Gus Lloyd's call in show on the Catholic Channel this morning is/was about appropriate dress at Church! Maybe he reads my blog?
A caller called in about her dislike of women wearing leggings to Mass. I have know idea what these are and I can't say I have seen them in my parish which does have a coastal vibe when it comes to Sunday dress.
Most callers said that when we attend Church/go to Mass, we are going to see the King. And thus we should dress in a manner similar to how we would dress if invited to visit Queen Elizabeth or the President of the USA, no matter who that President is.
Others disagree.They feel that Jesus is one of them, like a Brother and He creates the comfort of family life even at Mass. They feel comfortable with Jesus no matter how they are dressed even if extremely casual.
And thus you have it in a nutshell. The King approach to Jesus demands appropriate dress in His presence. I tend to agree with that belief. It is High Christology. The buddy approach to Jesus is Low Christology.
Can't there be a blend of both without being offensive to either??????????????????????
Yet I have to cut some slack to those who dress casually but with good taste. Men wear shorts to my parish but they are nice looking and what I would call dress shorts. And they wear a nice pull over.
Then there are the frumpy ones who care less about their appearance.
So what to do, what to do, Oh what are we to do!
2 comments:
That's why I thought that previously posted dress-code notice was a quite reasonable middle-of-the-road compromise for Sunday Mass--only a dress shirt and trousers for men, for instance. That's pretty casual for church for me! (I almost always wear a blazer or suit and a tie and have done so throughout my life).
I don't own (nor have I ever owned) a pair of flip-flops. Shorts and flip-flops are beach attire and are way too casual for Sunday Mass. I'll even get more liberal and say a nice polo shirt and a clean pair of jeans (with shoes or boots) are ok--but not short and flip-flops!
In today's parlance, the term, "leggings" is generally used to refer to those leotard-like opaque tights that some women (often in very bad taste) seem to like to wear in place of pants. As an old Boy Scout and aficionado of old military and naval uniforms, "leggings" to me are those thick canvas spat-like things that soldiers, marines, sailors and Boy Scouts used to wear to cover the lower trouser leg and keep mud and dirt out of the shoe. They lace up on the sides (with brass hooks and eyelets) and are strapped under the instep of the shoe. I believe U.S. Navy honor guards and drill teams still wear special white ones. They look cool!
It is not a matter of formal vs casual wear.
It IS a matter of either sex dressing in a manner which draws attention tontheir body, thereby distracting worshippers with sexual worldly thoughts and observations.
There are nearly painted on full length dresses, there are profoundly modest shorts.
Neither women nor men should wear clothing showcasing their legs, breasts, buns of steel, nor choice of undergarments, nor sex organs.
It is common sense when one admits the purpose....MODESTY.
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