The same issue is with mass. I’ve seen young ladies with miniskirts, tops with revealed cleavage. Yes, I would not have worn those or selected those for a d I to say it is appropriate or not. There have been many times that for a reason dressing up for mass was not in the cards. I’ve looked like a bum and yet I went to mass. This is where I believe Msgr. I am there to celebrate and I am happy to have a church filled with those not dressed appropriately than the church filled to 50% because ccd is not in session or it is not a holiday. If I notice what someone is wearing or doing in mass then I am not participating.
If I can go and listen to the gospel and homily and HEAR what is being said then I’ve participated in the celebration. If I’m concerned about the individual in front of me wearing shorts and a sandal then I’ve missed the point of mass and probably should go again. Life is dynamic and we need to understand this. The suits of the 70’s is quite inappropriate for today and yet would any have an issue if I wore one of those ugly garments to mass?
I would welcome a man in boxers and a tee-shirt if it meant he was coming to celebrate with me! Msgr. We cannot escape that when debating. What we can escape is the inability to recognize progress. You don’t like what is happening but it is there. I do not know you and have never read your other blogs. It is a fact that you are judge ID title loans by the way you dress and it is very common in our own community, the Catholic Church. My Byzantine friend is judged poorly because of his long hair and beard and yet my fellow Catholic’s do not understand his reason for it. Be satisfied and rejoice in your brother and sisters attendance in mass for there are many of our relatives that no longer visit for we have pushed them aside for not living up to our ideals.
Yes, I do not see any problem with what a person wears and yes some people can select a better option, but does it really matter in the end
As I re-read my comment I notice many undeveloped ideas. One of which is “This is where I believe Msgr. is missing not his point but the point of mass.” This is written poorly and my meaning is not clear. Msgr. does indded understand the point of mass. What I was trying to say is, Msgr. is allowing in his blog the exterior sign to override the interior sign of why the person is attending mass. My, even with the few moments I have I still have goofed this up. Maybe when I have proper time I’ll clarify my point. Thank you,
Would you be upset if I wear sandals to mass just like the monk that I saw in my church a short while ago?
Mortis, (I notice you have switched your name from AJ but to the computer you’re alawys .12) ?? But anyway, this subject of the interior vs exterior is not either/or. Both are important and both influence each other. How I dress both reflects and influences my interior disposition. THis isn’t arcane anthropology, it’s just just common sense. What makes your position extreme is your dismissal of the exterior (in this case how we dress) as having any significance at all. It clearly does have significnace for all the reasons stated. True, it is not the only thing, but neither is it insignificant. Externals do not override (that’s your either/or world) but they do influence and reflect the interior.