Why do Catholic men shave their faces?

[FCEGM]

## It’s largely a matter of culture - there was a Wave of Beards in sixteenth century Europe: all the Popes from 1534 to 1605, with a decline to a goatee until 1621, then a reversion to a beard from 1623 to 1644, had beards; but by the eighteenth, the fashion was for shaven faces again. Beards became popular in the nineteenth century, then not: which is how matters stand at present; though it could be argued that Wave of Beards has ebbed & flowed, in such a way that each succeeding wave has been less full and vigorous, but real none the less.

When I was a child a cousin of my maternal grandfather came to visit us briefly with another priest (both were Jesuits) on there way from Spain to a mission in South America (this was in the late 1940’s). Apparently it was a practice of long-standing that those Jesuits who served in the mission fields wore beards, while their brothers working in universities and other areas went clean-shaven.

 

[Al_Masetti]

Have “attempted” to grow a beard from time to time. Pretty disgusting mess… It’s easier to just shave each day. Cleaner and neater. Wife likes me clean shaven.

 

[majick275]

our pastor has a beard. The two other priests in our parish do not.
When I was LDS you could not have any facial hair and be a temple worker because the temple president said so.

 

[Petergee]

Tantum ergo:

A moot point. The point is that He was considered well groomed, or attractive, by the standards of His contemporaries.

Many found His teaching and His miracles attractive. But I doubt very much that they considered Him physically attractive or well-groomed. The prophet said He would have “a face to make men turn their heads away”. And he spent three years wandering the dusty roads of the Holy Land, probably sleeping on the ground most of the time and seldom getting a chance to bathe and to groom His hair and beard.

Of course we should dress to go to Mass as we would dress if we were visiting or receiving any other honoured guest. But when it comes to a choice between going to Mass unshaven and in a dirty tracksuit; and missing the first half of Mass while I go home to shower, shave and change, I choose the former. I am dismayed that some choose the latter in similar situations.

OTOH I’m surprised at the number of men who come to Mass on Sunday morning, who obviously haven’t shaved since Friday morning. If they shave to go to work, shouldn’t they shave to go to Mass?

 

[pira114]

Orionthehunter:

I shave becasue my wife wants me to. I also sleep on the left side of the bed because my wife wants me to. In fact, I do everything because my wife wants me to. For me a more pressing issue than why I shave is whether it is Biblical for me to do whatever my wife wants me to do. She says it is. Should I believe her?

P.S. I’m just glad that I don’t have two wives telling me what to do.

Well, maybe your wife has two husbands, cuz she sounds just like mine!!!

 

[jjwilkman]

alternatively, why shave? to keep the razor blade manufacturers in business?

 

[cargopilot]

Banaticus:

Why do Catholic men shave their faces?

Why hide my uncommonly good-looking, chiseled face.http://forums.catholic-questions.org/images/icons/icon12.gif

Mostly though, it’s a job and wife requirement.

 

[searcher]

I have had facial hair (moustache or full beard) all of my adult life except for the time I served in the bishopric as a counselor. (I’m LDS). I remember my young children were actually frightened of me when I was clean-shaven. Here in the east it is not uncommon to see more and more LDS men with beards. Howver, as stated before if they hold higher positions in the Church they are usually asked to be clean-shaven.

As my brother-in-law used to say “a beard covers up a whole lot of ugly”.

 

[mercygate]

Orionthehunter:

I shave becasue my wife wants me to. I also sleep on the left side of the bed because my wife wants me to. In fact, I do everything because my wife wants me to. For me a more pressing issue than why I shave is whether it is Biblical for me to do whatever my wife wants me to do. She says it is. Should I believe her?

P.S. I’m just glad that I don’t have two wives telling me what to do.

Right. Then you might have to sleep on both sides of the bed at the same time!

 

[Tmaque]

Lorarose:

I wonder if Jesus would be considered well groomed by today’s standards?

Excellent question. In this appearance obsessed culture, I believe the answer would be no.

 

[ben_dy]

Tmaque:

Excellent question. In this appearance obsessed culture, I believe the answer would be no.

I agree - but in His time, being of the peasant/artisan class of the agrarian Roman Empire, I would image that even by the standards of the time He would likely have been ritually clean but likely almost indecently rancid to the upper classes of the day. But it was customary, even for the peasant/artisan stock to keep their beards rather short - they would have used the 3 setting on the Braun beard trimmer rather than the 4, more than likely (now don’t expect me to provide proof that there were Braun beard trimmers when Jesus’ was around - as the LDS apologists are quick to point out not all materials can survive for thousands of years to be discovered by present-day archeologists).

Although many pooh-poohed the science, there was a fairly recent History or Discovery Channel forensic facial re-creation of a 1st century Jewish male of around 30 years of age that gave an idea of what the man looked like and the particular features which would likely have been common to all Jewish males of that period. The primary similar features would have Jesus more resembling the swarthier Semitic males of today rather than those of lighter skin who likely inter-married with Europeans when Eastern Islam and Western Christianity fought and conquered, conquered and fought. By Western European standards, Jesus was unlikely ‘model’ material (and there are some Gnostic writings, of course, that have his physical appearance as being different to all that saw Him - but these were the ‘loony’ Gnostic writings…).

So I think it’s safe to assume the Jesus had a rather short beard, relatively short hair, and may have worn his earlocks (peyos - “the hair that grows at the temple and upper sideburns between the forehead and behind the ear”) a bit longer than the hair on the rest of his head but not as long as some of today’s Orthodox Jews. I’m not quite sure where the anthropological data is that insists that ‘most’ Jewish males at the time wore short beards - it’s an OT commandment that the beard NOT be cut with a razor, but there certainly would have been scissors around at the time as they were known to have been used in the area since at least the 3rd century B.C. if not before.

How did I get from a generalized “why do Catholic men shave their faces” to pondering the length of Jesus’ beard? Because, as He ‘started’ the Catholic Church it goes back to the very source!

 

[GoLatin]

Banaticus:

Thanks for your answers. I see that I was much mistaken. Also, perhaps I should have phrased the question somewhat differently, not in regards to all Catholic men, but priests, etc. So it’s possible that I could see a Catholic Bishop with a beard?

Also, I work with my Dad and I told him what I was asking about. In all honesty I should say that I was also wrong regarding my own church, being clean shaven is a requirement for all in my church who are Bishops and higher. My church has asked every other man to consider following the same practice but having a beard will not make a man unworthy.

At www.cdop.org/bishop/drjbio.cfm, you will find a photograph of a bearded Bishop.

 

[Brain]

Banaticus:

Why do Catholic men shave their faces?

Id rather not shave, but I havent figured out how to get a full beard (maybe full over the whole face, but i rather do the giant never cut look) and not look like a scraggky mountain-man in the process of aquiring said beard. Currently what i have been doing is slowly growing side burns longer and longer and wider and wider, hoping that maybe that will be a good transition,

 

[Verbum_Caro]

Banaticus:

Why do Catholic men shave their faces?

This reminds me of that story when William The Conqueror was invading England. His Norman army had the habit of shaving their faces. Since priests in England at the time (see Catholic Encyclopedia Article: BEARD ) had to shave, when King Harold sent out his spies they came back and reported that William had an army of priests.

I think that is the story, anyway.

VC

 

[ProudArmyWife]

Orionthehunter:

I shave becasue my wife wants me to. I also sleep on the left side of the bed because my wife wants me to. In fact, I do everything because my wife wants me to. For me a more pressing issue than why I shave is whether it is Biblical for me to do whatever my wife wants me to do. She says it is. Should I believe her?QUOTE]

Yes -

My husband’s famous words from a mentor prior to our marriage - the most important words of marriage - You’re right - You’re always right - I don’t know what I was ever thinking

 

[armywife]

Must be the soldier in them, right Proud Army Wife. Yes, ma’am… whatever you say… I love you… you were right.

LOL

 

[LittleDeb]

Banaticus:

Also, I work with my Dad and I told him what I was asking about. In all honesty I should say that I was also wrong regarding my own church, being clean shaven is a requirement for all in my church who are Bishops and higher. My church has asked every other man to consider following the same practice but having a beard will not make a man unworthy.

I am curious when this practice began as many of the early LDS prophets had beards. ie Brigham Young

 

[flameburns623]

LittleDeb:

I am curious when this practice began as many of the early LDS prophets had beards. ie Brigham Young

Starting with David O. McKay, the Presidents of the LDS Church were all clean-shaven. Most 20th-century Presidents have had extensive backgrounds in business or sales fields which encourage clean-shaven appearance as least likely to be offensive. Many modern people identify beards with radicalism, non-conformism, or eccentricity. Mormons want very badly NOT to be seen as radicals, non-conformists, or eccentrics. Though their theology is definitely radical, non-conformist, and eccentric.

 

[ben_dy]

flameburns623:

Starting with David O. McKay, the Presidents of the LDS Church were all clean-shaven. Most 20th-century Presidents have had extensive backgrounds in business or sales fields which encourage clean-shaven appearance as least likely to be offensive. Many modern people identify beards with radicalism, non-conformism, or eccentricity. Mormons want very badly NOT to be seen as radicals, non-conformists, or eccentrics. Though their theology is definitely radical, non-conformist, and eccentric.

Wow - you’re right! Even the portrait of McKay in 1900 or so shows him as clean-shaven! I would have thought that, in that early time, beards would still have been fashionable.

 

[johnnykins]

The present Archbishop of Boston, Sean O’Malley, has a beard.