To Veil or Not to Veil?

Lost in Dreams by Friedrich von Amerling (1835)

Something I have been thinking about a lot in the last couple of years is whether or not to wear a veil during Mass or Adoration. Wearing a veil during worship of God goes back to antiquity and certainly there are a number of scriptures supporting this practice. Until the end of the Vatican II Council, it was expected that if you were a woman going to Mass, you wore a veil or a hat to cover your head. I don't know enough about canon law to understand why that changed or if it should have changed, but for whatever reason, after Vatican II, women began to stop wearing a veil or hat to Mass. Eventually, the practice became so widespread that it became the norm rather than the exception. As of today, the practice of veiling is beginning to see an increase in the number of women who do it. Many of them are younger women under the age of 40. I had never really thought about it for myself until a couple of years ago when some women I knew from an online forum had a discussion about it. I started doing some research on the topic and study of both Church history and scripture.

I prayed about it some, but mostly just let my brain sort of puzzle it over in the background. Every so often, the topic would come up in something I was reading and my interest would be sparked again. I never could come to any determination as to whether or not I needed to veil in order to be obedient to the Church's teachings, but I eventually came to a determination as to my own desire to do it and my reasons why I have chosen to wear a veil.

For me, there are a few reasons I have chosen to veil:

• First, I view it as a sign of reverence for Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. The veil covers my hair and head and I diminish a bit, so that He may increase. 
• Second, it is a subtle signal to my brain that this time is set aside for something special and holy and something that deserves my undivided attention. While giving that undivided attention isn't always possible with three little ones who are sometimes noisy and wiggly and who would likely rather be playing outside instead of sitting still, the veil still helps in that it allows me to refocus my attention faster than without it. 
• Third, I do it out of a devotion to Mary. Granted, I know that the regular dress for women in Mary's era was to wear a veil, but I kinda think she might wear one even today if she lived in our modern era. Either way, if it's good enough for my Heavenly Mother, it's good enough for me!

I know not every woman agrees with my reasons and not every woman wants to wear a veil. In fact, I am one of the very few who attend our parish on a regular basis who wears a veil and the only one in my choir. But I am okay with that. I don't judge other women who don't veil and I hope they don't judge me.

For those who might be curious, here's a couple of pictures of my veil:

Not the greatest picture but you can see some of the details in the lace.

Me, wearing my veil. It's a simple, but pretty I think. :)

Do you wear a veil? 
If you do, tell me about your experience (and your veil!) in the comments. 
If you don't, tell me about that as well.