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MtnDwellar
Guest
He is clearly not talking about a wedding, or a Mass, or even garments. It is a parable. The wedding is the Kingdom of Heaven.
I know of no evidence that wearing a suit for Mass is part of our Sacred Tradition.
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I know of no evidence that wearing a suit for Mass is part of our Sacred Tradition.
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Evan
Guest
um … the mass is the wedding feast of the lamb on earth. It is the time when heaven comes to earth and we are brought to heaven. He is talking about the mass.
He is not talking about clothes but about your soul. The state of your relation with God. But, as with all sacraments, there are outward signs and inward realities. We are both physical and spiritual. To ignore the physical and think only the spiritual is important is to ignore our humanity, both body and soul. To ignore that God became physical and that the beauty of God’s creation can be used to glorify God.
Although my artistic skill is imperfect, I try to be presentable before the Lord by the way I act, the way I dress, and the way I groom myself; in addition in the way I prepare myself spiritually for mass, prayer, penance and almsgiving.
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MtnDwellar
Guest
I don’t disagree that the Mass is the wedding feast of the lamb on earth. Your interpretation of that particular passage is rather broad and esoteric, but it still applies.
As I stated before, the Mass is many things and one’s main perception may influence the way that he dresses. The Mass is a wedding, it is also a meal, and it is the sacrifice of Calvary. There is not one set of clothing that is appropriate for all occassions.
That’s exactly what I do!
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Theophilus777
Guest
I actually do not have a large closet of clothes. I am on Social Security Disability and barely make it month to month. I have a driver’s license but cannot afford a car, so I ride a bicycle everywhere I go(my disability obviously has nothing to do with my legs). I personally think it’s silly to be so concerned about clothes, particularly when Jesus told us not to worry about what we are to wear. But He also said that God would provide. I go to daily Mass on my bicycle and I wear shorts and a t-shirt while riding. I stick a pair of clean solid color long pants in a bag and tie it to the handlebars. When I get to Church, I go into the bathroom and put on the long pants over my shorts.
The reason I do this is because I go to Mass because I want to receive the Lord. I don’t want to have to contend with anything else whatsoever, and I have peace in my heart during the Mass and don’t have to worry about what is going on in someone else’s head. I personally couldn’t tell you what anyone else was wearing during morning Mass today because I was praying to the Lord, not letting my eyes wander around to see how everyone else measured up to the group.
The Scripture talks about those whose conscience is weak, i.e. about “meat sacrificed to idols.” In this instance there are those who may have trouble paying attention to Mass and are easily distracted. I would prefer to have everyone in the congregation focused on the priest and the altar and enjoying the beautiful gift of the Mass that Jesus has given to all of us. I certainly do not want people scowling at me for wearing my short pants when they should be paying attention to God. I do this out of love. Yes, it would be nice if people had enough self-discipline to be able to ignore those things around us that do not conform to our expectations, but we are called to bear the weaknesses of others.
If I do or do not have the freedom of choice to wear short pants to daily Mass I will not attempt to say. But I do have the choice of loving the people who are there with me, and this is a way for me to obey the Lord and go the extra mile.
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EasterJoy
Guest
People knew what “Sunday best” has meant for centuries. Why are you making this harder than it is?I don’t disagree that the Mass is the wedding feast of the lamb on earth. Your interpretation of that particular passage is rather broad and esoteric, but it still applies.
As I stated before, the Mass is many things and one’s main perception may influence the way that he dresses. The Mass is a wedding, it is also a meal, and it is the sacrifice of Calvary. There is not one set of clothing that is appropriate for all occassions.
That’s exactly what I do!
Wear something that would locally seem to be something suitable for a solemn but frequent occasion held at that particular time of day. That’s going to look different in different places. It doesn’t need to have a once-in-a-lifetime look, but it shouldn’t look as if you are dressed so as to be off to other places to do something of a higher priority at the minute Mass ends, either, or that you couldn’t be bothered to dress for this occasion in particular.
If you don’t have what meets the local norm, wear the closest thing you have. When it is time to buy clothes, look for something suitable that is within your means. It isn’t about expense, it is only about expressing respect for the setting and the occasion.
“My brothers, show no partiality as you adhere to the faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ. For if a man with gold rings on his fingers and in fine clothes comes into your assembly, and a poor person in shabby clothes also comes in, and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say, “Sit here, please,” while you say to the poor one, “Stand there,” or “Sit at my feet,” have you not made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil designs? Listen, my beloved brothers. Did not God choose those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that he promised to those who love him?” James 2:1-5
You’ll note that the Apostle scolds those who show partiality, but he also immediately assumes that anyone who comes into the assembly in shabby clothes must actually be poor. He does not even consider the possibility that anybody would have the ability to wear decent clothing and would choose to do otherwise. Put yourself in that mindset, and you will be fine.
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NewEnglandPriest
Guest
Matthew 22:11-14
But when the king came in to meet the guests he saw a man there not dressed in a wedding garment. He said to him, “My friend, how is it that you came in here without a wedding garment?”
But he was reduced to silence. Then the king said to his attendants, “Bind his hands and feet, and cast him into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.”
Many are invited, but few are chosen.
But when the king came in to meet the guests he saw a man there not dressed in a wedding garment. He said to him, “My friend, how is it that you came in here without a wedding garment?”
But he was reduced to silence. Then the king said to his attendants, “Bind his hands and feet, and cast him into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.”
Many are invited, but few are chosen.
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MtnDwellar
Guest
The verses that you quoted make a strong case for wearing “everyday” clothes as opposed to dress clothes to Mass. My argument is not in favor of wearing shabby clothes to Mass. I don’t wear shabby clothes anywhere, save for working on a car or in the garden. Casual is not the same as shabby.
I don’t know about anyone else. I have chosen to live a very Spartan life. I eliminated all things that I don’t need. My choice is a spiritual choice, not financial. Gone are the T.V. sets, stereos, sports cars, motorcycle, boat, nicknacks, photo albums, yearbooks, unnecessary clothing, furniture, etc.
“When, a house takes fire, the furniture is thrown out of the windows; and when a soul burns with divine love, she, without the aid of sermons, or spiritual reading, or the exhortations of directors, divests herself of all affection for creatures, to possess and to love her only Supreme Good the God of Majesty and Sovereign of the universe.”
St. Francis de Sales
The reason that I don’t just let this topic go, is that it strikes at the core of my spirituality. I am a person who has rid himself of material things. These things included mountains of clothing, watches, rings, and other jewelry. I don’t need or want any of those things and I do not need them to show respect or love for Jesus.
I am done.
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EasterJoy
Guest
If you would wear jeans and you wouldn’t wear a tie even if you were making a presentation to the Legislature or you had a court date, then that is OK, provided that what you do wear clearly puts your best foot forward. There is no disgrace in dressing like a cowboy, if you are in fact a cowboy.
There are religious congregations that have nothing but simple clothes and sandals, even for their most solemn liturgies, and this is considered acceptable religious garb by those with authority over them. If townspeople who knew people in that order took those habits as permission to wear clothes that the townspeople themselves would never dream of wearing for an important secular occasion, though, then that wouldn’t be right. It’s like that.
I know a fellow, though, who is Mr. Jeans-and-Boots through and through, but he owns a pair of black slacks for church. His mother raised him not to wear jeans to church on Sundays, and so he wears those slacks, which aren’t more or less expensive than jeans, but which he thinks show the respect that his mother taught him. So it does depend a little on not giving scandal to the old ladies.
After all, remember what St. Paul said about food, which I think applies to clothing as well, in the present context:
“Now food will not bring us closer to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, nor are we better off if we do. But make sure that this liberty of yours in no way becomes a stumbling block to the weak. If someone sees you, with your knowledge, reclining at table in the temple of an idol, may not his conscience too, weak as it is, be “built up” to eat the meat sacrificed to idols?Thus through your knowledge, the weak person is brought to destruction, the brother for whom Christ died. When you sin in this way against your brothers and wound their consciences, weak as they are, you are sinning against Christ. Therefore, if food causes my brother to sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I may not cause my brother to sin.” 1 Cor. 8:8-13
Choosing one fabric over another for your pants doesn’t matter, except when it is a trial for those who are weaker than you are. In that case, you ought to take care it will never be that “through your knowledge, the weak person is brought to destruction”.
As Steven Covey put it (and I am fond of quoting): The Main Thing is to Keep The Main Thing the Main Thing
Don’t defend your own comfort unless you know you will not offend your brother or sister’s conscience.
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Sailor_Kenshin
Guest
I’ve seen plenty of my-comfort-comes-first types rail against those who would dress for Mass, calling them show-offs and snobs.
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EasterJoy
Guest
I have seen people “show off” that they don’t wear anything they can’t find at Goodwill, too, but that doesn’t make it wrong to have a simple wardrobe. Besides, some people who “dress up” for Mass do give into spirtual pride about it. It doesn’t make dressing up wrong, any more than the Sunday obligation is wrong because there will be people who get puffed up about never missing, but of course the first person to recognize the sin of pride in a snappy dresser is going to be the slob!
Besides that, clothes that look more formal aren’t necessarily less comfortable. Jeans are usually more durable as work and recreation clothing, but pants in a more “dressed up” fabric can be both less expensive and more comfortable. If they’re only worn for Mass, the durability issue isn’t a factor. The same thing goes for shirts…a Sunday shirt might be a lot more comfortable than a shirt that has to be able to withstand the rigors of a day spent doing carpentry, all while being no more expensive.
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MissRose73
Guest
It would be nice if we returned to the days where dressing up was more commonplace for church. I know those days will not as we have become more casual in dress.
But I think that most people can afford 1 decent outfit for Mass (like a nice shirt and a pair of trousers) even if they have to spend the rest of the work week in a uniform of a retail place etc and wearing a tee shirt & jeans at home. I think its the least we can do when in the presence of Jesus.
But I think that most people can afford 1 decent outfit for Mass (like a nice shirt and a pair of trousers) even if they have to spend the rest of the work week in a uniform of a retail place etc and wearing a tee shirt & jeans at home. I think its the least we can do when in the presence of Jesus.
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georgeth
Guest
Just wanted to see what I would of looked like if I were that size when we got married. The look on my DH face was priceless when I walked out of the dressing room.The wedding dress is used to introduce to everyone in the wedding.choose the wedding dress you like that suits you because it’s your wedding.If no idea!,then search it in wedding dresses in the online.Good luck for getting the good dress.
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