Veiled Before God

 

  Veiled Before God

 

The Apostolic Tradition was written in the second century, and the author is believed to be St. Hippolytus of Rome. This book has instructions for catechumens, including this:

 

And let all the women have their heads covered with an opaque cloth . . .

 

And St. Cyril of Alexandria, commenting on First Corinthians, wrote:

 

The angels find it extremely hard to bear if this law [that women cover their heads] is disregarded.

 

 

 

Head coverings in Icons

 

Icons in the Orthodox Church are a visual guide to the Faith, a sort of “picture book” of Christianity. Icons teach us about the life, death, and resurrection of Christ, and about the lives of many Christians who have gone before us.

 

Icons also teach us about head coverings.

 

Virtually every icon of an Orthodox woman displays her wearing a head covering. As far as I know, the only exception is St. Mary of Egypt, and she was a solitary saint who lived alone in the desert, far away from any people.

 

Among the female saints who participated in society, all of them wore head coverings, and their head coverings are shown in icons.

 

Even Mary the Mother of God–the most blessed woman in the entire universe–is shown in icons, wearing a head covering.

 

Can you think of a better role-model for women?

 

 

 

Head coverings Today

 

In our church, all women and girls are asked to wear head coverings, in obedience to God’s command in Scripture, and out of respect for the holy traditions of the Orthodox Church. Just inside the front door of the church, we keep a basket of head coverings, just in case a woman forgets hers at home and needs to borrow one for the day. Head coverings are also worn at home, during family prayer time.

 

While honoring God’s direction is a reward unto itself, there are many other benefits as well. For example:

 

Head coverings manifest a woman’s honor. As St. Paul points out in Scripture, a woman brings honor to herself by covering her head during prayer.

 

Head coverings encourage humility. Godly women come to church to focus on worship, not to draw attention to themselves. A girl may be tempted to show off an attractive hairdo. When a woman wears a head covering, this temptation is removed. She can focus on prayer, instead of on hair.

 

Head coverings save time. In today’s culture, it can be tempting to spend a lot of time and energy on hairstyles. But head coverings are quick and easy. It takes a lot less time to put on a head covering, than it does to prepare a hairdo for display.

 

Head coverings help us show love and consideration for our brothers. Godly men come to church to focus on worship. But the flowing locks of beautiful woman can be distracting. By veiling her hair, a woman can display her modesty, and remove an unnecessary distraction.

 

A mainstream theological journal recently published an article about women’s headcoverings. Soon after, the author of the article became a member of the Orthodox Church. In the article, she beautifully illustrates the iconic purpose of head coverings:

 

My wearing a head covering is not only a symbol or sign that I am in agreement with His order, but that I visibly, willingly submit to it. With submission comes blessing.

~ Christa Conrad