Not one person in my family has “Sunday Best” clothing. Not one person in my family works in an office that has “Business Casual” dress standards. Why should we be expected to buy a special outfit that we are only to wear on Sunday to Mass? That would be at a cost of several hundred dollars each season (because my kids are growing like weeds). For family portraits, for special occasions, for Mass, for going on outings, we just choose a nice, well-fitting, color-matched and clean outfit. We make sure we are well-groomed and our bodies are clean. We make sure our mouths are clean (as my son says, we must polish our throne for Jesus to be placed upon!). But most importantly, we do an examination of conscience, so that we may avail ourselves of confession if necessary, or make an act of contrition if that is all that is required. And then we merely focus upon arriving on-time and finding seats.
Our parish hall (where we have Mass, since we are in the process of building a huge church), we are standing room only. It is HOT. Plus, we are in the middle of summer in the Deep South.
My son and husband wear shorts and nice sandals almost every week.
Me and the girls all wear dresses that come to the knee (I often wear maxi dresses). The dresses are all sleeveless.
Everyone in our parish, which is situated in a town that has a lot of wealth, alongside a lot of poverty, is dressed pretty much in the same way.
If a person is attired similarly to all of their Christian brothers and sisters, and they are being neither provocative nor ostentatious, THAT is modest. There are different cultural standards of modesty, and to claim that there is a universal standard across the globe and throughout time actually contradicts the explanations of modesty that we have been given by our bishops and popes.
A person simply cannot say that what is considered appropriate for their cultural background and their social class is universal. That is tying burdens upon the backs of others without lifting a finger to help them carry it. Sunday Best and Business Casual have no meaning in the lives of many, many people around the world. Neither do the ban on the appearance of upper arms or calves.
I live in Colorado now and that is true-it is also true for my Texas office.
Yes.
Well, and you can only wear what you own. The Sunday obligation doesn’t change because you haven’t obtained what the locals consider to be “Sunday clothes.” When we are the “locals,” we ought to consider that no one made us the clothing police, outside of our own closets, particularly if we have no pastoral office.
I don’t care how popular it gets, grown men should not adopt the fashion of toddlers and the mentally handicapped. It makes us look like a nation of slobs. I am not the self appointed fashion police, but at the same time if someone asks for advice I would advise them that dressing sharp can shape the way people see you and be a sign of maturity and self respect. Most people would be mortified to walk down Champs-Élysées looking slovenly. We should at least try to put the same sort of effort when we go to mass.
Yes. I wouldn’t put it quite that way–what do the mentally handicapped have to do with appropriate clothing for adults? Do you mean clothing with elastic and Velcro instead of buttons, buckles, and zippers?–I would agree that if someone asked, I would advise that taking care in grooming and dress for Mass in a way that is solemn and yet simple is something that other people worshiping with you tend to find edifying and something that may even affect your own attitude towards what you are doing, just as it does in the workplace.
Does “dressing sharp” also affect the way God sees you?
Burt,
Yes.Not one person in my family has “Sunday Best” clothing. Not one person in my family works in an office that has “Business Casual” dress standards. Why should we be expected to buy a special outfit that we are only to wear on Sunday to Mass? That would be at a cost of several hundred dollars each season (because my kids are growing like weeds). For family portraits, for special occasions, for Mass, for going on outings, we just choose a nice, well-fitting, color-matched and clean outfit. We make sure we are well-groomed and our bodies are clean. We make sure our mouths are clean (as my son says, we must polish our throne for Jesus to be placed upon!). But most importantly, we do an examination of conscience, so that we may avail ourselves of confession if necessary, or make an act of contrition if that is all that is required. And then we merely focus upon arriving on-time and finding seats.
Our parish hall (where we have Mass, since we are in the process of building a huge church), we are standing room only. It is HOT. Plus, we are in the middle of summer in the Deep South.
My son and husband wear shorts and nice sandals almost every week.
Me and the girls all wear dresses that come to the knee (I often wear maxi dresses). The dresses are all sleeveless.
Everyone in our parish, which is situated in a town that has a lot of wealth, alongside a lot of poverty, is dressed pretty much in the same way.
If a person is attired similarly to all of their Christian brothers and sisters, and they are being neither provocative nor ostentatious, THAT is modest. There are different cultural standards of modesty, and to claim that there is a universal standard across the globe and throughout time actually contradicts the explanations of modesty that we have been given by our bishops and popes.
A person simply cannot say that what is considered appropriate for their cultural background and their social class is universal. That is tying burdens upon the backs of others without lifting a finger to help them carry it. Sunday Best and Business Casual have no meaning in the lives of many, many people around the world. Neither do the ban on the appearance of upper arms or calves.
Ow! Ow!
LOL. I can almost imagine your tone of voice when you said that. Cracked me up.Oh yay! A modesty thread!
Were they allowed to wear black patent shoes?
Funny!
Yes, but without the high heels. A wedge at most but that was it.
Although the Holy Sacrifice is the same, Masses do differ in their degree of solemnity. Sunday as a day is different from a weekday, and celebrating it is different.
If girls only wore blouses, and not shirts, and the sleeves had to cover the elbow, then I would say, YES, things have changed.