Jul 14, 2006

Bishop Yanta's new pastoral on Modesty

Be sure to visit the Website of the Diocese of Amarillo (click on this post's title) to see Bishop John Yanta's new pastoral letter, "Modesty Starts with Purification of the Heart." The bishop issued this pastoral on June 18, the Feast of Corpus Christi.

Bishop Yanta fills his pastoral with insights and quotes from Catholic teaching and Scripture, as well as with practical counsel. It is a keeper and it deserves wide forwarding by all of us.

3 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Wow, I read Bishop Yanta's pastoral. It was straight forward and not accusatory. Not that I'd mind the letter being accusatory because sometimes we need a swift kick to wake us up from our spiritual slumber. However, some congregants have been brainwashed by the ideal that Jesus doesn't care how you're dressed what matters what's in your heart. In essence they're right. But this pastoral doesn't deal with how Jesus would react to our clothing per se. But, this attitude is very selfish because it absolves one from personal responsibility in causing others to sin.

Bishop Yanta is correct when he points out that we are responsible if by our manner of dress, we cause others occasion to sin.
The more obvious transgresors are women wearing clothing that leaves little to the imagination [In my own parrish, at the moment, decollatage exposed to varying degrees, and strapless tops and dresses. These women remind me of what Pope Pope John XXIII, while still a Cardinal, said when a woman with an ample bossom had a big cross dangling in between, approached him," Quelle Golgotha!"-"What a Calvary!" I frankly don't find this shocking at all. A priest is a man who is a eunuch for the Kingdom {Matt 19:12} yes, but he still sees and feels and we should respect that . . ."There but for the grace of God go I" ].

But there are other types of dress that although modest have messages or slogans that may take attention away from full participation in the Holy Eucharist.

Unfortunately, the priests are afraid to say anything. They're afraid of being accused of looking "inappropriately" at the female parrishoners and scaring away the young with "too many strictures."


I thank God for fearless shepherds who lovingly, but firmly, reprove and guide us to holiness. Shepherds like Yanta, Arzinde, Chaput, Bruskewitz, et. al.

Lord, please, more Shepherds like these.
Lord Hear our prayer!!!

10:50 PM  
Blogger Quintero said...

Dear MVH,

Thank you for seconding the motion about Bishop Yanta's pastoral letter. We all need to examine our conscience and take stock of ourselves and think how we might be affecting others. And bravo for the good priests and bishops who help us right our course.

9:13 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

The Good Bishop from Texas is Right On!
But I note in other blogs that he also reffled some feathers...too bad.

11:17 PM  

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