Post-Lenten Reflection 2009

I decided for Lent in 2009 to not talk about my fast here on blogger until after celebrating Easter. I decided this mostly because posting what ones fast is at the beginning of lent doesn't leave much to say. It is a post that says "I am fasting from this. THE END." Now that we are celebrating Eastertide,I think it is due time for me to discuss my Lenten happenings.

This Lent I gave up pants with the exception of pajama pants in the privacy of my own home. Now, giving up pants may seem like a strange sacrifice, but in the past year and a half I have come to the realization that modesty is a necessary part of a Catholic woman's life;pants are not meant to be women's clothing and when worn by women, they are not modest. Despite having attempted to be pants free for almost a year, I have run into my own human nature on several occasions. I often found myself wearing pants because they were more comfortable or better protection from the cold. I kept coming up with excuses as to why I was wearing pants instead of choosing modesty and feminity. As Ash Wednesday rolled in the Lenten season this year, I was in a pants wearing slump choosing them over modest skirts and dresses most days of the week. God would understand me wearing immodest clothing and being an occasion of sin for others so I wouldn't be so cold waiting for my bus in the morning--that was my rationalization for my sin. Wearing modest clothing as my Lenten sacrifice this year was an obvious choice as I found myself constantly making excuses for my immodesty.

Do I think it was a worthwhile sacrifice? Yes. Not wearing pants was an incredibly difficult choice for me in a harsh New England winter, but each morning as I pulled on my skirt, I felt as though God's call for women to return to feminity in a culture rattled by "feminists" telling us to objectify ourselves before men get the chance became ever clearer. Cold mornings were not easy, but they were a lesson in how following God's will is not always easy. In this case it meant physical discomfort and often pain as having cold legs causes shooting pains in from my ankles up to my shoulders. This pain often led me to long for the warmth and comfort of pants.

This Lent led me on a journey to be pants-free from now on. To anyone reading this who feels led to dig deeper into what it means to dress modestly, I highly recommend Colleen Hammond's book Dressing With Dignity. This book has had a profound impact on my life. May it help you on your path to a more modest existence.