Catechetical Teaching 8: THE SENSE OF SIGHT
Dear brothers and sisters,
Today, we will talk about the sense of sight. We will discuss the purifying and healing remedies that church prayer offers to this sense and how the enemy usually exploits it to commit his robbery in those who break the church rules. And, of course, we will address the rules of conduct within the church.
The sense of sight is considered the most influential of all five senses not only according to the teachings of the Holy Fathers but also in popular wisdom. We all know the saying: “It is better to see once than to hear a hundred times.” This means that we trust our sight the most, and due to this trust, our hearts are usually wide open to visual impressions.
One of the reasons, and not the least, why the Church established icon veneration is precisely to purify the sense of sight. So that the sinful images imprinted in our minds from the world may be replaced with holy images, so that through our sense of sight, the image of Christ, His Most Pure Mother, and the saints of God may enter into us. Likewise, all the beauty of the church, the splendor of vestments and sacred vessels, all of it serves the purpose of sanctifying our souls by reminding us of the beauty of the Heavenly Kingdom through our sense of sight. This is what the Church offers us as a cleansing means that fosters prayer.
But how does prayer get despoiled through the sense of sight? Firstly, it is about how we dress when we go to the church. This particularly concerns our sisters, the fairer sex. After all, there is a reason why this gender is called “fair.” God created woman beautiful, and her beauty, like any other beauty, attracts attention. Especially the attention of men, as this attraction is part of our nature. However, we all know, and often talk about it, that our nature has been damaged since the fall of Adam, and this damage also affects our attraction to the opposite sex. Therefore, our sisters must pay special attention to how they dress, especially when going to the church, but also at other times, if they strive to remain Christians always and everywhere.
So, the rule of conduct in the church regarding our sense of sight commands us to dress modestly, avoiding bright and tight-fitting clothing as well as flashy adornments. Female beauty, which is already attractive in itself, should be covered modestly and chastely in the church, so as not to draw excessive attention. Because the essence of prayer in the House of God is attention directed towards God. And when something extraneous attracts the attention of those who pray, it becomes robbery: by drawing attention to ourselves, we take it away from God and thus become robbers, as Christ says, “My house shall be called a house of prayer; but you have made it a den of thieves” (Matthew 21:13).
Therefore, the ancient tradition is observed in the Church for women to wear long and loose dresses, preferably covering from the feet to the neck, and to cover their heads with scarves. Men are also advised not to come to the church in shorts, short-sleeved shirts, or barefoot sandals. The essence of this rule is to have as few body parts exposed as possible. It is also very beneficial to teach children these rules from a young age so that as they grow up, they become accustomed to the fact that the church is a special, sacred place separated from the rest of the world, and things here are done differently.
May the Lord help all of us to purify and guard our sense of sight so that we may learn not to be tempted by anything and not to tempt others.
God bless you all!