Moment With Betty

The dictionary defines modesty as the quality of not being too proud or confident about yourself or your abilities. Another free dictionary defines modesty as the fruit that moderates our presentation to others and directs us to observe proper behaviour. Simply put, modesty and humility allow us to better understand our limits and it does not draw attention to oneself rather it ensures and supports purity of heart.

 From a spiritual point of view, modesty is a gift that enables us to see God’s plan for personal relationships, sexuality, and marriage.  lt encourages patience and moderation in loving relationships. And, according to Saint Thomas Aquinas,”  modesty is a virtue in which exterior actions, either in deed or in words are observed”. 

Be that as it may, modesty helps us to be prudent and content with what we have to be simple, and most importantly, to live within our means. A modest person thinks properly, considers a lot of parameters and ensures that his/her integrity is not jeopardized in any way before making any decision. For instance, as a modest person, you need to be careful the way you speak to people or in public. You have to guard your behaviour and always remember that you have some limitations and abilities and in the midst of that, you have to recognize that you are not infallible and that you can make mistakes. Don’t be boastful or speak in a way that suggests you are better than others, even if that is the case. Let the people observe how modest you are and applaud you if necessary. Do not be overconfident, it connotes pride. Modest people, do not talk too much, they communicate very less with people and are quite humble in appearance. They are, however, hardworking and dedicated to their work and are self-confident.

Another thing is our choice of dress. We should not allow our dressing to suggest any form of negativity in us.  A modest person will behave well and dress decently. This brings me to the constant fights between mothers and their daughters these days more than ever before when it comes to good dressing. This constant cloth battle between parents and daughters is getting tougher by the day. Today teens want to wear what they consider to be fashionable for them but their parents will disagree. Come to think of it,  these parents were once somebody’s teen and so they know what it is like to feel misunderstood by parents, who would not be happy unless their teens wear what they consider to be decent. As dramatic as it may sound, l am thankful that my parents fought that battle with me and guarded me on the right path. Believe me when l say that in five, ten, or twenty years, time, these daughters of yours will thank you for having fought that fight with them.

 Let’s try to effectively teach our daughters the value of modesty and pray for them daily to imbibe it. Truly speaking,  Modesty has to do with not too much or too little. You can be immodest not just in what you wear but also in what you say and the way you behave and even in what you buy and how much of it you buy. In short, moderation is the key to modesty. Therefore, let me end with a quote by ALESSANDRA which says, ” Look at your interior life, the way you dress, speak, act, etc, and ask yourself, if you were to stand before Our Lord, would you be ashamed or proud of what you have done with the temple He has given you? “