My dear friend, Jocie, worried about showing up to daily mass in flip-flops, asked Fr. (now Bishop) Mike Sis if he thought her flip flops were disrespectful to wear to church. He said, “ I was just in the Sudan, where they had no other shoes to wear but flip flops to church. You can be in solidarity with your Sudanese brothers or sisters, today, at mass!”
What if we started with the virtue of solidarity with the poor when we dressed for mass?
Jesus often made fun of the mistaken ideas we have about the importance of our outer presentation compared to our inner dispositions. “Clean first the inside of the cup,” He said, before worrying so much about the outside. “It is out of the heart that good or bad things come.” So how should we dress our hearts for mass?
I have to smile when I walk into church. I bet you do, too. My gaze goes to the altar and the tabernacle and I feel a surge of joy in the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.
I don’t wear make-up anymore. But I hope my joy makes me beautiful to Jesus anyway. “Lord, it is good that we are here!”
I look around at the diverse family gathered here; my family, God’s family, the Church. I have a tiny place here, being one cell of the Body of Christ. Sometimes, even after all these years, I still can’t believe I get to be a part of it, that this is really me here in this place. Our gratitude for the great gift that the Church is to us, is perfect mass apparel.
This Sunday night I am at mass at St. Mary’s Catholic Student Center. Some people are dressed up, some are wearing jeans, but everyone I see shows devout conduct that comes from a spirit of reverence. That is a wonderful way to array our souls in gold, in radiant reverence.
Every movement we make, each response we say at mass has meaning and purpose. We can adorn ourselves with prayerful attentiveness that all we say and do here will come from the heart as prayer.
We assist and participate in the Holy Liturgy as the people of God. The ancient Jews, at the time of the Temple, saw their liturgy as helping to keep the world going. We Catholics believe that about the mass. As in the Book of Revelations, the participation of the people of God in the Liturgy of the Church, releases His power and glory into the world to accomplish His will. We get to be a part of that.
My husband, Blaze, used to say being at mass was one thing he could always do to help the world every Sunday.
We know our Lord sees love of neighbor as a necessary basic for the Church, His Bride. Come in the spritual garments of love and mercy, to embrace and grace the world by assisting at holy mass and taking part in Jesus’ mission of salvation in a deep, mysterious, wonderful way.
The ancients believed the Liturgy in the Temple was a reflection of the Heavenly Liturgy. The early Christians saw the mass this way, as did the Church Fathers, and this is still our Faith. We should veil ourselves in worship as the angels do, who join us here.
At mass the Holy Scriptures are opened for us. This is the living voice of God speaking to us collectively and individually in the Scriptures and in the Liturgy, the public prayer of the Church. Receptivity to the Holy Spirit is needed to hear this voice, internalize it, allow it to work in us, apply it to our lives. Dress your soul in open-ness to the Holy Spirit as you get ready for mass, that you may have ears to hear what the Spirit and the Bride have to say to you there.
We believe the mass makes present the Last Supper and that we participate in it, past present and future, with the Church all over the world and the Church beyond the world. We believe Jesus is truly present spiritually and in the flesh among us under the appearance of bread and wine. We believe mass is Heaven on Earth. Holy Awe is a shining garment in the eyes of God. We are at the Wedding Feast of Heaven. We should be sure to be wearing wedding clothes.
When I was serving at mass, helping distribute the Eucharist to others, I often thought about how no matter the age, social status or personality, each person is a child at the moment of receiving the Lord in Holy Communion. It was a privilege to watch this on people’s faces and be part of it. Humility and a child like spirit before the Lord: these are our crown and our jewels at mass, and in the Kingdom of God that is to come.
After Communion we should wrap ourselves in interior silence. There is nothing more lovely to God than the face of His Bride at prayer after receiving Him in Communion, and, as St. John of the Cross said, “The language He hears best is silent love.”
We are also together in a special way in the Eucharist we just received. A sense of unity is a wonderful thing to wear to mass, aware of our connection to all of our family in faith, the One-ness Jesus prayed for. This is the cloak that covers us all.
If we take care to wear these things, the little matter of how we dress will follow naturally. Then, we will be a truly beautiful Bride of Christ, adorned for our Bridegroom.
Why not join the Masai and bare the breasts at church? Because we dress our best to visit Our Lord and King of Kings according to our culture, not the Cambodians’, who, by the way, know this better than most in the West, always eager to dress for themselves or others, but for Our Savior.
I am certainly not advocating for dressing however at mass. I think this sums it up though: “If we take care to wear these things, (the virtues) the little matter of how we dress will follow naturally. Then, we will be a truly beautiful Bride of Christ, adorned for our Bridegroom.” So the point is coming to mass dressed like a million bucks doesn’t do much good if you don’t have these twelve things. If you do take care with these twelve things, then love of neighbor, holy awe, etc., will lead you to dress in a way that reflects these virtues. Which would certainly mean dressing your best, according to your taste, culture and income- and more importantly, what is in your heart.
See what I mean, Bubba Bean?
Thank you Shawn. Another poignant reflection, respectfully and lovingly addressing a debated topic: how to dress for Mass.
I would only like to add that while how we dress our hearts is for God, it is, nonetheless, important to consider the fallen nature of our fellow Mass attendees: modesty is still important, not because of some prudish wrinkled grandma’s opinion but because of the wandering eye of the human around. We have to help our brothers and sisters stay focused on the action up front, not the backs of the people in front 😉
Sure it goes without say, but maybe it doesn’t for everyone.
Yeah. That’s why I threw this in at the end: “If we take care to wear these things, the little matter of how we dress will follow naturally.” It’s kind of like “Love God and do what you will.” I mean if you love the neighbor you will not want to offend him or her with your mini-skirt and spike heals at mass. The good internal dispositions of the heart will lead us in our dress. I don’t know. I just try not to look too homeless at mass. But yes. It goes without saying, you are right but it doesn’t to everyone. Say away!
Hi Shawn. This is a well written, very timely and thought provoking article, and very beautiful. My home church is in the Montrose section of Houston, and that area is very mixed income, mixed ethnic and eclectic as far as lifestyles, etc. People dress in all different ways, often because that is the only way they can. This is exactly the approach we try to take about this, as we have so many ways of honoring God, and as you say so very well, it comes from within our hearts. We hope and strive to be more concerned with being welcoming to what is inside a person than what one appears on the outside. If not, we would have a lot of empty pews on God’s day! Some of our older members dress in suits and dresses with hats and gloves. That is okay, too! I like the way your Priest talked about that, in a way that honored your friend and let her know she was welcome and loved. I am going to put this on our bulletin board along with Rachel’s beautiful post. Our folks will love this and reflect on it as well. God’s love and peace be with you.
Thank you, dear. I also believe, as I said at the end, that these twelve things will naturally lead one to dress respectfully at mass acceding to one’s means. <3 Thank you for sending this on! 🙂
Totally agree!
Lovely, timely, and Amen!!!