However, all of these concerns dissipated with the student’s opening definition. “Modesty,” began the 19-year-old orator, “is just another word for humility.” All the examples that followed concentrated solely on not bragging, even when accolades are well-deserved. “A star athlete should never hog center stage but modestly share the spotlight and the trophy by declaring that winning is the result of the entire team’s effort.”
While humility is certainly one understanding of the word modesty, the Catechism of the Catholic Church expands our appreciation of this virtue by attaching three other associations to it. These are purity, word choice, and education.
Modesty is related to purity by “protecting against voyeuristic explorations of the human body” and inspiring decency in the type of clothing we choose to wear (CCC 2523). The summer month of August underscores this aspect of the virtue when it comes to swimsuits. “Custody of the eyes” as St. Francis of Assisi encouraged, is next to impossible for men to practice when certain swimsuits leave little to the imagination. Nevertheless, as Catholics, we know that true respect for other people only happens when we hold ourselves responsible for what we look at, whether we’re on a salty ocean shore or a peppery internet site.
Modesty also relates to the words we choose. Being vulgar for the sake of a laugh is neither good humor nor intelligent entertainment. Some of the best comedians can have an audience howling without ever uttering a nasty, four-letter word. Since this virtue stems from a pure heart it “avoids entertainment inclined to voyeurism and illusion” (CCC 2525).
Finally, modesty is paramount in the classroom. What educators impart in the name of health and wellness should never be a violation of “the intimate center of the human person” (CCC 2521). Parents, as the rite of baptism proclaims, are the first teachers of their children. If our future generations are to grow in strength, wisdom, and grace, there must be congruity between the moral lessons learned at home and the social material learned in school.
Holy Homework:
For the month of August, let’s place a seashell as the centerpiece of our dining room table or tape a coastline picture on the door of the fridge to remind us of the virtue of modesty at the beach, and in our speech, and what we teach.
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