Parish and Personal Priorities--are we obsessing with the trivial?

[Annabelle_Marie]

Jeans are a reflection of what is now, not what they are going to do.
It is after the fact and a little late for reform.
I remember when people wore suits and ties. It made an impact.

Bigger things are made up of little things.
Get sloppy in little things around the house and what do you have?

We must do one and not neglect the other.
we pay the mortgage for sure, but can we ignore the utilities?

Our attitude is composed of small ideas which run our lives day to day.
Can we ignore traffic signs or being on time? What would that bring?

Yet we mustn’t ignore the smoke comming out of our basement.

People are problem solvers. We should take them on as God hands them to us, big or small.

Just a few thoughts.

Ya…jeans are responsible for all the evils of the world…

I’m apparently the world worst sinner because on casual Fridays at work…I wear my jeans to daily Mass…well at least I am in good company at daily Mass with all the rest who are their in jeans. Those of us who make the time,…keep the Eucharistic fast…run over over to Mass…eat our lunch afterwards on the run…are terrible…

 

[superamazingman]

Ya…jeans are responsible for all the evils of the world…

I’m apparently the world worst sinner because on casual Fridays at work…I wear my jeans to daily Mass…well at least I am in good company at daily Mass with all the rest who are their in jeans. Those of us who make the time,…keep the Eucharistic fast…run over over to Mass…eat our lunch afterwards on the run…are terrible…

There’s nothing wrong with jeans at daily masses, if they’re modest! We’re mainly talking about Sunday Masses here.

 

[Annabelle_Marie]

There’s nothing wrong with jeans at daily masses, if they’re modest! We’re mainly talking about Sunday Masses here.

Even at a Sunday Mass or Sat evening Mass…Clean, dark, and modest… They are hardly responsible for all the evils of the world

 

[Diana_Catherine]

Ya…jeans are responsible for all the evils of the world…

I’m apparently the world worst sinner because on casual Fridays at work…I wear my jeans to daily Mass…well at least I am in good company at daily Mass with all the rest who are their in jeans. Those of us who make the time,…keep the Eucharistic fast…run over over to Mass…eat our lunch afterwards on the run…are terrible…

Well, I didn’t hear him say that jeans were responsible for “all the evils in the world”, that could be an exaggerated response. .

Even at a Sunday Mass or Sat evening Mass…Clean, dark, and modest… They are hardly responsible for all the evils of the world

Again, not responsible for all the evils in the world but I would suspect the way they are worn usually certainly contribute, though I suspect you probably wear your jeans very modest, making sure they are not low riding and skin tight or have holes in them which I think is where the issues are, is how people wear them

On the other hand if Fridays are casual then the rest of the days must not be casual and jeans are not allowed because maybe where you work on those days they want you dressing “nicer”. Sundays at mass do not have to be casual.

 

[Annabelle_Marie]

Well, I didn’t hear him say that jeans were responsible for “all the evils in the world”, that could be an exaggerated response. .

Again, not responsible for all the evils in the world but I would suspect the way they are worn usually certainly contribute, though I suspect you probably wear your jeans very modest, making sure they are not low riding and skin tight or have holes in them which I think is where the issues are, is how people wear them

On the other hand if Fridays are casual then the rest of the days must not be casual and jeans are not allowed because maybe where you work on those days they want you dressing “nicer”. Sundays at mass do not have to be casual.

I hear what you are saying…the problem is people can get all worked about others wearing jeans and not know the full story.

I occasionally will wear jeans to Sat night Mass…but I go on Sunday morning as well…usually in slacks.

During my vacation I will be at daily Mass in jeans…and probably an appropriate T-shirt…daily Mass is at noon…so I have to plan it in as it is…which I think is more what God considers important. What is worse? Me in my jeans and T-shirt or those that aren’t there at all?..not that NOT going to daily Mass is bad…but for me daily Mass is heavenly…

It just seems there are those in the pew fuming over trivial…yes…trivial things like this…and they lose their peace…their focus on the Mass…and get rather worked up. Or worse yet…they start sounding like the Gospel…“dear Lord…I thank you that I am not like that sinner over there…”

 

[Seeker1961]

Didn’t someone once say something about taking the beam out of your own eye before addressing the splinter in someone else’s ?

What I see a lot of with religion in general is that people like to find a sin they don’t commit, have never committed and have no interest in committing and make that sin the worst one since the dawn of time-thereby minimizing the “wrongness” of the sins they do commit. It reminds me of the kid who gets caught doing something wrong and quickly points to something his sister or brother did “worse” to take the focus off them.

If we focused on our own issues and spent our time cleaning our own house we wouldn’t have time to point at others. Also, if we were ALL cleaning our own houses a lot of the other problems would solve themselves in the process of all that housecleaning.

 

[Diana_Catherine]

I hear what you are saying…the problem is people can get all worked about others wearing jeans and not know the full story.

I occasionally will wear jeans to Sat night Mass…but I go on Sunday morning as well…usually in slacks.

During my vacation I will be at daily Mass in jeans…and probably an appropriate T-shirt…daily Mass is at noon…so I have to plan it in as it is…which I think is more what God considers important. What is worse? Me in my jeans and T-shirt or those that aren’t there at all?..not that NOT going to daily Mass is bad…but for me daily Mass is heavenly…

It just seems there are those in the pew fuming over trivial…yes…trivial things like this…and they lose their peace…their focus on the Mass…and get rather worked up. Or worse yet…they start sounding like the Gospel…“dear Lord…I thank you that I am not like that sinner over there…”

I agree the important thing is to get to mass. I, also attend daily mass and usually in slacks or jeans. Sundays I try to keep as special. I know that dressing up is different for everyone. Personaly, I don’t know any other way to dress up than dresses. Many women today weren’t raised that way and it would be foreign to them.

I have a feeling that I am like most people that prefer people to consider where they are going on Sundays and dress up a little, and that is, that I would prefer it but I don’t let it bother me at mass and I don’t fume or get worked up, unless, there is and it happens, definite immodesty. I don’t fume but having boys in my family I do get upset. I close my eyes and pray or focus on my missal and pray a long with the mass. That is when I pray that God would enlighten them to where they are and they would be considerate of other people. Otherwise it is just a preference and I don’t fume about it too much, so I wouldn’t think people are fuming too much about what others wear but it is a preference or a desire. Most people that attend daily mass are there for a reason, because they want to and make a special effort to go.

As far as trivial things. I thought about this thread yesterday at daily mass when the reading was about Elijah directing his servant to watch for rain and there wasn’t any for a long time and then they saw a very tiny cloud and it later became a heavy rain cloud. The cloud started out just as small as a man’s hand but grew to a storm. Father’s homily was about watching and praying because small things can become big things.

God bless.

 

[Annabelle_Marie]

Didn’t someone once say something about taking the beam out of your own eye before addressing the splinter in someone else’s ?

What I see a lot of with religion in general is that people like to find a sin they don’t commit, have never committed and have no interest in committing and make that sin the worst one since the dawn of time-thereby minimizing the “wrongness” of the sins they do commit. It reminds me of the kid who gets caught doing something wrong and quickly points to something his sister or brother did “worse” to take the focus off them.

If we focused on our own issues and spent our time cleaning our own house we wouldn’t have time to point at others. Also, if we were ALL cleaning our own houses a lot of the other problems would solve themselves in the process of all that housecleaning.

very true…plus all that takes time. You focus on the current sins.,get those under control…and then work on others…

No one just wakes up perfect…we are all on a journey…

I pray for the continued conversion of my parish…,myself included…and leave it up to God to know what each person needs.

 

[Diana_Catherine]

Didn’t someone once say something about taking the beam out of your own eye before addressing the splinter in someone else’s ?

What I see a lot of with religion in general is that people like to find a sin they don’t commit, have never committed and have no interest in committing and make that sin the worst one since the dawn of time-thereby minimizing the “wrongness” of the sins they do commit. It reminds me of the kid who gets caught doing something wrong and quickly points to something his sister or brother did “worse” to take the focus off them.

If we focused on our own issues and spent our time cleaning our own house we wouldn’t have time to point at others. Also, if we were ALL cleaning our own houses a lot of the other problems would solve themselves in the process of all that housecleaning.

You’re right. Plus sometimes it is not the sins one has never committed but ones they did commit and either out of the love of Christ in them would like to prevent others from making the same mistakes or because they feel they accomplished this feat on their own have forgotten they used to do them and look down on those that commit them.

Hopefully, most would do the first, but more than likely and sadly it is the latter. I like this from St. John Chrysostom.

*As the pardon of our sins is proportioned to the pardon we afford to others, so also will our judgment be proportioned to the judgment we pass on others. If our neighbour be surprised by sin, we must not reproach or confound him for it, but mildly admonish him. Correct your brother, not as an enemy, taking revenge, but as a physician, administering appropriate remedies, assisting him with prudent counsels, and strengthening him in the love of God. Chry. hom. xxiii. *

…

No one just wakes up perfect…we are all on a journey…
.

True. No one wakes up perfect or reaches that perfection here on earth.

God bless