Our Sisters had a sign posted at the entrance to Adoration chapel--- no shorts or sleeveless tops-- modesty at all times.
I know the casual look has been accepted for decades. But how should one dress in the presence of the King of kings who is also the Lord of Lords, our Savior, our Redeemer, and one day our Judge? I always wear a skirt to holy Mass. Often I am the only woman to do so but someone has to set the example. Yes, nice slacks can be acceptable but never shorts, tight clothes, etc. because those things are inconsiderate and a distraction to others, no matter how 'comfortable' the wearer is. Dominus Est!
I am afraid I have never paid enough attention to dress and behaviour. I remember one time in the monastery I was working on the farm , up to my knees in mud and much worse,,with the cattle. I suspect I even smelt ripe. A call came that people were expecting me in the guesthouse. . I rushed over without even changing into the habit and it was a couple of young nuns brought to see me by a priest. Their look of horror when I stamped in was a picture. They did not stay long. I am afraid I will never learn. On the other hand I cannot help seeing a certain humour in things like this and a two sided lesson. Yes , on the one hand we should dress to get the job done (so to speak) and so fulfill peoples expectations of us, but on the other hand when looking at how other dress and look we should see beyond our own expectations if you see what I mean. That the person is much more than how often he or she looks or dresses. A kind of two edged sword.
I guess you miss the point, little things are important. Obviously there is exceptions. But this board seems so worried about chastisement, refuge and the anti-church. You would think you would appreciate a little more humility and modesty in the House of Our Lord. And, if one truly believes in transubstantiation.......then we should be kneeling and genuflecting. May Gods Will be Done
2. The clothing and outward appearance are of small account; it is change of character and entire mortification of the affections which make a truly religious man. He who seeketh aught save God and the health of his soul, shall find only tribulation and sorrow. Nor can he stand long in peace, who striveth not to be least of all and servant of all. http://www.sacred-texts.com/chr/ioc/ioc018.htm View attachment 2102 1 Samuel 16:7 Samuel Anoints David as King …6When they entered, he looked at Eliab and thought, "Surely the LORD'S anointed is before Him." 7But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." 8Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, "The LORD has not chosen this one either."…
Love scripture quotes In the streets, you would never know...but in the Tabernacle of Our Lord Jesus Christ. The little things matter. May Gods Will be Done
Yes. it is not a question so much of choosing either or but a question of balance, of moderation, if you like.
They still do. I witnessed on two occasions, in two different Italian cities (Rome in 2005 and Milan in 2012) a man dressed in a suit who walked around the Church enforcing the signed dress code.
Finding the true middle ground of any situation is difficult for me. If I truly believed in transubstantiation, and nothing else, I would never dare approach, not even on my knees or crawling on my belly. But I believe in so much along with transubstantiation... I've read the posts here over the last couple of days, and reflected that these other mortals may be as misdirected as me (no disrespect intended to any of the other posters!) Then today I read the first reading - good old Micah... “With what shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my first-born for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?” He has showed you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
' '...to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?' Such simply requests, so rarely honoured.
...because yet again it is the state of our heart that determines if what we do is a justice, a kindness, or humble... Aaargh!!!!
How would one dress going to a wedding, in their best attire I would imagine, shouldn't it be the same for Holy Communion, the Wedding Feast of the Lamb?
Someone once asked a wise old priest if it is was alright to smoke while praying? The priest posed the question, 'Is it alright to pray when we are smoking?' Putting the question back to from helped give balance. Instead of asking if it is alright to go to communion in jeans and t shirt , maybe we ask if it is alright to refuse to go to communion in jeans and t shirt. You see it is essentially the same thing just looked at from differing directions. A question of how you look at it, from either direction, a question of balance. I would say the best dress of all is the dress of love. That we should put on love and we are dressed as Heavens princes and princesses. Will we be in our best dress in heaven? Yes for we shall be love and covered in love. I love the accounts of saints who come back from heaven. Again and again they appear to be dressed in shinning white robes, as described in Revelation. These robes are of course those of the Holy Spirit , of love.
As a woman whose entire interest in clothes can be summed up in two questions - is it clean?, and - does it fit? I think the burqa is a rather attractive feature of Islam! Wear what you want under it, you can bring the kids to school in your pyjamas if you want coz no one will ever know, and you'll never be judged!
As I mentioned earlier, I was told in a locution to cover my head : " My Mother is there (at the Mass) and her head is covered. Are you above My Mother??" I also felt instinctively to dress very modestly in a longer dress to cover my legs and upper arms. Anyway, does that mean I worry about anyone else's dress? No, EXCEPT for the alarming girls/women who obviously are dressing to look sexy. Whether they always dress this way or just at Mass I cannot tell, only that there does seem to be a big problem lately with this kind of thing. Last year we had a high school girl as a communion minister and she wore a TINY miniskirt, bare legs, a tight shirt that showed about 3 inches of bare belly, and flip flops for shoes. I was very sad and prayed for this girl. I wouldn't have known anything much about her as I didn't know the family except that she committed suicide a week before her high school graduation last year. I don't know why. But anyway from her obituary I saw she was a semi profession ballet dancer, so she probably DID wear those kind of clothes on a regular basis. Her name was Victoria if anyone here would say an Ave for her, it just is so hard to think of why in the world she killed herself! But anyway, my point is, that I think we need to remind our parishioners about dressing appropriately for Mass. This is SO much more than just a social commitment or weekly activity. Guys wearing Bermuda shorts really doesn't turn anyone on (I hope!) and truly cannot be thought of as the same category as women dressing immodestly. Women in today's society do not dress modestly on the whole nor do they care what people think. This attitude should not only be changed at Mass, but also in a Christian woman's daily life. We are not just Christians on Sunday, but everyday, and should act and dress befitting the children of God and in a style that will not offend our Holy Mother's eyes. My Mom had a good saying: " If you wouldn't do it or say it with Mary present, you should not do it, say it (or dress like it!) when she is not there."
I doubt if anyone on this forum believes that lack of humility and modesty in church is a good thing. This past Sunday, it took everything I had not to focus on the horrendous behavior and dress of the entire family in the row in front of me. Here's the real question: What is my responsibility? As a mother, I made sure my children dressed appropriately for Mass, and now that they're grown, my only job is to make sure that I am dressed appropriately. It's the job of the priest and his designees to police those who behave or dress scandalously at Mass. It's my job to love my brothers and sisters, and when their behavior or dress irritates me, to fight the urge to hold them in contempt, and instead, to pray for them. I remind myself that at least they are in the true presence of Jesus Christ, body, blood, soul and divinity. Who can guess how the most irreverent, most immodestly dressed person may be touched in such presence? Yes, little things are important, and I must attend to those little things in my sphere of responsibility. Bigger things are more important - and my primary focus must be on SOULS - mine, and the souls of all of my brothers and sisters.
I read once that St Theresa Of Avila, heard satan say, 'how discusting of you, to pray to your God while you are on the toilet,' This must have disturbed Saint Theresa but her answer to this accusation was, 'I will pray at all times and in all circumstances to my God, He will recieve my prayers and suppilcations that go up to Him forever, however, what goes down, while I am here, is for you!'
The End Game of Prayer is that it should never cease, that it should be like our heart beat ; beating forever. This is called in Catholic Mysticsm , 'Spiritual Marriage', or the Easterners call it , 'Divinisation'. Sometimes I think of it as the reverse of selling your soul to the devil , but in this case you sell your soul as it were to God. We constantly deceeve ourselves that we have done this but always somewhere, some how keep a little back. So we are like little birds that try to fly into the Heart of the Eternal but f there is even a tiny thread tying us to the ground we cannot take of. But the aim is that all the chains, all the ropes all the strings, even the tiniest thread is severed and we fly. This severing of the string will either take place in this life, or in the life to come in Purgatory. For most it is in the life to come. But we should be always trying to break the chains that bind us. The Rosary is a very good analogy of this eternal prayer. We pray the Rosary and out intent should be to become the Rosary. Every breath a bead, every day a decade every year a rosary. Breathing God with every breath, with every heart beat, with every fibre of our being.
So true. But scary. Am I living the rosary? One will never trully know. A sinner like me? I trust God and His blessed Mother, not myself. Therefore, to live the Rosary, I must say the Rosary.
