Modesty and the 9th Commandment & Envy's Dangers

Published by Published on

 

What is modesty and how does the Ninth Commandment calls us to modesty?

Modesty, a fruit of the Spirit and a witness to chastity, which seeks to conceal that which should remain hidden through decency: the mystery of persons, their love, and their intimate center.[1] Modesty seeks to stifle that which is contrary to chastity and thereby preserves the dignity of self and others.[2] The Ninth Commandment calls us to not only prevent ourselves from being lured by impure desires but also, through love, to be concerned that others neither may be lured. By answering this call, we proclaim the value of another far beyond something to be desired and assert that they are worth the struggle against impure desires.

"You carry your snare everywhere and spread your nets in all places. You allege that you never invited others to sin. You did not indeed, by your words, but you have done so by your dress and your deportment.” Saint John Chrysostom

What is envy? What grave danger does it pose? Describe an example in today’s society. 

Envy is sadness at the goods, success, or qualities of another and an immoderate desire to have those for oneself.[3] Since envy causes desire against another’s good, it “justifies” many evils: murder, theft, etc. By doing so, envy is gravely contrary to love (willing the good of the other as other), and is intrinsically against human flourishing. The term “battle of the sexes” presupposes envy. Men and women are destined for complementarity (seeking to further the good of the other), however this Marxist struggle for “power” or “equality” works to divide men and women.[4] Instead of accomplishing greatness together, men and women are encouraged to make the other lesser, undermining the idea of common good while trying to accomplish it.

"Jealousy has no limit; it is a sin that endures, a sin without end." St. Cyprian of Carthage

FN:

  1. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2nd ed. (Washington, DC: United States Catholic Conference, 2000), 1832, 2521-2.
  2. CCC, 2523-4.
  3. CCC, 2553.
  4. CCC, 2333.
I am a Theology major attending Holy Apostles College and Seminary. I am a Knight of Columbus and a Newman Ambassador for Pius XII Newman Center.

Most Viewed Posts

Psychological Therapies and Catholic Anthropology: A Comparative Analysis

Published by Published on
Image
Psychological therapy often faces stigma, to the point are some people are skeptical about its value or concerned it contradicts their faith. However, therapy is a powerful tool for addressing mental and emotional struggles, offering healing that goes beyond just the mind. While secular therapies, such as Freud's psychoanalysis, Adlerian therapy, and cognitive behavioral therapy, can provide practical solutions, they often do not fully align with the Christian understanding of the human person. Catholic anthropology, which views humanity as a unified being of body, soul, and spirit in relationship with God, provides a more complete framework for healing. Secular therapies may help with emotional pain, but they typically overlook the spiritual and redemptive dimensions of human life. True healing, from a Catholic perspective, involves recognizing both our current struggles and our ultimate destination in communion with God. As Scripture teaches, authentic freedom is intertwined with...
Click Here to Continue Reading This Post

Law & Virtue: Freedom Refined for True Goodness

Published by Published on
Image
The Seven Virtues, Piero and Antonio Pollaiuolo and Botticelli Depicted from left-to-right: Fortitude ~ Temperance ~ Faith ~ Charity ~ Hope ~ Justice ~ Prudence If you have ever observed a significant amount of rhetoric on any contentious issue, then you would have observed an attempt to frame an objective reality subjectively, some ad hominem attacks, and even some conclusions/premises posed without evidence. This comes largely from the cultural inability to either form arguments or a disbelief in objective reality. However, more fundamentally, there is hardly ever a common definition of freedom. What is freedom, and do we have it? True freedom is the aspect of rational man to choose the good (according to the nature of a thing, in that it is some way desirable and that it has its essence in completeness or in that an action contributes or derives from the completeness of an act, thus an act not completely good is evil and it correspond to an imperfection in the actor and lacks being ...
Click Here to Continue Reading This Post

The Deeply Biblical Celebration: Part 1-The Start of Mass

Published by Published on
Image
The Mass is as old as the Eucharist itself. Extending back arguably to the feeding of the thousands, but definitely and sacramentally, to the Last Supper which is intimately united with Our Lord's Passion, Death, and Resurrection. Therefore/Thereby, the Mass is not only Biblical but is a living and perpetual extenuating of the essential/substantial nature of what scripture is and does. The next few posts will discuss not only the significance of the parts of the Mass and the words they use but also their intensely Biblical roots. In this post, let us look specifically at the first parts of the Mass. The Introductory Rites, as we call them, draw us to be one i.e the One Church, but most importantly one with God, and this movement is deeply scriptural. NOTE: the point of posts like this is to give you a guide to enter in Biblically into this mystery not so much to reveal a mystery but point toward it in a way that will allow the reader to be able to intentionally enter into it in a n...
Click Here to Continue Reading This Post