Public Liturgical Roles: Lectors, Cantors, Extraordinary Ministers of Communion, Cantors and PROPER CLOTHING
Back in November of 2004, while I served as an assistant to the pastor of Saint Therese Church in San Diego, some of the young men and women who served as lectors, extraordinary communion ministers and musicians at the parish “teen” Mass, discussed appropriate clothing to wear while serving in public liturgical roles at Mass.
The following is what I wrote to include in their discussion.
========
Hello, all. I’m Fr. Stephanos writing to you to add my own comments about the forms and appearances of both ceremony and clothing at the Holy Mass, the Eucharist.
I know these matters are important to all of you from one angle or another.
First of all, when compared to most people going to church, I admit I am overdressed: closed-collar, long sleeves, floor-length, solid black. Then, once I get to church in my solid black layers, I add on top of it a floor-length, long-sleeved, white “alb” (robe); and on top of that I put on a third layer, the “chasuble,” colored according to the season or occasion.
Last September and also last Monday all the priests of San Diego met with Bishop Robert who, among other things, reminded us on both occasions about two concerns:
(1) correct standards in the ceremonial forms while celebrating the Mass;
and (2) the need for those who serve during Mass to dress suitably.
Why the concern about these external forms?
One reason is that at this time only one out of three U.S. Catholics believes the truth about the Eucharist. What is the truth about the Eucharist?
The truth is that
the REAL JESUS CHRIST
in his REAL FLESH
and his REAL BLOOD...
is REALLY
and TRULY
and PERSONALLY
PRESENT
under the appearances of bread and wine.
Two out of three U.S. Catholics have lost true faith where it concerns the Eucharist. They might just as well not be Catholics when it comes to the Eucharist. They might just as well not receive it, since they don’t believe it.
In recent decades here in the U.S., we Catholics (including priests) have been somewhat too casual about external forms— too unconcerned about external forms— in morality, in teaching the sacraments, the faith and the Gospel... too casual also in our ceremonies at Mass. Priests are much at fault in these matters.
When we are too casual about external forms, the result is a loss in matters of the spirit. This is because we human beings are not just spiritual. We are external bodies also. We need to express our spirituality with our bodies and our bodily living. After all, God our Savior did not stay up in heaven: he came down from heaven and was born bodily in flesh and blood, suffered and died in flesh and blood, rose from the dead in flesh and blood, ascended into heaven in flesh and blood. The body and the way we live and act with the body is a life-and-death issue for Jesus the Son of God. It’s also a life-and-death issue for us, since God plans to raise our bodies from the dead.
Did Jesus in his Gospel have anything to say about these concerns? He certainly criticized and condemned the members of the Pharisee party for their empty external customs and their lack of true generosity towards God and neighbor. However, Jesus never criticized the ritual ceremonies of the Temple. In fact, he once used a whip to kick out from the temple those persons who failed to respect the temple as a place of prayer.
Besides his violent cleansing of the temple, here are two other Gospel examples in which Jesus shows his pleasure or his concern for externals. (After I give you these two examples, I’ll also point out a partial weakness in my own position.)
First example. Mark 12:41-44 (same incident in Luke 21:1-4).
Jesus sat down opposite the treasury of the Temple, and watched the multitude putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. And a poor widow came, and put in two copper coins, which make a penny. And he called his disciples to him, and said to them, "Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. For they all contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, her whole living."
When we come to God’s temple, the Church, are we doing our material all? We are certainly not as poor as the widow with only a penny’s worth to call her own. What have we let it cost us when we go to worship in church? The rich put in a lot when they went to the temple, but it did not really cost them. The poor widow impressed Jesus by spending her last pieces of money when she went to worship.
Is the clothing we wear in church a sign of our generosity, or is it an expression of convenience and comfort?
It matters to Jesus.
The widow impressed Jesus with her UN-comfortable and IN-convenient and sacrificial generosity when she went to worship. She let her spiritual generosity show on the outside by how she spent money on “going to church.”
Second example. Mark 14:3-7.
And while Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head. But there were some who said to themselves indignantly, "Why was the ointment thus wasted? For this ointment might have been sold for more than three hundred denarii, and given to the poor." And they reproached her. But Jesus said, "Let her alone; why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you will, you can do good to them; but you will not always have me.
(Same cost as in John 12:1-8.)
This woman in Bethany wasted more than 300 denarii worth of ointment on Jesus. “Denarii” were Roman silver coins equal to one day’s salary. Today’s minimum wage salary in California ($6.75 per hour) for 300 standard eight-hour workdays (“300 denarii”) amounts to sixteen thousand and two hundred dollars. That’s what that woman in Bethany poured out on Jesus.
When we go to honor Jesus at Holy Mass, what do we let it cost us? Do we spend any of our money on clothes to “waste” on Jesus at Holy Mass? Or do we spend more money on clothes that we wear on other occasions, but not at Holy Mass?
It pleased Jesus when one woman wasted an irrational amount of money to pour perfumed oil on him. She showed the love that was in her heart by what she did on the outside. It was wasteful. It cost more than sixteen thousand dollars.
I don’t expect anyone to spend that much money on a set of clothes for Sunday Mass. However, I think it pleases Jesus when we really use our best in the worship of his heavenly Father.
If the way we dress at Holy Mass REALLY is costing us something, I’d tend to think it’s likely we are making real commitments in the real way we live: our real actions in the world, our real choices, our real way of relating, our whole lifestyle.
I said there’s a partial weakness in my position. Here it is— but remember that it’s a PARTIAL weakness.
I can “dress UP” for Mass and still be the most unjust, most criminal and most cruel person on earth. However, I can also “dress DOWN” for Mass and ALSO be one of the worst persons on earth.
I can “dress UP” for Mass and be one of the holiest persons on earth. I can also dress DOWN for Mass, and ALSO be one of the holiest persons on earth.
No matter how good or how bad I behave, God still deserves the best I have to offer. He even deserves to have everything I have because it all comes from him ultimately.
Rich man or poor widow— when it comes to going to the temple, going to church: am I doing or using my spiritual AND my material best... am I doing the best that is inside my heart AND the best in my external physical world... am I really putting in all that I have and all that I am? Or am I only doing what I find convenient and comfortable?
Published statistical studies show that most (two out of three) Catholics in the U.S. today do not believe in the truth about the Eucharist. We need to show and express in word and action, in spirit and in body, in our interior attitudes and our exterior attitudes that Jesus in the Eucharist matters to us very, very much.
Our concern for the Eucharist needs to be serious, not casual.
Jesus most certainly accepts each of us just as we each are. However, he most certainly does NOT leave us just as we were. He even compared God to a Father welcoming back his sinful, wandering and wasteful son by having his servants put the best robe and a ring on his son; then the Father killed his best, young beef to throw a banquet for his repentant son. (See Luke 15:22-23.)
Yes, God accepts us just as we are, but then he right away sets to work to change us for the best.
When he finally raises our bodies from the dead, do we think he’s going to skimp on us? No matter how it’s going to look in terms of clothing, Jesus certainly and always describes what God is going to do for us as giving us a KINGDOM. His plan is to make us Royalty.
Bishop Robert, our own St. Therese pastor Monsignor Fred, our parish council and our liturgy committee have not defined what suitable clothing might be. However, they have all expressed a desire to see an improvement in clothing at Mass.
Please consider it seriously. Jesus really deserves our best.
God is more than all the universe. For us he spent himself to death. May he bless you with joy in knowing it.
Yours,
Fr. Stephanos Pedrano, O.S.B.
The following is what I wrote to include in their discussion.
========
Hello, all. I’m Fr. Stephanos writing to you to add my own comments about the forms and appearances of both ceremony and clothing at the Holy Mass, the Eucharist.
I know these matters are important to all of you from one angle or another.
First of all, when compared to most people going to church, I admit I am overdressed: closed-collar, long sleeves, floor-length, solid black. Then, once I get to church in my solid black layers, I add on top of it a floor-length, long-sleeved, white “alb” (robe); and on top of that I put on a third layer, the “chasuble,” colored according to the season or occasion.
Last September and also last Monday all the priests of San Diego met with Bishop Robert who, among other things, reminded us on both occasions about two concerns:
(1) correct standards in the ceremonial forms while celebrating the Mass;
and (2) the need for those who serve during Mass to dress suitably.
Why the concern about these external forms?
One reason is that at this time only one out of three U.S. Catholics believes the truth about the Eucharist. What is the truth about the Eucharist?
The truth is that
the REAL JESUS CHRIST
in his REAL FLESH
and his REAL BLOOD...
is REALLY
and TRULY
and PERSONALLY
PRESENT
under the appearances of bread and wine.
Two out of three U.S. Catholics have lost true faith where it concerns the Eucharist. They might just as well not be Catholics when it comes to the Eucharist. They might just as well not receive it, since they don’t believe it.
In recent decades here in the U.S., we Catholics (including priests) have been somewhat too casual about external forms— too unconcerned about external forms— in morality, in teaching the sacraments, the faith and the Gospel... too casual also in our ceremonies at Mass. Priests are much at fault in these matters.
When we are too casual about external forms, the result is a loss in matters of the spirit. This is because we human beings are not just spiritual. We are external bodies also. We need to express our spirituality with our bodies and our bodily living. After all, God our Savior did not stay up in heaven: he came down from heaven and was born bodily in flesh and blood, suffered and died in flesh and blood, rose from the dead in flesh and blood, ascended into heaven in flesh and blood. The body and the way we live and act with the body is a life-and-death issue for Jesus the Son of God. It’s also a life-and-death issue for us, since God plans to raise our bodies from the dead.
Did Jesus in his Gospel have anything to say about these concerns? He certainly criticized and condemned the members of the Pharisee party for their empty external customs and their lack of true generosity towards God and neighbor. However, Jesus never criticized the ritual ceremonies of the Temple. In fact, he once used a whip to kick out from the temple those persons who failed to respect the temple as a place of prayer.
Besides his violent cleansing of the temple, here are two other Gospel examples in which Jesus shows his pleasure or his concern for externals. (After I give you these two examples, I’ll also point out a partial weakness in my own position.)
First example. Mark 12:41-44 (same incident in Luke 21:1-4).
Jesus sat down opposite the treasury of the Temple, and watched the multitude putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. And a poor widow came, and put in two copper coins, which make a penny. And he called his disciples to him, and said to them, "Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. For they all contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, her whole living."
When we come to God’s temple, the Church, are we doing our material all? We are certainly not as poor as the widow with only a penny’s worth to call her own. What have we let it cost us when we go to worship in church? The rich put in a lot when they went to the temple, but it did not really cost them. The poor widow impressed Jesus by spending her last pieces of money when she went to worship.
Is the clothing we wear in church a sign of our generosity, or is it an expression of convenience and comfort?
It matters to Jesus.
The widow impressed Jesus with her UN-comfortable and IN-convenient and sacrificial generosity when she went to worship. She let her spiritual generosity show on the outside by how she spent money on “going to church.”
Second example. Mark 14:3-7.
And while Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head. But there were some who said to themselves indignantly, "Why was the ointment thus wasted? For this ointment might have been sold for more than three hundred denarii, and given to the poor." And they reproached her. But Jesus said, "Let her alone; why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you will, you can do good to them; but you will not always have me.
(Same cost as in John 12:1-8.)
This woman in Bethany wasted more than 300 denarii worth of ointment on Jesus. “Denarii” were Roman silver coins equal to one day’s salary. Today’s minimum wage salary in California ($6.75 per hour) for 300 standard eight-hour workdays (“300 denarii”) amounts to sixteen thousand and two hundred dollars. That’s what that woman in Bethany poured out on Jesus.
When we go to honor Jesus at Holy Mass, what do we let it cost us? Do we spend any of our money on clothes to “waste” on Jesus at Holy Mass? Or do we spend more money on clothes that we wear on other occasions, but not at Holy Mass?
It pleased Jesus when one woman wasted an irrational amount of money to pour perfumed oil on him. She showed the love that was in her heart by what she did on the outside. It was wasteful. It cost more than sixteen thousand dollars.
I don’t expect anyone to spend that much money on a set of clothes for Sunday Mass. However, I think it pleases Jesus when we really use our best in the worship of his heavenly Father.
If the way we dress at Holy Mass REALLY is costing us something, I’d tend to think it’s likely we are making real commitments in the real way we live: our real actions in the world, our real choices, our real way of relating, our whole lifestyle.
I said there’s a partial weakness in my position. Here it is— but remember that it’s a PARTIAL weakness.
I can “dress UP” for Mass and still be the most unjust, most criminal and most cruel person on earth. However, I can also “dress DOWN” for Mass and ALSO be one of the worst persons on earth.
I can “dress UP” for Mass and be one of the holiest persons on earth. I can also dress DOWN for Mass, and ALSO be one of the holiest persons on earth.
No matter how good or how bad I behave, God still deserves the best I have to offer. He even deserves to have everything I have because it all comes from him ultimately.
Rich man or poor widow— when it comes to going to the temple, going to church: am I doing or using my spiritual AND my material best... am I doing the best that is inside my heart AND the best in my external physical world... am I really putting in all that I have and all that I am? Or am I only doing what I find convenient and comfortable?
Published statistical studies show that most (two out of three) Catholics in the U.S. today do not believe in the truth about the Eucharist. We need to show and express in word and action, in spirit and in body, in our interior attitudes and our exterior attitudes that Jesus in the Eucharist matters to us very, very much.
Our concern for the Eucharist needs to be serious, not casual.
Jesus most certainly accepts each of us just as we each are. However, he most certainly does NOT leave us just as we were. He even compared God to a Father welcoming back his sinful, wandering and wasteful son by having his servants put the best robe and a ring on his son; then the Father killed his best, young beef to throw a banquet for his repentant son. (See Luke 15:22-23.)
Yes, God accepts us just as we are, but then he right away sets to work to change us for the best.
When he finally raises our bodies from the dead, do we think he’s going to skimp on us? No matter how it’s going to look in terms of clothing, Jesus certainly and always describes what God is going to do for us as giving us a KINGDOM. His plan is to make us Royalty.
Bishop Robert, our own St. Therese pastor Monsignor Fred, our parish council and our liturgy committee have not defined what suitable clothing might be. However, they have all expressed a desire to see an improvement in clothing at Mass.
Please consider it seriously. Jesus really deserves our best.
God is more than all the universe. For us he spent himself to death. May he bless you with joy in knowing it.
Yours,
Fr. Stephanos Pedrano, O.S.B.
posted by Father Stephanos, O.S.B. at 12:58 PM
10 Comments:
Father,
As someone who wears scrubs to work and jeans and t-shirts at home--I think I'm dressed up when I wear slacks. I never thought about how my dress looks to Jesus. Now that it's summer, many wear their jeans and shorts, and sandles. It's hard to "dress-up" with everyone else being so casual
I believed as long as your clothes were clean and modest, it didn't matter--I hate when young girls--and their moms wear short skirts, tight fitting clothes or pants that share--mmmm--much more than I, or my husband would like to see.
After reading your blog, maybe I'll shake my wallet loose and try some more "fancy" dress. Girl clothes are not cheap, and take alot of care to maintain, and dress-up girl clothes are uncomfortable. Oh....are you sure clean and modest are not enough?
Can you move to Florida and tell this to all the women in the state? I can't tell you the number of times I have been embarrassed for other women because of the skimpy clothes they have worn to church - spaghetti straps, shear shirts, backless tank tops, cleavage-revealing tops, etc. Immodest much?! And the men wear shorts, t-shirts, etc.
Basically, it's all about beach wear here. But I don't care how hot it is outside! You should wear "church" clothes to church! For the love of God.....seriously!
Thanks for being more eloquent than I could be :)
- Bridget
Clothes for church need not be overtly expensive. However, they deserve to express dignity and reverence.
Yes! Dignity and reverence and let's hear it for a little...MODESTY! Please!
Straightforward modesty!
Not just "a little" modesty!
We have forgotten that Jesus is ALSO KING of the Universe. Who would go to an official visit with Queen Elizabeth in the casual get ups they wear to mass? Would she be insulted if we showed up at a Royal Banquet in shorts and spaghetti straps, or jeans and a t-shirt? Of course she would be. If we talked on our cell phone during dinner? If our kids played a game? It would be a hideous insult, but we do it to the Lord and King of the Universe all the time. We would never receive another invitation from the Queen. We would be disgraced. How much more so when we present ourselves to the Heavenly Court. All the Angels are watching us. They see it all.
Wonderful post!
God bless..
i did a post on modesty a while back on my blog. Several of my friends & i are wearing long skirts/dresses out of an attempt to be modest & as reparation for the sins of our youth...ie wearing mini-skirts etc. i'm finding it hard with 8 daughters though!
Because i go to Church sometimes twice in a day..it's best to be suitably attired all the time, particularly since god is with us 24 hours a day. i sympathise with the florida person but often on the Continent (European) they have no..signs..arms & legs must be covered.
What a great post!
Anonymous, it's not just Florida. I've seen that sort of apparel in Michigan and Ontario. Even in the winter. :-(
I appreciate your posting this, Fr. Would it be all right if I reposted it on my blog, and/or cited it in discussions, provided I give due credit to you as its author?
Kasia, you may use it as you wish.
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