Before my husband I married he wore a nice shirt and jeans to Sunday Mass, unless he was serving as an extraordinary minister of the Eucharist, in which case he wore dress pants.
However, after the "I do"s I asked and encouraged - let's be honest - told him to never wear shorts or jeans to Sunday Mass again.
My mom raised me to dress up for Church, and once I was old enough to think for myself I realized that God is definitely worth the effort to look nice. My dress clothes show that Mass is something special, an hour that is holy and set apart from the normal, and they are a sign of respect for the King of Heaven and Earth. If President Obama invited me for supper at his house I wouldn't show up in my jean shorts and t-shirt, nor do I when I dine at God's house.
I like what Rachel Campos-Duffy (you know, from The Real World) said:
Sometimes I'll hear people say, "God doesn't care what I wear." Or, "God only cares that I come." True enough. But faith and religion, in my view, is also about my response to God. God is not "lucky" that I showed up. I'm privileged to be invited. And the time and effort I put into bringing my family to His home freshly scrubbed, combed, and neatly dressed is part of my gift to Him. My God died on the cross for me. Dressing up to worship Him is the least I can do.
You can read her entire article here.However, after the "I do"s I asked and encouraged - let's be honest - told him to never wear shorts or jeans to Sunday Mass again.
My mom raised me to dress up for Church, and once I was old enough to think for myself I realized that God is definitely worth the effort to look nice. My dress clothes show that Mass is something special, an hour that is holy and set apart from the normal, and they are a sign of respect for the King of Heaven and Earth. If President Obama invited me for supper at his house I wouldn't show up in my jean shorts and t-shirt, nor do I when I dine at God's house.
I like what Rachel Campos-Duffy (you know, from The Real World) said:
Sometimes I'll hear people say, "God doesn't care what I wear." Or, "God only cares that I come." True enough. But faith and religion, in my view, is also about my response to God. God is not "lucky" that I showed up. I'm privileged to be invited. And the time and effort I put into bringing my family to His home freshly scrubbed, combed, and neatly dressed is part of my gift to Him. My God died on the cross for me. Dressing up to worship Him is the least I can do.
Of course, I will also say that dress clothes should still be modest clothes. I'll sometimes see teenage men in tight polos, showing off their muscles, and girls with skirts so short and shirts so low I feel bad for the priest. Dressing nicely isn't about showing off our bodies, it's about accentuating them in a modest way.
2 comments:
You would've LOVED the homily at Holy Angels (the church Nick and I attend) last week. You would love the priest...he basically yelled at everybody for wearing shorts..it was great. I walk out of Mass every Sunday really looking deep into myself and finding out where I am at in my faith...he just does that to you.
Thanks for the quote from Rachel Campos-Duffy...I have admired her ever since she was on The View earlier this year and offered her Catholic perspective on abortion, even though it clearly wasn't the popular opinion with the other people on the show. I am inspired by people who are that confident in their beliefs. If only some of our world/country leaders were the same way...
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