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For 2,000 years, Catholic women have veiled themselves before entering a
church or any time they are in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament (e.g.,
during sick calls). It was written into the
1917 Code of Canon Law, Canon 1262, that women must cover their heads --
"especially when they approach the holy table" ("mulieres autem, capite cooperto
et modeste vestitae, maxime cum ad mensam Dominicam accedunt") -- but
during the Second Vatican Council, Bugnini (the same Freemason who designed
the Novus Ordo Mass) was asked by journalists if women would still have to
cover their heads. His reply, perhaps innocently enough, was that the issue
was not being discussed. The journalists (as journalists are wont to do with
Church teaching) took his answer as a "no," and printed their misinformation
in newspapers all over the world. Since then, most Catholic women in the
"Novus Ordo world" have lost the tradition.
After so many years of women repudiating the veil, the Vatican (as the
post-conciliar Vatican is wont to do), not wanting to be confrontational
or upset radical feminists, simply pretended the issue didn't exist. When
the 1983 Code of Canon Law was produced, veiling was simply not mentioned
(not abrogated, mind you, but simply not mentioned). However, Canons 20-21
of the 1983 Code of Canon Law make clear that later Canon Law abrogates earlier
Canon Law only when this is made explicit and that, in cases of doubt,
the revocation of earlier law is not to be presumed; quite the opposite:
Canon 20 A later
law abrogates or derogates from an earlier law, if it expressly so states,
or if it is directly contrary to that law, or if it integrally reorders the
whole subject matter of the earlier law. A universal law, however, does not
derogate from a particular or from a special law, unless the law expressly
provides otherwise.
Canon 21 In doubt, the revocation of a previous law is not presumed;
rather, later laws are to be related to earlier ones and, as far as possible,
harmonized with them.
Canons 27 and 28
add to the argument:
Canon 27 Custom
is the best interpreter of laws.
Canon 28 Without prejudice to the provisions of can. 5, a custom, whether
contrary to or apart from the law, is revoked by a contrary custom or law.
But unless the law makes express mention of them, it does not revoke
centennial or immemorial customs, nor does a universal law revoke particular
customs.
Hence, according
to Canon Law and immemorial custom, women are still to veil themselves.
Christian veiling is a very serious matter, and not one that "just" concerns
Canon Law, but also two millennia of Church Tradition -- which extends back
to Old Testament tradition and to New Testament admonitions. St. Paul wrote.
1 Corinthians 11:1-17:
Be ye followers of me, as I also am of Christ. Now I praise you, brethren,
that in all things you are mindful of me and keep my ordinances as I have
delivered them to you. But I would have you know that the head of every man
is Christ: and the head of the woman is the man: and the head of Christ is
God. Every man praying or prophesying with his head covered disgraceth his
head. But every woman praying or prophesying with her head not covered disgraceth
her head: for it is all one as if she were shaven. For if a woman be not
covered, let her be shorn. But if it be a shame to a woman to be shorn or
made bald, let her cover her head. The man indeed ought not to cover his
head: because he is the image and glory of God. But the woman is the glory
of the man. For the man is not of the woman: but the woman of the man [c.f.
Genesis 2-3]. For the man was not created for the woman: but the woman for
the man. Therefore ought the woman to have a power over her head, because
of the angels. But yet neither is the man without the woman, nor the woman
without the man, in the Lord. For as the woman is of the man, so also is
the man by the woman: but all things of God. You yourselves judge. Doth it
become a woman to pray unto God uncovered? Doth not even nature itself teach
you that a man indeed, if he nourish his hair, it is a shame unto him? But
if a woman nourish her hair, it is a glory to her; for her hair is given
to her for a covering. But if any man seem to be contentious, we have no
such custom, nor the Church of God [i.e., if anyone want to complain about
this, we have no other way of doing things, this is our practice; all the
churches believe the same way]. Now this I ordain: not praising you, that
you come together, not for the better, but for the worse.
According to St.
Paul, we women veil ourselves as a sign that His glory, not ours, should
be the focus at worship, and as a sign of our submission to authority. It
is an outward sign of our recognizing headship, both of God and our husbands
(or fathers, as the case may be), and a sign of our respecting the presence
of the Holy Angels at the Divine Liturgy. In veiling, we reflect the divine
invisible order and make it visible. This St. Paul presents clearly as an
ordinance, one that is the practice of all the churches.
Some women, influenced by the thoughts of "Christian" feminists, believe
that St. Paul was speaking as a man of his time, and that this ordinance
no longer applies. They use the same arguments that homosexualists make in
trying to prove their case. In this quote, homosexualist Rollan McCleary,
who believes that Jesus was "gay," tries to show that Paul's admonitions
against homosexuality were culturally conditioned:
In the New Testament,
the Apostle Paul writes about "men, leaving the natural use of the woman,
burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful,
and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due" (Romans
1:27).
Asked about these texts, McCleary said references in the Scriptures to
homosexuality were misunderstood or taken out of context.
"In those days they didn't have kind of concept of homosexuality as an identity
such as we have it," he argued. "It has much more to do with other factors
in society ... homosexuality was associated with idolatrous practices."
In the case of Paul's writings, he continued, "does everybody agree with
St. Paul on slavery [or] on women wearing hats? There is such a thing as
historical context."
Of course we Catholics
agree with St. Paul on slavery (St. Paul wasn't talking about chattel slavery,
by the way), and on veiling, and on everything else! Please! But the liberal
above makes a point: if Christians want to reject veiling, why not reject
the other things St. Paul has to say? The traditional Catholic woman has
the snappy comeback to the defiant homosexualist: "we do veil ourselves
and don't disagree with St. Paul!" But what leg do the uncovered women
have to stand on? And what other Scriptural admonitions can they disregard
on a whim -- or because of following the bad example of a generation of foolish
or misled Catholic women who disregarded them?
Now, I ask my readers to re-read the Biblical passage about veiling and note
well that St. Paul was never intimidated about breaking unnecessary
taboos. It was he who emphasized over and over again that circumcision and
the entire Mosaic Law were not necessary -- and this as he was speaking
to Hebrew Christians! No, the tradition and ordinance of veiling is not a
matter of Paul being influenced by his culture; it is a symbol that is as
relevant as the priest's cassock and the nun's habit.
Note, too, that Paul is in no way being "misogynist" here. He assures us
that, while woman is made for the glory of the man even as man is made for
the glory of God, "yet neither is the man without the woman, nor the woman
without the man, in the Lord. For as the woman is of the man, so also
is the man by the woman: but all things of God." Men need women, women
need men. But we have different roles, each equal in dignity -- and all for
the glory of God (and, of course, we are to treat each other absolutely equally
in the order of charity!).The veil is a sign of our recognizing these differences
in roles.
The veil, too, is a sign of modesty and chastity.
In Old Testament times, uncovering a woman's head was seen as a way to humiliate
a woman or to punish adultresses and those women who transgressed the Law
(e.g.., Numbers 5:12-18, Isaias 3:16-17, Song of Solomon 5:7). A Hebrew woman
wouldn't have dreamed of entering the Temple (or later, the synagogue) without
covering her head. This practice is simply carried on by the Church (as it
is also by Orthodox Christians and even by "Orthodox" women of the post-Temple
Jewish religion today).
That which is Veiled is a Holy Vessel
Note what Paul
says, "But if a woman nourish her hair, it is a glory to her; for her hair
is given to her for a covering." We don't veil ourselves because of some
"primordial" sense of femine shame; we are covering our glory so that
He may be glorified instead. We cover ourselves because we are holy
-- and because feminine beauty is incredibly powerful. If you don't believe
me, consider how the image of "woman" is used to sell everything from shampoo
to used cars. We women need to understand the power of the feminine
and act accordingly by following the rules of modest attire, including the
use of the veil.
By surrendering our glory to the headship of our husbands and to God, we
surrender to them in the same way that the Blessed Virgin surrendered herself
to the Holy Ghost ("Be it done to me according to Thy will!"); the veil is
a sign as powerful -- and beautiful -- as when a man bends on one knee to
ask his girl to marry him.
Now, think of what else was veiled in the Old Testament -- the Holy of Holies!
Hebrews 9:1-8
The former [Old Covenant] indeed had also justifications of divine service
and a sanctuary. For there was a tabernacle made the first, wherein were
the candlesticks and the table and the setting forth of loaves, which is
called the Holy. And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called
the Holy of Holies: Having a golden censer and the ark of the testament
covered about on every part with gold, in which was a golden pot that had
manna and the rod of Aaron that had blossomed and the tables of the testament.
And over it were the cherubims of glory overshadowing the propitiatory: of
which it is not needful to speak now particularly. Now these things being
thus ordered, into the first tabernacle, the priests indeed always entered,
accomplishing the offices of sacrifices. But into the second, the high
priest alone, once a year: not without blood, which he offereth for his
own and the people's ignorance: The Holy Ghost signifying this: That the
way into the Holies was not yet made manifest, whilst the former tabernacle
was yet standing.
 ...The
Ark of the Old Covenant was kept in the veiled Holy of Holies. And
at Mass, what is kept veiled until the Offertory? The Chalice -- the
vessel that holds the Precious Blood! And, between Masses, what is
veiled? The Ciborium in the Tabernacle, the vessel which holds the
very Body of Christ. These vessels of life are veiled because they are
holy!
And who is veiled? Who is the All Holy, the Ark of the New Covenant,
the Vessel of the True Life? Our Lady -- and by wearing the veil, we imitate
her and affirm ourselves as women, as vessels of life.
This one superficially small act is:
-
so rich with
symbolism: of submission to authority; of surrender to God; of the imitation
of Our Lady as a woman who uttered her "fiat!"; of covering our glory for
His glory; of modesty; of chastity, of our being vessels of life like the
Chalice, the Ciborium and, most especially, Our Lady;
-
an Apostolic ordinance
-- with roots deep in the Old Testament -- and, therefore, a matter of intrinsic
Tradition;
-
the way Catholic
women have worshipped for two millennia (i.e., even if it weren't a matter
of Sacred Tradition in the intrinsic sense, it is, at the least, a matter
of ecclesiastical tradition, which also must be upheld). It is our heritage,
a part of Catholic culture;
-
pragmatic: it leaves
one free to worry less about "bad hair days";
-
and for the rebels
out there, it is counter-cultural nowadays, you must admit!
The question I'd
like answered is, "Why would any Catholic woman not want to veil herself?"
Veiling Options for Women and Girls
There are various
options here for women:
-
the classic Catholic
lace mantillas
-
lace chapel caps
(this is for young girls)
-
oblong gauzy or
cotton scarves worn over the head and over one or both shoulders, or tied
in various ways (see
this page
for information on various ways of tying scarf-type headcoverings (offsite,
will open in new browser window)
-
standard-sized
square chiffon or cotton scarves folded into a triangle and worn tied under
the chin in the Jackie-O style or tied behind the head in the peasant style,
etc.
-
large square scarves
worn "babushka" style (fold large 36" square scarf into a triangle and place
over head with the "tail" side hanging down in back. Then turn back the pointy
ends behind the head and tie into a bow or make a knot over the "tail")
-
shawls worn over
the head
-
elegant but simple
hats (cloches, toques, berets, "Lady Diana" hats, etc.)
Traditionally,
single women wear white or ivory headcoverings, and married or widowed women
wear black, but this isn't a hard and fast rule, and is often ignored.
Finding or Making Head Coverings
Places to buy
headcoverings (links will open in new browser window):
You can also buy
very inexpensive -- less than $4.00 each -- undyed 11X60 rayon scarves to
dye any color here:
Undyed
Scarves (will open in new browser window). For dyeing, I used plain old
RIT Dye. Be sure to wash separately; colors can bleed! Idea: embroider edges
(all the way around, or just the short edges) for something unique to you.
It might be a good idea to have an extra head covering or two for women guests
who might accompany you to the "Tridentine" Mass but who are new to Tradition
(men should remember this, too, if they invite a woman to Mass. It could
be embarrassing for her if she is the only one who is not veiled, and there
is the chance that at some chapels or parishes, she could be refused the
Eucharist. The safest bets, I am guessing, are the longer lacy veils or oblong
scarves; a lot of women I know believe they look silly in the shorter veils
or caps. And, hey, don't forget to tell her how beautiful she looks
<wink>!).
It's always a good idea, too, to keep a veil or scarf in your purse and/or
glovebox so that you can run into a church any time for prayer.
Sisters, veil yourselves, even if you are visiting a Novus Ordo parish and
are the only woman to do so. Be true to Tradition, to Scripture, to your
own desire to submit to God. Be not afraid... And lovingly encourage other
women to do the same, teaching them what veiling means.
I've asked Catholics, both male and female, from various Catholic e-mail
lists I am on what they think of veiling. Want to
read their thoughts?
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