are women – like some of the friends you mentioned – who think that modesty is essentially an internal attitude that does not necessarily determine how one actually dresses. Both these attitudes are off the mark, for while it is true that one can be modestly dressed without having the virtue of modesty, it is not possible to have that virtue if one dresses immodestly, for as I explained in my earlier letter, the body influences the soul and makes manifest its intentions. It is essential to understand that for the Christian, modesty is a natural virtue which can be elevated by grace to the supernatural realm and lead to the heights of sanctity. As one practices this virtue, one becomes more virtuous, and sanctifying grace increases in the soul. So we can already see here that it is not just a matter of having modesty or not, but rather of growing in modesty, of becoming more modest. In addition to the virtues, the soul in the state of grace also has the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit, which allow us to be more docile in following prompts or inspirations we may have in trying to grow in supernatural virtue. Unlike the virtues that we can practice ourselves at any moment, the Gifts allow us to be moved directly by the Holy Spirit when He chooses. If we compare the virtues to a row boat in which the effort to move forward is provided by the rower, the Gifts are more like sails that the Holy Spirit can move at any time, pushing us forward to our destination much quicker, much more effectively, with greater ease and less effort. Therefore, the more an individual is faithful to the promptings and inspirations of the Holy Spirit, the more the Gifts of the Holy Spirit are manifest in them, and a more rapid growth in virtue occurs. As the Gifts lead to more good actions because the soul is more docile to grace, they ultimately produce what we call the Fruits of the Holy Spirit. These Fruits are in effect the sign of consistent fidelity to the Holy Spirit’s inspirations. And this is where we meet once again the idea of modesty, now as one of the mature fruits of living in harmony with divine grace. The fruit of the Spirit is, charity, joy, peace, patience, benignity, goodness, longanimity, mildness, faith, modesty, continency, chastity (Gal 5:22-23). What this means is that, the more we progress in love of God and attentiveness to His grace in our souls, the more the Holy Spirit in Person moves us to perform even greater acts of virtue that will eventually produce some delicious fruit that will be a joy for God and for the world. In your own case, as demonstrated by your initial letter, it is evident that 37
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