Dress Like a Man

[JimG]

Jimi
So, if one were to wear shorts or jeans to a job interview, that would be acceptable? Or to a wedding? I think not. So, why would it be acceptable to wear to Mass. Personally, it is about respect for God, internal and external. The internal respect will usually make one think about how they are going to behave/dress.

I think that this is the point. One ought to dress to suit the occasion. The problem is that many have come to see the Mass as less important than a job interview, or at least, a more casual occasion. (On the other hand, I’m afraid that sometimes people don’t actually even dress properly for job interviews, projecting an inordinately casual demeanor which may not favorably impress the interviewer.)

 

[pianistclare]

You win the thread. There is no need for any further posts

Exactly. I can’t believe this is a thread on a Catholic site.
My pastor said “this is exactly why CAF is ridiculous”.

Embarrassing.
Unsubscribing.

 

[DaisymaeD]

I like the idea of “Sunday Best”, but in reality I wear whatever is clean and neat.

Be careful of t shirts with offensive logos. Nobody wants to sit behind somebody wearing a “party naked” t shirt!

The Black Protestant churchgoers where I live always dress in their best clothes–the women wear hats! And the men wear suits and look very dapper.

My own parish is near a group home for intellectually disabled and mental health clients. Some of them wear very raggedy clothes, but I’m not sure if it’s from poverty or just that they prefer to wear the same things over and over. (In my experience with MHMR, a lot of these people thrive on ritual and sameness.

But I hesitate to impose a dress code for Mass other than being modest.

 

[edwest2]

Each man’s life hangs in the balance – The eternal lives of every man and woman and their children hang in the balance in the three eternal destinies for souls: Hell, Purgatory and Heaven. Each man will face Jesus Christ alone in the Final Judgment. Men on trial in the temporal world, pleading their case before a worldly judge, almost always wear respectful clothes. The respect that a man should give the eternal Judge is infinitely more than any worldly judge, for He will decide each man’s eternal destiny.

Every man desperately needs the help of our King – Given the array of forces that Satan is continually assembling against men, each man desperately needs the supernatural graces of our Lord and King Jesus Christ. A man approaching Christ in the Mass should dress like he is beholding to Christ.

Being in Mass is a man’s greatest honor – Jesus Christ the Eternal King, in His full Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity is really and truly present in the tabernacle. When a man enters the parish, he is coming into the presence of Almighty God, the Greatest Man. The fact that sinful and puny men can actually come into the presence of the Greatest Man is an honor above every honor. Consider: if the President of the United States invited you to the Oval Office, it would be a great honor and you would certainly wear your best. Meeting the president is nothing compared to the divine honor of being in the presence of our King Jesus Christ.

Each man owes God everything – Each man is born and kept alive exclusively by God’s Grace. The fact that a man’s lungs breathe and his heart beats and his body converts food into flesh and blood is a gift from God. Every person in a man’s life, be his wife/girlfriend, children, family and friends, are all living breathing miracles given to a man by God. Christ recognized man’s need to give God thanks by establishing the Eucharist (literally means “thanksgiving”). If a man truly understands his dependence on God and wishes to give God thanksgiving, each man should at least dress like he means it.

Each man should instill the awe of Christ in his family and others – A man’s greatest responsibility is to lead his family to Christ so that they may receive the life-changing, miraculous Body and Blood of Christ. Children observe and pattern their father’s behaviors and a man should do his best to communicate an awe of the Eucharist to his children. Men who take the trouble to dress well, and to help their children dress well for Mass, send a clear sign that awe and reverence is required when approaching the King. Each man also has an obligation to his brothers to help lead them to Christ; dressing in one’s Sunday best will make an impact on other men.

DRESS FOR THE KING
Stopping the hemorrhaging of Catholic men from the Church will require a broad and sustained effort enlivened by the Holy Spirit. But each man, in every parish, can do his part this Sunday by dressing like a man who knows he is coming into the Presence of the King. Dress like a man who is awed by the Mass. Other men will notice, including Christ the King.

I lived through the last 40 + years. I clearly recall how men and women dressed for Mass. We always wore our Sunday Best because, yes, we knew we were going to be present before God. But that desire to dress in a presentable way was preserved outside of Church. Not fancy dress, but appropriate dress.

Radicals and dissidents inside and outside the Church introduced disrespectful and inappropriate music that did not elevate a person to the divine. This pop culture was introduced by those who wanted to change what was sacred and reverent to something that did not inspire worship. This started in the late 1960s and 1970s. Bad catechesis was a result of these dissidents scattering the flock, causing confusion, and putting the emphasis away from God and His word to create innovations that were wrong. The dissidents captured the media. The fashion elite captured the media. Where once the United States could call itself a Christian country, various highly coordinated groups wanted the exact opposite. This was gradual and decade by decade, eroded a respect for everything, including God.

Today, I go to the store and see people dressed as if they just got out of bed.

Men must dress in a presentable way. A suit, tie, simple shirt and appropriate shoes. The House of God requires our best - not necessarily expensive - clothes. We are going to worship God. We must reject the “anything goes” media culture that has elevated ‘radical individualism’ and replaced traditional practices with vagueness. Other changes in the media culture contributed and still contribute to this. Self-respect, respect for others and human dignity have been called useless or old-fashioned, or, “Leave me alone. I’ll do what I want.”

My brothers in Christ. If we want Catholic communities that contain dignity, respect and appropriate behavior, we need to be outward signs of these things.

Thank you to the OP.

Ed

 

[Draper]

It’s interesting how people use arbitrary examples of “meeting the President of the USA”, “a job interview” or “a wedding” when suggesting how they feel we should dress for Mass.

Similarly their belief that a suit and tie somehow equates to “dressing like a man.” Ever stop and consider how out-and-out ridiculous a necktie is? Even more ridiculous is applying secular measures of being “dressed up” to attending the Mass.

But their most absurd belief of all is their notion that we need to “dress up” for God – so long as we dress up in a manner they approve of course.

Just plain silly. And a huge waste of time and money.

 

[Graceful_Lamb]

It’s interesting how people use arbitrary examples of “meeting the President of the USA”, “a job interview” or “a wedding” when suggesting how they feel we should dress for Mass.

Similarly their belief that a suit and tie somehow equates to “dressing like a man.”

But their most absurd belief of all is their notion that we need to “dress up” for God – so long as we dress up in a manner they approve.

Just plain silly. And a huge waste of time.

it is a huge waste of time to try to dress appropriately before going to God’s house? It doesn’t take a lot more effort to dress appropriately than not.

 

[Draper]

If I was going to make a concerted effort to dress in a manner at Mass to please God I could focus on:

Humbleness.

Modesty.

Frugality.

Something like a clean plain white dress shirt in good repair, a pair of simple cotton trousers also in good repair and a simple pair of shoes would be about as good as it could get.

A necktie (LOL!) and a suit or jacket wouldn’t make the cut.

 

[Walking_Home]

On How We Live the Eucharist
“Through the Eucharist, Christ wants to enter into our existence and permeate it with His grace,”

Vatican City, February 12, 2014 (ZENIT.org)

Here is the translation of the Holy Father’s continuing catechesis on the Sacrament of the Eucharist to the faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square for his weekly General Audience.

There are very concrete signs to understand how we live all this, how we live the Eucharist; signs that tell us if we live the Eucharist well or if we don’t live it too well. The first indication is our way of looking at and of considering others. In the Eucharist Christ always acts anew the gift of Himself that he made on the Cross. His whole life was an act of total sharing of Himself out of love; that is why He loved to be with the disciples and with the people He was able to meet. For Him this meant sharing their desires, their problems, what agitated their soul and their life. Now we, when we participate in the Holy Mass, we meet with men and women of all kinds: young people, elderly people, children, poor people and the well-off, native to the place and foreigners, accompanies by relatives or alone … However, does the Eucharist I celebrate lead me to truly regard them all as brothers and sisters? Does it make my capacity grow to rejoice with the joyful and to weep with those who weep? Does it push me to go to the poor, the sick, the marginalized? Does it help me to recognize Jesus’ face in them? We all go to Mass because we love Jesus and we want to share in the Eucharist his Passion and Resurrection. But do we love, as Jesus wants, those brothers and sisters that are most in need? For example, in Rome in these days we have see so many social hardships or because of the rain, which has done so much damage to entire neighborhoods, or for the lack of work, consequences of the economic crisis in the whole world. I ask myself, and each one us should ask themselves: I, who go to Mass, how do I live this? Do I make sure to help, to come close to, to pray for those who have this problem? Or am I a little indifferent?** Or maybe I’m concerned with gossip: Have you seen how that woman is dressed, or how that man is dressed? Sometimes this is done, after Mass, and it shouldn’t be done! **We should worry about our brothers and our sister that are in need because of a sickness, a problem. Today, it would do us well to think of these our brothers and sisters that have these problems here in Rome: problems caused by the tragedy provoked by the rain, social problems and work. Let us ask Jesus, who we received in the Eucharist, to help us to help them.

zenit.org/en/articles/on-how-we-live-the-eucharist

 

[Draper]

it is a huge waste of time to try to dress appropriately before going to God’s house? It doesn’t take a lot more effort to dress appropriately than not.

The silly part is you trying to define for others what it means to “dress appropriately.”

Suits and ties were commonly worn in the US to everything including football games for perhaps 50 years. Secular styles change and very few wear suits and ties today, yet some desperately try to cling onto them as a “standard” on how we should dress for Mass.

To me it’s not about “making an effort” to wear a suit and tie. It’s about wearing something (a suit and tie) that looks increasingly silly if not ostentatious at Mass.

 

[Graceful_Lamb]

The silly part is you trying to define for others what it means to “dress appropriately.”

Suits and ties were commonly worn in the US to everything including football games for perhaps 50 years. Secular styles change and very few wear suits and ties today, yet some desperately try to cling onto them as a “standard” on how we should dress for Mass.

To me it’s not about “making an effort” to wear a suit and tie. It’s about wearing something (a suit and tie) that looks increasingly silly if not ostentatious at Mass.

My husband is very old school, so he attends Mass in a suit. He doesn’t feel comfortable otherwise.

 

[Draper]

My husband is very old school, so he attends Mass in a suit. He doesn’t feel comfortable otherwise.

So?

I’m also not sure that would be a measure of “old school” either.

 

[Draper]

I was thinking about this a bit more. It would be very different if for example Jesus Christ told us (or even alluded to) how to dress for the Mass in the Gospels. Let’s say that bit of scripture was well followed for years in the Church except for the last few decades.

It would make a lot of sense for me to strive to dress as Jesus Christ directed us to. But to push purely secular examples of “correctness” like a suit and tie? No way.

 

[JimG]

I like the idea of “Sunday Best”, but in reality I wear whatever is clean and neat.

Be careful of t shirts with offensive logos. Nobody wants to sit behind somebody wearing a “party naked” t shirt!

The Black Protestant churchgoers where I live always dress in their best clothes–the women wear hats! And the men wear suits and look very dapper.

My own parish is near a group home for intellectually disabled and mental health clients. Some of them wear very raggedy clothes, but I’m not sure if it’s from poverty or just that they prefer to wear the same things over and over. (In my experience with MHMR, a lot of these people thrive on ritual and sameness.

But I hesitate to impose a dress code for Mass other than being modest.

Those black Protestant churchgoers obviously haven’t read this thread! Hmm–are they being judged by us for the way they dress?

 

[TheSurvivor]

I lived through the last 40 + years. I clearly recall how men and women dressed for Mass. We always wore our Sunday Best because, yes, we knew we were going to be present before God. But that desire to dress in a presentable way was preserved outside of Church. Not fancy dress, but appropriate dress.

Radicals and dissidents inside and outside the Church introduced disrespectful and inappropriate music that did not elevate a person to the divine. This pop culture was introduced by those who wanted to change what was sacred and reverent to something that did not inspire worship. This started in the late 1960s and 1970s. Bad catechesis was a result of these dissidents scattering the flock, causing confusion, and putting the emphasis away from God and His word to create innovations that were wrong. The dissidents captured the media. The fashion elite captured the media. Where once the United States could call itself a Christian country, various highly coordinated groups wanted the exact opposite. This was gradual and decade by decade, eroded a respect for everything, including God.

Today, I go to the store and see people dressed as if they just got out of bed.

Men must dress in a presentable way. A suit, tie, simple shirt and appropriate shoes. The House of God requires our best - not necessarily expensive - clothes. We are going to worship God. We must reject the “anything goes” media culture that has elevated ‘radical individualism’ and replaced traditional practices with vagueness. Other changes in the media culture contributed and still contribute to this. Self-respect, respect for others and human dignity have been called useless or old-fashioned, or, “Leave me alone. I’ll do what I want.”

My brothers in Christ. If we want Catholic communities that contain dignity, respect and appropriate behavior, we need to be outward signs of these things.

Thank you to the OP.

Ed

This is a truly beautiful post, thank you Edwest2. Clare and Tallguy have spoken hastily for, this post is the pinnacle.

 

[TheSurvivor]

I was thinking about this a bit more. It would be very different if for example Jesus Christ told us (or even alluded to) how to dress for the Mass in the Gospels. Let’s say that bit of scripture was well followed for years in the Church except for the last few decades.

It would make a lot of sense for me to strive to dress as Jesus Christ directed us to. But to push purely secular examples of “correctness” like a suit and tie? No way.

One of the first Christian non-Scripture documents, the Didache, if I am not mistaken, does indeed address this issue.

 

[edwest2]

This is a truly beautiful post, thank you Edwest2. Clare and Tallguy have spoken hastily for, this post is the pinnacle.

You’re welcome. Looking respectable and dignified (which is not a lack of humility but a sign of respect), is being directed toward God. We come before the Lord with our best, not sweat pants.

Ed

 

[Graceful_Lamb]

You’re welcome. Looking respectable and dignified (which is not a lack of humility but a sign of respect), is being directed toward God. We come before the Lord with our best, not sweat pants.

Ed

 

[Walking_Home]

***For if a man with gold rings and in fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, and you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “Have a seat here, please,” while you say to the poor man, “Stand there,” or, “Sit at my feet,” have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? … But if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors. ***(James 2-4,9)

-Tim-

---

 

[triumphguy]

I worked in the financial services industry for 12 years, and had some very nice hand made suits, trousers, shirts and jackets. I felt like a fraud wearing them to mass, and so for the most part I didn’t. They were my ego clothes, my tool to impress clients. I also had the Jaguar to compete the image.

So I wore ordinary clothes to mass and felt far more authentic. I hate feeling more dressed up than the next guy in mass. And I hated driving the jag to mass so much that I got an old beater Crown Victoria… and I quit the finance industry and went back to teaching

BTW I think far more crimes have been committed by men in suits then men in khakis and polo shirts!

I would say for people to look as clean and neat as possible in mass.

Though it was said of St. Francis that his feet were so dirty that you couldn’t tell where the ground began and his feet stopped, and I think I remember reading he had quite a devotion to the Eucharist.

And again Jesus himself had some choice words to say of people who measured their tassels and were worried about their phylacteries.

Matthew 25:3-7

do not do as they do, for they do not practise what they teach. 4 They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others; but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them. 5 They do all their deeds to be seen by others; for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long. 6 They love to have the place of honour at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues, 7 and to be greeted with respect in the market-places, and to have people call them rabbi.

 

[JimG]

So, can we conclude that it’s okay to dress for work, for business, for fine dining, for weddings, for proms, but for Mass–just dress down, please.