Yes, I'm That Girl Who Veils

As a Catholic girl, there are certain items and articles I carry with me a good portion of the time. Rosaries, holy cards, my spiritual journal, my breviary, a Benedictine crucifix, and my personal favorite; my veil. From some Catholics, I can hear it now, "A veil? Isn't that old fashioned and out dated?"
Before I begin to explain this, let me say this first: the point of this post is not to look down upon anyone, or to smack anyone around with my veil or liturgical snobbery. The point of this post is to shine some light on the beauty of veiling, because I have found it to be very rewarding and I want to share that with others.
Now that we have that covered, let us continue in a charitable, open-minded manner.
Let's begin! The veil is a head covering worn by women during mass, in the presence of the Holy Eucharist, including when He is hidden in the Tabernacle and exposed in the monstrance. Regarding the matter, the Code of Canon Law 1917 states: "1262.2 Men are to assist at sacred functions, whether in the church or outside of it, with their heads uncovered, unless a reasonable custom or special circumstances justify a departure from this rule. Women, however, should cover their heads and be dressed modestly, particularly when they approach the Lord's table."
If Canon Law states that women should have their heads covered... Then why did this tradition cease to be practiced? In 1983, another Code of Canon Law was written. However, it did not mention veiling. Although it was not abrogated, the tradition of veiling became a voluntary practice. But, let's look back about 20 years before this happened. During the expansion of the feminist movement in the 1960's, the veil was viewed as degrading and negatively patriarchal. So, along with their bra burning, they also burned their veils. This was done in direct defiance to the Church, to supposedly liberate themselves from this "demeaning" practice. 

However, from another perspective, veiling is a beautiful inner and outer act of voluntary humility, all for the greater glory of Our Lord. 

Let's face it: women are beautiful. In the book of Genesis, God saved the best for last when He created woman; the crescendo of creation. Now because women are so beautiful, their beauty can be distracting (especially to our brothers in Christ) during the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. In mass, the highest form of prayer, all of our focus should be on God, not on those around us. When a woman veils, she is silently saying, "Don't look at me, but look to God." 

So in essence, we do not veil ourselves because we are bad to look at, or because we are shameful, lesser human beings. Not at all. We veil because we are wonderful creations of the Lord, but we acknowledge that He is infinitely greater than us, and through covering ourselves, we elevate Him. In my own personal experience of veiling, I have found that it greatly diminishes distractions and provides a sense of tunnel vision to assist in focusing on the Lord. To the statement that veiling is old-fashioned and out-dated, I say this, "Since when is having reverence for God old-fashioned?"

Another great reason to veil is because it imitates Mother Mary and the saints. Mother Mary is always depicted veiling, and most female saints also veiled, like St. Maria Goretti, for example. 

Now that we have learned that veiling is a beautiful act of humility and love, let's take a moment to address what veiling is not.

Veiling should not be used to puff oneself up, or to say, "Hey everyone, look at me! I'm waaay more holier than all of you!!" To do so would be an abuse of the veil, and counterproductive to its true meaning. 

If you're feeling inspired to begin veiling, I highly recommend the mantillas from Veils by Lily

That's it for now, may the Holy Spirit inspire you today and always,

Mater Dolorosa, ora pro nobis,

-Yvonne Gemma