Dear Parishioners:

You and I will never understand the entire nature of the mystery of the Trinity. We can never comprehend the truth of three persons who are in total unity. One God, one nature, but three persons.

We are made, body and soul, in the image and likeness of God. We are made to be persons in relationship, in imitation of the Holy Trinity. God wills that we express our unique personhood through our bodies and souls. We are not an either/or, but a both/and.

We are not made to be isolated individuals, to be in a me and Jesus mode. Rather, we are made to be in communion (relationship) with others all the time. What we say, think, do, etc. should be undertaken with others in mind. "But am I not my own man, woman?" Absolutely not! "None of us lives for oneself, and no one dies for oneself. For if we live, we live for the Lord, and if we die, we die for the Lord; so then, whether we live or die, we are the Lord's" (Rom. 14:7-8). Catholic theology and spirituality has never invoked the idea of the rugged individual. We embrace the concept of the common good.

One particular area of this is somewhat forgotten, especially in summertime. Modesty is a true virtue. It is a virtue that rises out of a broader gift of prudence. Modesty deals with speech and dress. There is a desire from God that each of us be aware of how our dress and speech affects others.

It is difficult in these modern times to remember this. Advertising usually tells us to be sexy, alluring, desirable, etc. Hence, we see skimpier and skimpier clothing for our bodies. Less seems to be better. Bathing suits, sun dresses, and other such items often are designed to make people look like sex objects.

How we dress our bodies says something about what we think of God. It behooves each person to ask oneself, *"How will this affect my boyfriend or girlfriend?" * "What am I trying to say with this outfit?" * "Does this reflect an image of God in me?" *

I ask every parent to take a careful look at your sons and daughters and insure that they are dressing modestly for it shows a respect for others. When they leave the house with underwear showing and parts of their bodies hanging out for all to gawk at, they send a message about themselves, about their self-image, about their self-respect. We send messages about our values by how we dress and speak.

This issue seems old fashioned and maybe even antiquated, but it is important. We see a decline in our standards and respect for others. I believe that this often begins with a disrespect for oneself. We lower our own standards or are afraid to let God be first in our decisions. I have seen young people wear "What Would Jesus Do?" bracelets while sporting tight, sexy clothing which can be an occasion of sin for others. The two do not go together.

On this feast of community, of Three Who are One, let us take on the trinitarian attitude of looking out for the other * of true respect for self and others * of respect for our bodies and their affect on others * of our speech and how it can hinder or help others * of seeing our bodies as Temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor:6:19) * of being made in the image and likeness of a communion of persons.