THIS WAS VANITY OR NO?
Saw a video of a woman who was “singing a praise song” aloud with twirling inside St Peter’s Basilica, in the Vatican.
She was dressed as a singer (fancy). That song – 100% protestant made. I know of the singers. And the message was 100% about Jesus.
She was waving her hands as she sang. People just stopped, exited or looked.
2-3 security guards courteously asked her to stop singing as “This is a Silent place”.
Yes, nobody was talking there.
They were just looking around – photo etc..
She was gently escorted but still she kept singing – on the way out of the doors.
Caption said “This is main character syndrome.”
It also said “Catholics are about obedience…”
What do YOU think about that incident?
a) She should have the right to sing anywhere she wants
b) How dare they stop her from singing about Jesus…?
But what was it really about?
THE CAPTION WAS LIKELY CORRECT
This is main character syndrome.
The woman maybe thought herself as “today’s star of St Peter’s” – that her offering “should be respected”…as it’s offered to God. Or most likely “Jesus is not here, so I’m here to bring Jesus back”. That was the lyric of the song.
She was dressed to get attention.
Singing loudly in a place meant for reflection.
WHAT WAS THE PROBLEM?
Lack of Decorum. This is virtue (yes, hindi lang patience ang virtue) – where you know you don’t dress for parties when going to mass “nice hat, now remove it”.
Redditors call is disrespectful.
Also you don’t yawn loud when you’re in a TED talk audience.
And giving respect to the owners of the place and their dress, behavior rules -specially churches.
St Peters have tons of signs asking for silence, so…she ignored those on purpose, for “content”.
KIDS THESE DAYS
Tons of people do not teach decorum to their children.
This is why we have revealing clothes in weddings. And adult men and women wearing shortest shorts during mass.
WHAT ELSE WAS ON DISPLAY?
- Pride. The caption’s main message seems to be spot on. The idea I get is “this is my gig – allow me to do it here.”
Another pride is she may have wanted the attention. She could have gone to a public isolated spot in Rome and filmed her singing there. Better yet, no filming! After all its for God. But she may need people to see her – as the “star”. Who is this singing really for? - Immodesty or Lack of Temperance.
When we went to Cambodia & Thailand, they would only let you in their temples if you wore long pants AND covered your sleeves with a shawl (women). This was a tourist place with forgotten buddhas.
What she wore…. you judge if you find the video…
I mean they will not let her in the empty Cambodian temples.
The idea of “I don’t want some old man in Rome to tell me what to wear.” is 98.67% pride (main character syndrome).
Immodesty (how as much flesh as I want + bad speech) is a very public and popular sin today.
All the above can be found in Thomas Aquinas’ Summa Theologica. ”Modesty is approaching God and holy things with seriousness, reverence, and fitting discretion.”
So I didn’t make anything up.
There was a 2nd immodesty here, her insistence of disrespecting the church’s rules that “this is a quiet meditative place.”
Modesty is not just in dress and decor, it’s also in behavior.
Aquinas also says, your motives may be innocent and pure — thus the outside “sing loudly inside St Peters” – may not reflect the inside motives. They have to match. - No humility. Security guards in St Peter’s have the authority in there. She should have just complied. But she displayed defiance – inside a holy place -singing as she exited.
The guard even said “You have a beautiful voice. Sing outside is okay. Not in here.”
NORMAL PERSON
If you’re normal all the three things will be hard for you to accept.
That’s fine. Ask for the humility to cooperate with God’s grace of understanding.
Again, I didn’t make this up.
It’s my understanding of Thomas Aquinas’s teachings.
WHAT’S SO BAD ABOUT NO DECORUM or NO MODESTY?
Our world is rampant in erasing these two virtues.
They are virtues.
They create order in our lives.
They also allow us to respect “love” others and our selves.
They also protect us from disrespect from others.
Removing decorum makes you practice being disobedient.
It’s like practice of disobeying authority = then parents = later God.
Removing modesty risks making you and others more vulnerable to temptation.
It signals that you’re ok to be used as an object. (not a person)
It also attracts unwanted curiosity about your body/privacy. (This text from Pope Francis).
COMMENTS? Learn anything?
-Jomar