Do you wear jeans to Mass?

[chicago]

… and yet when it comes to God we just tell him…“eh, oh well, it’s just mass after all” or make excuses.

Ok, I’m going to comment a tad more seriously on this portion:

I think that a lot of our “dress standards” are really more about human respect than anything. A lot of the time, then, we dress to appease the sensibilities of others. But, somehow, I don’t see the Lord as being quite so petty.

“Oh, will you look at her? Can you believe that she actually wore that tacky blouse to OUR exclusive and oh so important event?”

Um, no.

I’m all for “dressing up” and think that people generally look better when they do. But I’m not going to get all stressed out about it, either. Honestly, who are you trying to impress at Mass? Your neighbor? The priest? God?

“Hey, look at me Lord, don’t I look sharp?”

And who is it that’s going to tsk tsk if you aren’t quite “all that”?

So I don’t think it is at all about “making excuses” (what’s there to excuse?) or playing down Mass as something insignifigant. Nor am I suggesting that we not make an effort to offer our entire selves. Rather, it’s a sensibility that suggests a focus on the essentials rather than the accidents. One of keeping priorities straight. One of a certain common sense of the everyman. For what the Lord cares about is the heart and He accepts everyman who comes to Him in humility, wherever he is.

That’s what Mass is about. Not who looks the best or whether you even look your best. For , ultimately, we’re all sinners; poor beggars; dourly clothed at the table of the Lord.

 

[LilyM]

Ok, I’m going to comment a tad more seriously on this portion:

I think that a lot of our “dress standards” are really more about human respect than anything. A lot of the time, then, we dress to appease the sensibilities of others. But, somehow, I don’t see the Lord as being quite so petty.

“Oh, will you look at her? Can you believe that she actually wore that tacky blouse to OUR exclusive and oh so important event?”

Um, no.

I’m all for “dressing up” and think that people generally look better when they do. But I’m not going to get all stressed out about it, either. Honestly, who are you trying to impress at Mass? Your neighbor? The priest? God?

“Hey, look at me Lord, don’t I look sharp?”

And who is it that’s going to tsk tsk if you aren’t quite “all that”?

So I don’t think it is at all about “making excuses” (what’s there to excuse?) or playing down Mass as something insignifigant. Nor am I suggesting that we not make an effort to offer our entire selves. Rather, it’s a sensibility that suggests a focus on the essentials rather than the accidents. One of keeping priorities straight. One of a certain common sense of the everyman. For what the Lord cares about is the heart and He accepts everyman who comes to Him in humility, wherever he is.

That’s what Mass is about. Not who looks the best or whether you even look your best. For , ultimately, we’re all sinners; poor beggars; dourly clothed at the table of the Lord.

Testify brother! Clothing is SUCH an accident of my worship of God, in Mass and out, and SUCH a minor one at that!

 

[sea_oat]

I don’t wear jeans to Mass on Sundays, but I do during the weekdays.

 

[Anima_Christi]

That was funny.

I do know an old guy that comes in now and then and he has red suspenders and a flannel shirt and a penprotector in his pocket, various keys suspended off his beltloop of his levis and more often than not a baseball cap he takes off before he sits down and puts back on when the Mass is over.

He is the nicest guy you would ever be lucky enough to know.

LOL…hey, I think I know that guy! He goes to my parish. Do you live in KY? :yup:

 

[Damascus]

LOL…hey, I think I know that guy! He goes to my parish. Do you live in KY? :yup:

Nope. But he is the nicest man I have ever met. He would do anything for you at any time, and … I’m choking up right now… thinking about how he is always the last guy to leave, and the guy that held my hand when I was the “new” one fumbling around in the missal as a convert w/o my CRADLE CATH spouse to help me figure out a lot that the RCIA never taught me,

that man was the best example of Christ amoung us I have ever seen in my personal experience— and he is dying now, and I am so sad—
he kept me going when I felt lost and alone (I went to Mass alone for a very long time) and he kept my spouse in his prayers…, and he helped me pray the Rosary— I still have a hard time with it- but I always try every day-
and that man told me so many things you will never learn in books or on this forum or in the Bible., he REALLY lived his life like Christ —
and he scared me in a good way. He helped me more than anyone else I met or any book I read- he lived his faith everyday - and he helped the “lost one” that WE ALL ARE!

I pray for him everyday, and have peace in knowing that he will be with all the saints in heaven and helping all the ones that need it the most, along the way.

Please think about him, even if you dont like Jeans at Mass…
He was the best witness to Jesus I ever saw- and feel very blessed to have had him holding my shaking hand along the way…

He should be an example - but he would say–

dont make a big deal about the little stuff, its the BIG stuff that makes us strong in him…

Where is the tears emotiocon?

He is very close to being with Our Risen Lord now…

Selfishly, I want him here …

For my sake… Yes - that is selfish.

 

[chicago]

You know, at least in the cooler months, I always wear a jacket to Mass. A sport jacket at that. Well, ok, it’s a baseball jacket, actually!

 

[94pomfret]

Hi my answer would be A as i do wear respecable jeans to mass.

Regards

Laura

 

[TobyLue]

To those of you who on a regular basis wear jeans or shorts to mass, and maybe flip-flops, and/or tank tops, if you are going to a wedding and a reception afterwards, do you wear jeans, shorts, flip-flops, tank tops to the wedding AND receiption too?

 

[Karin]

To those of you who on a regular basis wear jeans or shorts to mass, and maybe flip-flops, and/or tank tops, if you are going to a wedding and a reception afterwards, do you wear jeans, shorts, flip-flops, tank tops to the wedding AND receiption too?

Well I do not wear shorts or flip flops to mass but I do wear jeans.
As to wearing jeans to a wedding…yeah I have done that…heck even the bride and groom wore them …

 

[shirleytowers]

Here in California, about half the people wear jeans to church in my parish. We have a long, hot summer, a mild winter, and a tropical attitiude toward dressing up. Even the ushers wear Hawaiian shirts with khaki pants.

In California people don’t care as much what you wear. It’s more relaxed. I’ve also lived back east and in the midwest. Back east they dress up much more than here in California, and in the Midwest they are more dressy, too. In Texas they dress up quite a bit, esp. in Houston.

I do wear jeans to church–nice ones, stylish, new jeans. I also teach school in the same outfits. So I wear the same clothes to church as to school. I am middle aged. Got my AARP card this year. I don’t wear shorts anyplace and won’t let my kids wear shorts to church, but lots of people do around here.

I think of the parable about the wedding and the people who showed up not dressed properly and were thrown out–because how you dress shows respect. (I think…?) So while I wear jeans, I dress to show respect in this time and place. I know that the real way to prepare for chuch is to live God’s word and love him in your heart and I try to show respect in my appearance too, and you can still do that with jeans on your butt, at least around here.

 

[Sean.McKenzie]

To those of you who on a regular basis wear jeans or shorts to mass, and maybe flip-flops, and/or tank tops, if you are going to a wedding and a reception afterwards, do you wear jeans, shorts, flip-flops, tank tops to the wedding AND receiption too?

THANK YOU,

I am amazed at the blatant carelessness in the manner in which I have heard those who do not care about their exterior disposition and try to just write it off as needless, or to try to hide under this umbrella of “knowing the greater purpose”. We have thrown the babty out with the bath water. I am curious, since when, did not being concerned about setting an example lead us into this stagnated aproach to Our Lord in The Blessed Sacrament. For those of you who admittingly wear jeans and sneakers and shorts and all that to The Wedding feast of The Lamb, who say “it doesn’t matter what you wear so long as your heart is in the right place”, why are you surprised then at the scandelous dress of our culture, or why are you surprised at the younger generation of our Church who do not give a thought to how they dress, or to the example they set. WHY ARE YOU SURPRISED…, you shouldn’t be!.. if their parents and those whom should be setting examples are not, what are your children to expect of you, what kind of example are you. To those in this forum who are posting on this issue, those who “wear jeans to mass” and sneakers etc etc. who are parents, YOU bear the responsibility to how your posterity behaves, you are responsible for their lack of faith, and their careless attitude towards the faith.

Looks like the old school of thought, “your sunday best” has been forgotten…WAKE UP PEOPLE AND PARENTS!!!..WAKE UP.

To those who boast of wearing jeans and less than your sunday best, i think you really should sit down, and think. You need to revisit this issue, and ask yourself why. Why are you willng to go to a wedding in your best, and yet dawn your “casual clothes” and ball caps and sneakers, for the True Wedding Feast of The Lamb. Jesus Christ, The Bridegroom waits at the Altar to renew his wedding vows with you His Bride, and you show up in jeans, shorts, old t-shirts, and think nothing of it, when you could have shown respect for your beloved with your best…THAT IS TRULY SAD!!!

May God forgive us for our complacency!!!

 

[sea_oat]

THANK YOU,

I am amazed at the blatant carelessness in the manner in which I have heard those who do not care about their exterior disposition and try to just write it off as needless, or to try to hide under this umbrella of “knowing the greater purpose”. We have thrown the babty out with the bath water. I am curious, since when, did not being concerned about setting an example lead us into this stagnated aproach to Our Lord in The Blessed Sacrament. For those of you who admittingly wear jeans and sneakers and shorts and all that to The Wedding feast of The Lamb, who say “it doesn’t matter what you wear so long as your heart is in the right place”, why are you surprised then at the scandelous dress of our culture, or why are you surprised at the younger generation of our Church who do not give a thought to how they dress, or to the example they set. WHY ARE YOU SURPRISED…, you shouldn’t be!.. if their parents and those whom should be setting examples are not, what are your children to expect of you, what kind of example are you. To those in this forum who are posting on this issue, those who “wear jeans to mass” and sneakers etc etc. who are parents, YOU bear the responsibility to how your posterity behaves, you are responsible for their lack of faith, and their careless attitude towards the faith.

Looks like the old school of thought, “your sunday best” has been forgotten…WAKE UP PEOPLE AND PARENTS!!!..WAKE UP.

To those who boast of wearing jeans and less than your sunday best, i think you really should sit down, and think. You need to revisit this issue, and ask yourself why. Why are you willng to go to a wedding in your best, and yet dawn your “casual clothes” and ball caps and sneakers, for the True Wedding Feast of The Lamb. Jesus Christ, The Bridegroom waits at the Altar to renew his wedding vows with you His Bride, and you show up in jeans, shorts, old t-shirts, and think nothing of it, when you could have shown respect for your beloved with your best…THAT IS TRULY SAD!!!

May God forgive us for our complacency!!!

Or…maybe you, on the other hand, should really sit down and think about why what other people wear bothers you so much.

If you’re able to be so distracted, and upset by what people around you are wearing during Mass (unless it’s something blatantly obvious, like a gorilla suit), maybe your mind isn’t at peace, or concentrating on the right thing.

 

[DiscerningDave]

To those of you who on a regular basis wear jeans or shorts to mass, and maybe flip-flops, and/or tank tops, if you are going to a wedding and a reception afterwards, do you wear jeans, shorts, flip-flops, tank tops to the wedding AND receiption too?

I agree. There are many posts saying that God knows what is in your heart when attending mass. I understand your point and arguement. However, would you also argue that the wedding party knows your true intent if you dressed in jeans for their event? Now, I know that God is omnipotent and our tiny brains cannot fathom the nature of God, but if that is the case (I will repeat myself from an earlier post) shouldn’t he be deserving of a bit more respect?

Peace

 

[thechrismyster]

To those of you who on a regular basis wear jeans or shorts to mass, and maybe flip-flops, and/or tank tops, if you are going to a wedding and a reception afterwards, do you wear jeans, shorts, flip-flops, tank tops to the wedding AND receiption too?

well, i challenge you, lets take it a step farther. i assume on the day of your First Holy Communion you wore a bridal dress to symbolize becoming one with Christ. And on that day you were beautiful.
Since receiving the Lord everytime you go is EXACTLY the same as your first Communion. Wouldn’t it stand to reason that those standards that stood for your first Eucharist would stand for your 5 thousandth reception? Or is this Sunday less special than than first time, allowing you to ditch the white gown and go with the printed pant suit?
And you, fine sir who insists on your Sunday finest, Do you wear a 3 piece suit like you did that fine morning of your first Communion? or do you dress down to a simple buttondown shirt and dress pants. I’ll forgive your laxity with your dress, obviously getting dressed for Church meant more when you were young. I expect a tie next week with a vest and jacket.

May God forgive us for our complacency!!!

you will be judged by the measure with which you judge.

 

[Birdysboy]

Just curious, please no bashing anyone if they do or dont, I just want to know if

A) you do it on a regular basis
B) only have done it in emergency or less than 3 times a year
C)Have never done it
D) Have never done it and get hopping mad when you see it
E) I cant remember and I dont go to Mass often enough to notice

Just pick one of the above.

A - Daily Mass, I work in jeans so if I go to lunch mass I wear jeans.

B - Weekend Mass, I try to dress up, but if I am working I might wear jeans if I don’t have time to change.

And maybe more people would come to church initially if they didn’t have to worry about how people looked at them if they wore jeans.

 

[buffalo]

Let’s focus this discussion for a minute on reverence.

What does reverence mean to you?

How does the way you express reverence influence the young?

 

[chicago]

For those of you who admittingly wear jeans and sneakers and shorts and all that to The Wedding feast of The Lamb, who say “it doesn’t matter what you wear so long as your heart is in the right place”, why are you surprised then at the scandelous dress of our culture, or why are you surprised at the younger generation of our Church who do not give a thought to how they dress, or to the example they set. WHY ARE YOU SURPRISED…, you shouldn’t be!.. if their parents and those whom should be setting examples are not, what are your children to expect of you, what kind of example are you. To those in this forum who are posting on this issue, those who “wear jeans to mass” and sneakers etc etc. who are parents, YOU bear the responsibility to how your posterity behaves, you are responsible for their lack of faith, and their careless attitude towards the faith.

Again, distinction must be made between modesty and dressiness. One can most certainly dress modestly without being “dressed up”. One can, further, be quite stylish in a pair of jeans and maybe (for the girls, at least) a cute pair of sneakers (have you seen just how fashionable they often are?) Such an example can easily be set for children or others.

When I was an altar boy, I regularly wore sweat pants and a T-Shirt under my vestments. I had dress loafers on, which was all that anybody in the pews saw. Yet I was considered to be one of the most reverent servers by everyone in the parish. The clothes do not make the man.

Looks like the old school of thought, “your sunday best” has been forgotten…

Perhaps what should be researched is where this “old school of thought” originated in the first place.

WAKE UP PEOPLE AND PARENTS!!!..WAKE UP.

Not until noon, please!

To those who boast of wearing jeans and less than your sunday best, i think you really should sit down, and think. You need to revisit this issue, and ask yourself why. Why are you willng to go to a wedding in your best, and yet dawn your “casual clothes” and ball caps and sneakers, for the True Wedding Feast of The Lamb. Jesus Christ, The Bridegroom waits at the Altar to renew his wedding vows with you His Bride, and you show up in jeans, shorts, old t-shirts, and think nothing of it, when you could have shown respect for your beloved with your best…THAT IS TRULY SAD!!!

May God forgive us for our complacency!!!

I mentioned this earlier on the thread, but it bears repeating. There are many realities at play in the image of what Mass is, how and why we approach the Lord in this setting… all of which are true and worthy! From one perspective, then, it may seem that we ought to view things and take action a certain way. Yet from another perspective, there may be another appropriateness which is suitable. I think that we need to come to respect ALL of these realities (rather than merely our personal preference) and make room for each at the table.

 

[chicago]

I agree. There are many posts saying that God knows what is in your heart when attending mass. I understand your point and arguement. However, would you also argue that the wedding party knows your true intent if you dressed in jeans for their event? Now, I know that God is omnipotent and our tiny brains cannot fathom the nature of God, but if that is the case (I will repeat myself from an earlier post) shouldn’t he be deserving of a bit more respect?

Peace

But is God demanding a “dress code” like the wedding party may be. What are God’s standards and what are mere human sensibilities? And could it be that the people dressing for a wedding party are doing so more out of resignation or even showiness than respect?

 

[jmcrae]

This is off on a tangent, but I wonder if our image of Jesus has somehting to do with our attitude toward dress at Mass?

Of those who said they wear jeans or casual clothing to Mass, how many assume that Jesus looked like a hobo (dirty and wearing thrift shop clothes) and lived in garbage containers when He was travelling and doing ministry?

Of those who dress up, how many assume that Jesus looked like an itinerant religious leader (reasonably dressed up and clean), and stayed in the 1st century Palestine equivalent of hotels and with friends when He was travelling and doing ministry?

I’m just curious.

 

[buffalo]

This is off on a tangent, but I wonder if our image of Jesus has somehting to do with our attitude toward dress at Mass?

Of those who said they wear jeans or casual clothing to Mass, how many assume that Jesus looked like a hobo (dirty and wearing thrift shop clothes) and lived in garbage containers when He was travelling and doing ministry?

Of those who dress up, how many assume that Jesus looked like an itinerant religious leader (reasonably dressed up and clean), and stayed in the 1st century Palestine equivalent of hotels and with friends when He was travelling and doing ministry?

I’m just curious.

For those that feel it’s OK to dress down for Mass because the way Jesus dressed I offer this.

Jesus came down from heaven to meet us, therefore he dressed like us. When we go to see Jesus we are going to meet the King and responding to this invitation by dressing up.