explosion of obscenity to come in the mass media, many decades later. No, the Scriptures or the Church's teachings have not been changed since the Vatican II. Let us refer to the articles 2521-2523 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, promulgated by Pope John Paul II in the 1990s,  http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P8R.HTM 2521... Modesty means refusing to unveil what should remain hidden.  It is ordered to chastity to whose sensitivity it bears witness.  It guides how one looks at others and behaves toward them in conformity with the dignity of persons and their solidarity. 2522....  Modesty is decency.  It inspires ones choice of clothing.  It keeps silence or reserve where there is evident risk of unhealthy curiosity.  It is descreet. (italics CM) 2523. There is a modesty of the feelings as well as of the body.... Modesty inspires a way of life which makes it possible to resist the allurements of fashion and the pressures of prevailing ideologies. As a priest has explained to me, although we are all born in original sin, our fallen human nature is manifested differently on man and woman. Men are tempted more by the eyes. That is precisely why Our LORD in the Gospel mentions "looking at a woman lustfully". This is also why there are more male saints in the Church who are heroic examples and advocates of chastity and modesty of their eyes. Women don't usually understand this so easily, as their temptations are different. So, they are not to be blamed just like that. It can very well be that a woman can be very devout and saintly, but dressing immodestly because she is forced to be part of the culture. So, the husbands and fathers have a great responsibility in their families, in this regard - to instruct their wives, and daughters. Brothers can be of help to their sisters. But unfortunately in today's culture of radical feminism, women wan't to be totally free, even to the point of ignoring such basic principles of morality. Radical feminism is a poison from the devil, who first poisoned Eve in the garden. The western culture as we see today has nothing to do with the authentic western civilization organically developed in the course of many centuries, thanks to Christianity. It has undergone a rapid profanation especially in the 1960's - and has turned out to be a culture of death(Pope John Paul II) which is lacking Love (Pope Benedict XVI). Let us pray for the Holy Spirit, to renew the face of the earth. LORD Jesus Christ, Son of the Father, send now your spirit upon the earth. Let the Holy Spirit live in the hearts of all nations that they may be preserved from degeneration, disaster and war. May the Lady of All Nations, who once was Mary, be our Advocate. Amen. I hope this website would be helpful: http://www.catholicmodesty.com/ Love, In the Hearts of Jesus and Mary, Alex Joseph