Nothing
reflects the good or bad qualities of the soul more than modesty.
Compare Padre Pio's teaching shown below, to St. Paul's description
of the behavior of persons in the last days, and discern where we are
in salvation history.
The Apostle Paul warns:
“Know also this, that, in the last days, shall come dangerous
times. Men shall be lovers of themselves, covetous, haughty, proud,
blasphemers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, wicked, without
affection, without peace, slanderers, incontinent, unmerciful,
without kindness, traitors, stubborn, puffed up, and lovers of
pleasures more than of God: having an appearance indeed of godliness,
but denying the power thereof. Now these avoid.” [2 Tim. 3:1-5.]
Did someone say “selfie?”
From a letter of Padre Pio to one of his spiritual daughters:
Once
you leave church, be as every follower of the Nazarene should be.
Above all, be extremely modest in everything, as this is the virtue
which, more than any other, reveals the affections of the heart.
Nothing represents an object more faithfully or clearly than a
mirror. In the same way, nothing more widely represents the
good or bad qualities of a soul than the greater or lesser regulation
of the exterior, as when one appears more or less modest. You
must be modest in speech, modest in laughter, modest in your bearing,
modest in walking. All this must be practiced, not out of
vanity in order to display one's self, nor out of hypocrisy in order
to appear to be good to the eyes of others, but rather, for the
internal virtue of modesty, which regulates the external workings of
the body.
Therefore, be humble of heart,
circumspect in words, prudent in your resolutions. Always be
sparing in your speech, assiduous in good reading, attentive in your
work, modest in your conversation. Don't be disgusting to
anybody but be benevolent towards all and respectful towards your
elders. May any sinister glance be far from you, may no
daring word escape your lips, may you never carry out any immodest or
somewhat free action; never a rather free action or a petulant tone
of voice.
In short let your whole exterior be
a vivid image of the composure of your soul.
Always keep the modesty of the
divine Master before your eyes, as an example; this Master who,
according to the words of the Apostle to the Corinthians, placing the
modesty of Jesus Christ on an equal footing with meekness, which was
his one particular virtue and almost his characteristic: "Now
I Paul myself beseech you, by the mildness and modesty of Christ"
[2 Cor. 10:1], and according to such a perfect model reform all your
external operations, which should be faithful reflections revealing
the affections of your interior.
Never forget this divine model.
Try to see a certain lovable majesty in his presence, a certain
pleasant authority in his manner of speaking, a certain pleasant
dignity in walking, in contemplating, speaking, conversing; a certain
sweet serenity of face. Imagine that extremely composed and
sweet expression with which he drew the crowds, making them leave
cities and castles, leading them to the mountains, the forests, to
the solitude and deserted beaches of the sea, totally forgetting
food, drink and their domestic duties.
Thus let us try to imitate,
as far as we possibly can, such modest and dignified actions.
And let us do our utmost to be, as far as possible, similar to him on
this earth, in order that we might be more perfect and more similar
to him for the whole of eternity in the heavenly Jerusalem.
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