Fifteen minutes late to Church, scrambling looking for the other pair to 5 different types of shoes; staring at me is a heap of clean, dry but wrinkled beyond recognition pile of clothes, at the bottom of which is the shirt I need.

Do I like ironing now?

[Teeth grinding]
[Grunting noises]
[Fire coming out of my ears]

Of course, not!

[Come to think of it, what is enjoyable under these circumstances?]

But, ironing doesn’t have to be done under such terrible conditions.

What if ironing is done with no pressure? On Tuesdays in preparation for Sunday? On Tuesday night there is no pressure to get everything done in one minute for Sunday. If it is not finished on Tuesday, then there is still Wednesday, Thursday, etc. What if you could have an excellent tape playing? Like an inspiring sermon by Fr. Corapi, the Bible on tape or an educational tape from the library? What if you think of it as “Tuesday Night with the Iron”?

Blog Reader: Where are you going with all this talk about ironing?

Mary Vitamin: Well, I hope to present ironing in a fresh light because I think it is another way of practicing modesty.

Blog Reader: What! Come on…

Mary Vitamin: No, seriously.

St. Francis de Sales says in the chapter entitled “Propriety in Dress” that part of modesty is being well presented, well kept. “Study to be neat, and let nothing about you be slovenly or disorderly.” (Introduction to the Devout Life, Chapter 25) Ironing certainly helps in a person’s presentation.

Many of the more modest styles of clothing need ironing. Skirts look better when they are ironed – even denim ones. The lycra that helps in making the new shirts wrinkle free, also tends to make them tighter. The cotton shirts with collars tend to be less tight and more modest. But, they look best ironed. So, enjoying ironing will encourage one to choose clothes that might take a little more effort to maintain. But, once the habit is established, it is not that difficult.

Mary Vitamin continues: Then there is the issue of piety.

Blog Reader: I don’t think I can take much more of this. Are you going to tell me ironing can make you more pious?

Well, in a way. There is something very pious and edifying about a person who attends Mass as though he believes that the Sacred Body, Blood and Soul and Divinity of our Dear Lord is truly being offered as a sacrifice on the altar during Holy Mass. If a young man attends Holy Mass in a collared shirt that is ironed and cotton twill pants that are ironed and Sunday shoes it just says something more than a wrinkled jersey and a pair of jeans and sneakers. If a mother makes it a practice to get the Sunday clothes ready in advance of Sunday, and has them ironed, isn’t this one way to teach the importance of proper clothing at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass? (It’s not the only way, but it can be included in the category of “mortifications that build up Catholic culture.” I understand that it is difficult to iron when expecting a baby because of swelling, cramps, sore backs and fatigue. Be peaceful, then this is your mortification which builds up Catholic culture. )

If Tuesday is an important laundry day, and one begins with next week’s Sunday clothes and makes sure they are ready for Sunday, then Sunday morning can be a much more pleasant experience.

One of my favorite meditations while I am ironing is to think of the Blessed Virgin and the time she spent after Our Lord’s Ascension in the Cenacle. She would spend hours contemplating Our Lord’s presence in the Eucharist, longing for the time she could be reunited with Him in heaven. Once or twice I have seen a beautiful Tabernacle that is covered by a gossamer veil. It is a very beautiful image. I imagine Our Lady would spend loving hours preparing altar cloths, veils, corporals for use in the Sacred Mass. So, when I am ironing I think of Our Lady and the love she would spend with the cloths that pertain to Her Son. For me, my children provide me my opportunity to serve the Lord. I pray that ironing my children’s Sunday clothes is similar to Our Lady taking care of the cloths used near and around Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. My children’s clothes are like the veil that hides Jesus from me.