Have we become too casual in our approach to the Mass?

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One of the things that I find pretty frustrating is when people are talking about normal weekly events in the church when there are others gathered praying a rosary before mass. I’m not talking about small whispers either, I’m talking about across the church conversations about the local basketball team.
 
Should it matter if other people criticize us for wanting to dress our best to show respect and veneration for our lord?
 
You’re very correct in saying that reverence is a whole lot more than what you wear. However, one thing that is strongly connected to reverence is the amount of effort one puts in. If you have every ability to dress up and look your best for the Lord shouldn’t you?
It is not about whether people should (have)to dress a certain way or not, it is all about whether they should if they are able or not.
 
Lifeisbeautiful3 said:
Jesus doesn’t care what clothes we’re wearing to venerate and give thanks / praise to Him.
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Why do people presume to speak for what Jesus wants and cares about?

If a friend invites you to a wedding are you going to show up in jeans and a tee shirt? Why do we show respect for our friends and family but not to our Lord and Saviour?

Now to the excuses…

If you don’t have the time to dress nicely then your priorities are wrong, period.

If you say people can’t afford it then that is simply not true. I can buy second hand suits for less than $50 all day long at thrift stores and eBay. One suit is all you need if you are desperate. The same people who are said to not be able to afford a nice outfit almost certainly have a newer smartphone along with data plan, cable TV and a big screen in the living room. Again it comes down to priorities.

Why did people give all they had of their wealth and time to labor for decades/centuries on Cathedrals when God would be just as much present in a run down shack?
 
LumineDiei said:
a bygone era in Catholic Leave it to Beaver land. Maybe, just maybe focusing on the internals and not the fabric externals is what should be going on while in church. Reverence is a whole lot more than who is wearing a 3 piece suit compared to who is wearing jeans and a cowboy shirt.
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That terrible time when people actually showed respect to others and themselves by presenting themselves nicely. I much prefer the modern attitude of wearing pajamas to the store and not caring what anyone thinks because we are all so self centered.

Why can’t we do both? Dress nicely to outwardly show our reverence to our Lord and have reverence in our heart.
 
I don’t think that casual approach to Mass is all about clothes, but I wanted to comment on kids in soccer uniforms because it happens to be convenient. It’s important to remember that your Sunday schedule should be planned around Mass, rather than squeezing Mass in between soccer games and other activities. Mass is the most important thing you do on Sunday; everything else is a nice extra. Showing up in soccer clothes to Mass gives the impression that Mass is an afterthought. And yes, what’s inside matters more, but the externals should match our internal dispositions.

Suppose you have a wedding to attend on a Saturday. Most people would consider it the day’s main event and will do their best not to schedule other activities that interfere with it, so as to allow sufficient time to get ready, get there on time, etc. It would be rather disrespectful to show up in your soccer uniform as you are trying to squeeze the wedding in your busy day. What then does it say about our attitude toward Mass if we don’t give it the same attention as a wedding?

I’m actually not against casual clothes at Mass. I agree casual is simply how people dress these days, but the soccer uniform example goes beyond that, and is all about priorities.
 
I am reading the book “Rebuilding Your Message: Practical Tools to Strengthen Your Preaching and Teaching” published in 2015 and written by Father Michael White and Tom Corcoran. There is a lot of emphasis on nonverbal communication. Chapter 1 is “You are the Message” and discusses the Pope using his small Fiat. Clothing is talked about in Chapter 8 “Develop Your Own Style”. Chapter 9 is “Get in Shape”. Chapter 10 “Your Body has a Language” begins “Probably half of all effective communication is nonverbal.”

The Constitution on the Liturgy includes:

“30. To promote active participation, the people should be encouraged to take part by means of acclamations, responses, psalmody, antiphons, and songs, as well as by actions, gestures, and bodily attitudes. And at the proper times all should observe a reverent silence.”

Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concilium , 4 December 1963, full document at http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_...const_19631204_sacrosanctum-concilium_en.html
 
LumineDiei said:
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ConcernedConvert:
Should it matter if other people criticize us for wanting to dress our best to show respect and veneration for our lord?
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The problem comes not from people dressing their best to show respect and veneration to Our Lord, but from making the determination that those who do not wear their very best are lacking in reverence.
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So should priests be held to a higher standard? Why?
Should Eucharistic Ministers? Why?
 
The rubrics dictate what the Priest wears in Liturgical settings.

AS far as EMHC, it is up to the Pastor to decide if/what the “dress code” is.

Can I have an opinion? Of course, but it doesn’t mean a hill of beans in either situation.

However, my attitude towards others is something that I can control. If I have the attitude that I am better, more reverent than others simply because of the clothes I wear, I obviously have not been listening when I have been at Church all these years. :roll_eyes:
 
Hey, isn’t there some Bible story about people not wearing the right clothes to attend a wedding? What happened to them? 😉
 
Also, just because society has changed to become much more informal since the 1960s, aren’t we as Christians not supposed to just blindly follow our crummy culture?
 
Peeps – I don’t think anyone is complaining about the infirm or elderly. Honestly, it’s the hordes of suburbanites in their SUVs and their blingy-butt jeans that make one wonderful “whatever happened to the idea of Sunday best”?
 
Just asking a question – whatever happened to Sunday best? I mentioned suburbanites in their SUVs specifically because often people will say “oh well poor people can’t afford special church clothes” but often it seems to be people who have no trouble affording large new expensive vehicles, seemingly fashionable blinged out jeans, etc.
 
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Bushum said:
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Lifeisbeautiful3:
Jesus doesn’t care what clothes we’re wearing to venerate and give thanks / praise to Him.
Click to expand...
Why do people presume to speak for what Jesus wants and cares about?

If a friend invites you to a wedding are you going to show up in jeans and a tee shirt? Why do we show respect for our friends and family but not to our Lord and Saviour?

Now to the excuses…

If you don’t have the time to dress nicely then your priorities are wrong, period.

If you say people can’t afford it then that is simply not true. I can buy second hand suits for less than $50 all day long at thrift stores and eBay. One suit is all you need if you are desperate. The same people who are said to not be able to afford a nice outfit almost certainly have a newer smartphone along with data plan, cable TV and a big screen in the living room. Again it comes down to priorities.

Why did people give all they had of their wealth and time to labor for decades/centuries on Cathedrals when God would be just as much present in a run down shack?
Click to expand...
The scriptural accounts of the temple is a good starting point imo. God didn’t instruct the Israelites that all they needed was a run down tent for him to dwell in. I’d challenge anyone to go and read the precise instruction on building the temple and still say it doesn’t matter how we dress.

And pay attention to what happens to those that approached the temple in an unworthy manner…
 
CilladeRoma said:
If I have the attitude that I am better, more reverent than others simply because of the clothes I wear, I obviously have not been listening when I have been at Church all these years. :roll_eyes:
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nobody has said that.
 
@CatholicSooner Respectfully, I disagree. I cannot fathom a scenario where Jesus cares what style house you live in, what style car you drive, or what style clothing you’re wearing.
 
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LisaB said:
I don’t think that casual approach to Mass is all about clothes, but I wanted to comment on kids in soccer uniforms because it happens to be convenient. It’s important to remember that your Sunday schedule should be planned around Mass, rather than squeezing Mass in between soccer games and other activities. Mass is the most important thing you do on Sunday; everything else is a nice extra. Showing up in soccer clothes to Mass gives the impression that Mass is an afterthought. And yes, what’s inside matters more, but the externals should match our internal dispositions.

Suppose you have a wedding to attend on a Saturday. Most people would consider it the day’s main event and will do their best not to schedule other activities that interfere with it, so as to allow sufficient time to get ready, get there on time, etc. It would be rather disrespectful to show up in your soccer uniform as you are trying to squeeze the wedding in your busy day. What then does it say about our attitude toward Mass if we don’t give it the same attention as a wedding?

I’m actually not against casual clothes at Mass. I agree casual is simply how people dress these days, but the soccer uniform example goes beyond that, and is all about priorities.
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I agree with this. Also, there have been MANY studies that show clothes affect out mood, mindset, etc.

Many formal offices that wear shirt & tie find that when they have casual Friday’s, their work product decreases.

When we dress down for mass, it does negatively affect our thoughts. And when we dress up, it can positively affect our thoughts (However, note I said “dress down” and “dress up.” I mean if we dress down or up for mass compared to how we would dress for work or other common place events.)

For example: the person who always insists on wearing a fancy suit to work but wears jeans to mass most likely doesn’t have the best mindset regarding mass. HOWEVER, I guess it good that he still shows up - but surely his mindset isn’t where it could be.

Now, I don’t think one must always wear a shirt & tie to mass (I know I almost never wear a tie). But I do take the time to at least wear what I would wear to the office.
 
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Loud-living-dogma said:
Also, just because society has changed to become much more informal since the 1960s, aren’t we as Christians not supposed to just blindly follow our crummy culture?
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I believe this is what I was hinting at earlier…its called secularism and relativism. The Church should not fall victims to these two diseases. Clearly, many have.
 
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