I recently became very interested in the practice of wearing veils during worship, particularly when in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament. I embarked on a quest to discover all that I could about chapel veils. I want to start out by giving a brief overview of the history of veiling in the Catholic Church, and then offer my own opinion on the subject.
The history of the veil begins in St. Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians. Paul describes his writing as the Lord’s commandments (1 Cor. 14:37). One of these commandments, the commandment to wear the veil, can be found in 1 Cor. 11:1-16:
3But 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. 4Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonoureth his head. 5But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven. 6For if the woman be not covered, let her also be shorn: but if it be a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered. 7For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man. 8For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man. 9Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man. 10For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the angels. 11Nevertheless neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord. 12For as the woman is of the man, even so is the man also by the woman; but all things of god. 13Judge in yourselves: is it comely that a woman pray unto God uncovered? 14Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him? 15But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering.
Ouch. This passage has no place in our modern conception of the role of women. It is diametrically opposed to modern feminist ideology and as such the passage makes many deeply uncomfortable. We read it and immediately rebel against it; it is at variance with everything we have been taught about woman’s relationship to man. Yet if we are to take Scripture seriously, we cannot ignore it, nor can we simply explain it away.
To accept Paul’s premise is not to accept unbridled oppression of women at the hands of men. Rather, we are accepting a divine hierarchy that was instituted by God for the benefit of all. Paul seems to anticipate that his words could be misconstrued and applied in a way that is damaging to women and attempts to guard against this possibility. He says, “Neither is the man without the women, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord. For as the woman is of the man, even so is the man also by the woman, but all things of God.” Thus men need women just as much as women need men, and men also have responsibilities toward women. In marriage, the husband has authority over his wife, but also duty to her and to their children. Paul’s command is not an argument for the subjugation of women, but for the proper order of all things.
The common arguments for wearing a veil are five, and all can be found in St. Paul’s passage. These five are: 1. The Lord commanded it; 2. It is a visible sign of the invisible order established by God; 3. Angel’s at Mass are offended if the veil is not worn; 4. It is a ceremonial vestmen; 5. It is our heritage.
It is in the modern history of the Church that the question of veiling begins to become interesting and, ultimately, controversial. The practice of veiling was officially incorporated into Canon Law in the 1917 Code of Canon Law. Canon 1262, § 2 says, “Men should attend Mass, either in church or outside church, with bare heads, unless approved local custom or special circumstances suggest otherwise; women, however, should have their heads veiled and should be modestly dressed, especially when they approach the table of the Lord.”
It is common belief that the Second Vatican Council abolished the requirement of veiling. This, however, is far from accurate. It was not until 1983, nearly 20 years after Vatican II, that the new Code of Canon Law was promulgated. The new Code neither prescribed nor proscribed the practice of veiling; in fact, it made no mention of the practice. The question, then, is whether the new Code nullifies and replaces the old Code or not. Even if the new Code makes null and void all previous laws of the Church, it cannot nullify the commands of Holy Scripture. Thus, Paul’s command remains whether it is contained in formal Church law or not.
The belief that Vatican II explicitly denied the necessity of veiling, which even the Code of 1983 did not do, is not entirely unfounded. Jackie Freppon relates the story of how the confusion began in his article, “The Unveiled Woman.” "During the second Vatican Council," Freppon writes, "a mob of reporters waited for news after a council meeting. One of them asked Msgr. Annibale Bugnini, then secretary of the Vatican Congregation for Divine Worship, if women still had to wear a headcover in the churches. His response was that the Bishops were considering other issues, and that women’s veils were not on the agenda. The next day, the international press announced throughout the world that women did not have to wear the veil anymore. A few days later, Msgr. Bugnini told the press he was misquoted and women must still had to wear the veil. But the Press did not retract the error, and many women stopped wearing the veil as out of confusion and because of pressure from feminist groups."
The “pressure from feminist groups” that Freppon refers to is no doubt contained in a 1968 pamphlet distributed by the National Organization of Women (NOW):
Because the wearing of a head covering by women at religious services is a symbol of subjection within many churches, NOW recommends that all chapters undertake an effort to have all women participate in a ‘national unveiling’ by sending their head coverings to the task force chairman. At the Spring meeting
of the task force of women and religion, these veils will be publicly burned to protest the second class status of women in all churches. (Dec. 1968)
If this isn’t a blow at religious freedom and willful dissimulation, I don’t know what it. As troubling as the practice of veiling may be to some women, no command of Holy Scripture, no matter how insignificant we perceive it to be, ought to be neglected, especially when to follow it takes as little effort as donning a head covering.
I myself have recently begun to wear a veil to Tridentine masses on my campus. I wear the veil to the traditional Tridentine mass because I know my choice will be accepted and not cause any controversy. I do not yet wear the veil to Novus Ordo masses. I fear that my choice to wear the veil will spark misunderstanding and possible aversion in my fellow students. May God grant me the courage to obey His commands more fully.
Resources:
General explanation: http://web2.iadfw.net/~carlsch/MaterDei/Library/the_veil.htm
Exegesis: http://www.ovc.edu/terry/articles/headcovr.htm
Purchase veils: http://modestyveils.com/
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