Is It A Sin to Not Look Your Best In Church?

[Newbie2]

But, dressing well is a good mortification. However, dressing too well can be vanity. It all depends on your interior intention.

I would never comment on another’s dress (well, unless it was my kids). That’s kind of rude.

Those are our standards–dressy for some people and not dressy enough for others.

I used to see “competition” for who could dress the “bester” for Sunday at church where I grew up.

I do have nicer clothes, and I do wear them on special occaisions.

I just prefer to dress casually for everyday things.

But I always clean myself before church and always have clean clothes and so on.

Perhaps that’s the issue, “everyday things”. If that’s how you view Sunday mass, your dress is appropriate.

Good idea to walk. Sounds like you were about to lose your ride anyway.

 

[Catholic_89]

Re: the bolded portion…

Do you consider *being in the *presence **of Christ to be an “everyday thing”?

This is precisely the answer to the question. Do you think that going to mass is an everyday thing. Think about it.

Right there at mass, the very same Jesus Christ who was on this earth is now before you. God, the very being allowing you to exist. God, the creator of the universe; of the entire earth. And during mass, we offer up the very same sacrifice offered at calvary, not a symbol, but the actual one. So the question is, knowing what you know today, would you wear just jeans and a t-shirt to the single most important event in recorded history? This also goes for this wishy washy music they have playing in churchs today. Would you sing that before the death of Jesus himself?

Listen, I used to be on the other side (I am a big arguer). I used to say, its the soul that matters, not whats on the body. But as I argued and thought about it more, I realised that I was at fault. Is it wrong not to wear your best at Sunday mass? I think so. If there is no distinction between the clothing you wear to the mall or movies and the one you wear to church, what are you telling Christ?

Now this doesn’t mean you need the suit jacket. It gets hot, and wearing dressy pants and a shirt are fine. The reason is you have now made this distinction between a normal event, and a special one. (Would you wear what you are wearing to a wedding?).

Also, I feel like the odd one out at my church, because almost no one wears formal clothing. And I love the sacrifice in that fact(Although I wish they would change). One, you have now shown everyone how important you think the mass is. It is important enough to take out all your nice clothes and wear it, instead of any old thing. Two, you have now been an example to others. People will wonder, why is he always wearing nice clothes. And then maybe, one day that odd person will ask you why, and you might say, “would you wear anything less to see our Lord before you?” . And if you wearing nice clothes has helped even one person improve their faith because they start to notice the real presence of Jesus Christ, then it is has been worth all its trouble, and I am sure God will bless you for your sacrifice, even one as simple as what you wear.

Having said that, I would refrain from judging others clothing, especially going up to them and saying something. It is an issue, but arguing with others can push them away, not help. Instead, lead by example.

I hope this helps. I will pray for you. God bless

 

[Polaris]

Re: the bolded portion…

Do you consider *being in the *presence **of Christ to be an “everyday thing”?

I do. We were created through Him with Him and by Him so I guess it is an everyday thing to be in his presence.

For me I really dont own “nice clothes” poverty of students and all, and I left my last parish when they started putting up a rather high dress code. I was coming directly from work in a lab and I cant wear nice clothes in a lab. I compare that priest who made the dress code to my priest up north when I worked on a farm, I also tried to get to every daily Mass and was not exactly pristine and clean but he was happy to see me come instead of a you are not welcome here.

Would I meet the president or the pope or even Jesus in jeans? Yes because I am not going to present a lie of a false person. Im not rich, or an elitist, and I hope I am not terrible vein. I want to present what I am a little rough around the edges but solid and true and not be a tomb empty or rotting on the inside but painted a brillant white.

 

[Catholic_89]

But that is the thing. When they say Sunday best, they don’t say the Sunday suit. It means exactly that, to wear your best. If your best is what you have on all the time, then so be it. It is far worse to have someone not come to mass because of clothes problems, then to have them there in jeans.

And the same rule does not apply to daily masses, for the very reason you said. Many people are coming from work, or have to go to work right after. They don’t have time to change. That is completely understandable. Although nothing formal would be needed for daily mass, appropriate attire should still be used (ex, no shorts).

God bless.

 

[Starwynd]

Going to church is important and I don’t mean to belittle it. That is not my intention.

I just feel it is not a special occasion that warrants special clothing every single time you go.

And this kind of petty attitude, to be so concerned about the clothing an individual wears, is the kind of attitude that really turns me off of church.

So would you wear these kinds of clothes to a function like say a church sponsored picnic? After all, you are in God’s presence and to dress in jeans and a tee-shirt whenever people gather in His service is a disgrace to God. Therefore, you should wear a suit and tie or whatever dress clothing you have for it.

If we must dress up for church we must dreess up for all occasions when people are in his presence.

 

[stinkcat_14]

When people talk about what to wear to church, the answer is always based on cultural norms. People who think men should wear a tie, or a jacket and tie, do so because it is the standard of being dressed up in our culture.

Now my question is, why should we pay attention to the culture in the area of dress, when clearly the culture is wrong on many other facets of life, such as on abortion or sexual morality, etc?

 

[Oblaidon]

It can also depend on the church. If we are talking a youth mass, I don’t flinch at seeing jeans and T-shirts. I guess we all have to do what is confortable for us. A shirt and tie is a little too much for me. I wear a collared shirt and slacks. I sometimes wear my black New Balance tennis shoes, but most of the time I wear standard leather shoes.

Your clothes say something about you. What do you want people to hear?

I think it is good you are aware of the writings on your shirt. I have seen people with distracting sayings on their shirt that have nothing to do with their religious life. Um, sorry for interupting your party day.

Can you imagine if we all went to church shorts? Sometimes we are crammed pretty tightly. Do you want my legs touching yours? So if you are “turned off” about this talk of what to wear, remember it does matter.

 

[Starwynd]

But the thing is, it shouldn’t. I can understand concerns about hygene and cleanliness. But to be completely hostile to a person who isn’t really very comfortable wearing expensive clothes is just petty period.

And I’m sorry for not saying it sooner, but I also don’t like to wear them ebcause they often have materials in them that make me itch because I’m slighly allergic to them.

 

[buffalo]

All right. Instead of Sunday Best - how bout we dress for God?

 

[Oblaidon]

Starwynd,
Maybe it shouldn’t matter. I try not to notice what other people are wearing. For the most part you should dress humble and try not to distract others from their worship. If you are wearing a Rocket Dog shirt or a shirt you got from a rock conert, you would be taking away from the reason you are there. Even if it is a Christian rock band, not everyone would know that.

For the most part try to blend in. That doesn’t mean if others are wearing big holes in their jeans than you do also.

No, you shouldn’t get hostile to others for any reason. If it is your child you have the right and the duty to have them dress appropriate.

This maybe your spiritial time, but let’s not forget others in the equation. And yes, I do think we can be too prudish and point our fingers at other people when we should be more concerned about ourselves.

 

[Starwynd]

All right. Instead of Sunday Best - how bout we dress for God?

Where in the Bible does God make the demand that we dress in our absolute best and the most expensive clothes ever? This is just another case of people wrongly using God to support their concerns. And I suspect a sin of some sort of itself, to use God in such a manenr.

It is not a demand from God, but a demand from people.

And it does not endear me to go to church if people are going to be so petty. I do not want to be around people who are going to ahte me or be hostile to me just because it’s what everybody is doing. This is one of the big things have have always turned me off of going to church, is this pettiness of the congregation.

 

[Starwynd]

Starwynd,
Maybe it shouldn’t matter. I try not to notice what other people are wearing. For the most part you should dress humble and try not to distract others from their worship. If you are wearing a Rocket Dog shirt or a shirt you got from a rock conert, you would be taking away from the reason you are there. Even if it is a Christian rock band, not everyone would know that.

For the most part try to blend in. That doesn’t mean if others are wearing big holes in their jeans than you do also.

No, you shouldn’t get hostile to others for any reason. If it is your child you have the right and the duty to have them dress appropriate.

This maybe your spiritial time, but let’s not forget others in the equation. And yes, I do think we can be too prudish and point our fingers at other people when we should be more concerned about ourselves.

I do try to blend in, but I am also an individual and should have the right to express myself in my own way.

But the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few or the one.

 

[davidv]

Where in the Bible does God make the demand that we dress in our absolute best and the most expensive clothes ever?

It is not a demand from God, but a demand from people.

And it does not endear me to go to church if people are going to be so petty. I do not want to be around people who are going to ahte me or be hostile to me just because it’s what everybody is doing. This is one of the big things have have always turned me off of going to church, is this pettiness of the congregation.

In Matthew 22:11-12

"But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had nowedding garment; and he said to him, `Friend, how did you get in here without awedding garment?’ And he was speechless.

I haven’t reread the whole thread, but I don’t recall anyone indicate the what I bolded above is what is expected. The Matthew selection does indicate that our dress, both internally (attitude) and externally should be appropriate for the circumstance.

So, I would say it is not just a demand of “people”, but also of God.

How are going to get away from “pettiness”? It exists in all gatherings of humans.

 

[Oblaidon]

In your case I don’t have a problem. Fairly new jeans and a nice T-shirt are not distracting. Walking might be your best option if the person that is taking you doesn’t feel comfortable with the way you dress.

If you are distracting others, they should pay more attention to what’s happening inside more than the outside.

 

[Catholic_89]

Going to church is important and I don’t mean to belittle it. That is not my intention.

I just feel it is not a special occasion that warrants special clothing every single time you go.

And this kind of petty attitude, to be so concerned about the clothing an individual wears, is the kind of attitude that really turns me off of church.

So would you wear these kinds of clothes to a function like say a church sponsored picnic? After all, you are in God’s presence and to dress in jeans and a tee-shirt whenever people gather in His service is a disgrace to God. Therefore, you should wear a suit and tie or whatever dress clothing you have for it.

If we must dress up for church we must dreess up for all occasions when people are in his presence.

The reason you do not wear fancy clothes for a church picnic (although you could if you like ), is because God is not physically present as He is at mass. Yes God is everywhere, but only to keep everything in existence. But when we go to mass, God is actually present, not symbolically, not metaphorically, but actually before you. As you line up to receive the Eucharist, and get to the priest holding the Eucharist up, as you stare at the Eucharist, you are looking not at a piece of bread, but God himself under the appearence of bread. God Himself! And this is not a special occasion! To come before God physically present and receive Him is not special!

This is precisely why we need to start wearing appropriate clothing, because many, many Catholics do not even understand what the Eucharist is, and what wonderful graces and powers the mass holds. We need to start being the examples, and showing everyone how special we think the mass is, not only throug clothing, but through actions. God bless.

 

[Starwynd]

In Matthew 22:11-12I haven’t reread the whole thread, but I don’t recall anyone indicate the what I bolded above is what is expected. The Matthew selection does indicate that our dress, both internally (attitude) and externally should be appropriate for the circumstance.

So, I would say it is not just a demand of “people”, but also of God.

How are going to get away from “pettiness”? It exists in all gatherings of humans.

So we should all wear a wedding dress. Got it. I shall endeavor to wear a wedding dress whenever I go to church.

No dude, I read the whole chapter and it is not a demand by God for people to wear A Tux every single time they go to Church.

It was a parable about the corruption of the Pharisees.

Here is the full chapter:

biblegateway.com/passage/?search=mathew%2022%20&version=9

In short the human king was giving a wedding. A man showed up not appropiately dressed and the king got angry and punished him for it. Jesus criticised the king, and the king went to the Pharisees for support. It is in fact this story where Jesus calles the Pharisees hypocrites and exposes them for their hypocrisy.

And in fact in the proper context we also see the real meaning of the verse render unto ceaser’s that which is ceaser’s. It was not a quote by Jesus, but was actually said by the Pharisees in an attempt to prove that Jesus was not the king and he should bow down before the king who, according to them, had authority over Jesus because, according to them, Jesus was a man and not the true Son Of God.

So it has absolutely nothing to do with the way I dress but was abotu proving God’s authority. It was not a demand by God to wear your best and most expensive clothes.

But thank you I did learn something very new today. By reading the chapter I learned that Jesus and God never really said “render unto Ceaser’s what is Ceasers”. It was the Pharisees trying to coerce Jesus into bowing down before them and a human king.

 

[Catholic_89]

Where in the Bible does God make the demand that we dress in our absolute best and the most expensive clothes ever? This is just another case of people wrongly using God to support their concerns. And I suspect a sin of some sort of itself, to use God in such a manenr.

It is not a demand from God, but a demand from people.

And it does not endear me to go to church if people are going to be so petty. I do not want to be around people who are going to ahte me or be hostile to me just because it’s what everybody is doing. This is one of the big things have have always turned me off of going to church, is this pettiness of the congregation.

It doesn’t have to say in the Bible; this one comes from the tradition of the Catholic Church established by Jesus Christ.

I am sorry for your feelings towards others. It is wrong for people to mistreat you because of what you wear, however what you wear is how yo will be judged. If you wear gothic clothing, people will you think you are a gothic, if you were gangster clothing, they will think you are a punk. Now if I see someone wearing something not so appropriate for mass, in my mind, I will feel like they don’t take the mass that seriously. However, I will sure not act upon what my mind thinks and treat this person any different. People are sinners too, so be patient with them, and do what you can to lead by example. God bless.

 

[Polaris]

In Matthew 22:11-12I haven’t reread the whole thread, but I don’t recall anyone indicate the what I bolded above is what is expected. The Matthew selection does indicate that our dress, both internally (attitude) and externally should be appropriate for the circumstance.

So, I would say it is not just a demand of “people”, but also of God.

How are going to get away from “pettiness”? It exists in all gatherings of humans.

First:
Garments were provided in that case.

Second
Lets se what the Golden Mouth says (homily 69) :

Hear ye, as many as having partaken of the mysteries, and having been present at the marriage, clothe your souls with filthy deeds. Hear whence ye were called.

From the highway. Being what? Lame and halt in soul, which is a much more grievous thing than the mutilation of the body. Reverence the love of Him, who called you, and let no one continue to have filthy garments, but let each of you busy himself about the clothing of your soul.

Hear, you women; hear, you men; we need not these garments that are bespangled with gold, that adorn our outward parts, but those others, that adorn the inward. Whilst we have these former, it is difficult to put on those latter. It is not possible at the same time to deck both soul and body. It is not possible at the same time both to serve mammon, and to obey Christ as we ought.
Let us put off us therefore this grievous tyranny. For neither if any one were to adorn your house by hanging it with golden curtains, and were to make you sit there in rags, naked, would you endure it with meekness. But lo, now you do this to yourself, decking the house of your soul, I mean the body, with curtains beyond number, but leaving the soul itself to sit in rags. Do you not know that the king ought to be adorned more than the city? so therefore while for the city hangings are prepared of linen, for the king there is a purple robe and a diadem. Even so do thou wrap the body with a much meaner dress, but the mind do thou clothe in purple, and put a crown on it, and set it on a high and conspicuous chariot. For now you are doing the opposite, decking the city in various ways, but suffering the king, the mind, to be dragged bound after the brute passions.

…I think Imay be hanging around the orthodox too much.

 

[Pinkyyy]

well personally I think it’s disrespectfull for someone not to make some effort for church. You dress for work, but not for God? I admit, I am getting lazy at it too. I usually go to mass with my husband even though I am lutheran. And it’s disgusting to me when I see girls in short skirts, low shirts, etc, and guys in jeans and t-shirts. In fact one sunday I was going by a lutheran church and I thought I might step in, but I was too embarassed to even go b/c the people there made a real effort to look good, and here I was in so-so clothes. I think it’s really sad that people in church don’t make more of an effort (I am getting there too - not anymore though .

 

[jjb5985]

As someone who does make an effort to wear nice clothes to church even when they are uncomfortable, I am amazed at the arguements provided by those who think you have to dress up for God.

“The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

Who is the one single person who won’t judge you by your appearance? God. Therefore, who should it matter to the THE LEAST whether you are dressed up or not? God.

If there is anyone you don’t need to dress up for, it should be God who is only interested in your heart. Do you really think God has the same sense of fashion that you in your particular culture has?

Yes, I understand what you wear might say something about your attitude. I will only dress in a suit and tie if I am forced to by circumstance. This means I only dress up “my best” to please others and pass from their judgement which is something that must be done because we as humans are flawed and judge by appearance. If I never have to wear a suit and tie again I’d be fine with it no matter how good I may look in one.