A young lady wearing cut-off blue jean shorts, a belly shirt, and flip-flops walked into Mass. After Mass was over, a man came up to her and handed her $100. Startled, the young woman asked him why he had given her the money. "I figured that if I gave you $100, maybe you could afford to buy the other half of that outfit!" he responded.
Let's talk about an oft-overlooked object of the Mass: The Assembly. That's you and me, the lay people in the pews who gather together for worship. There's a lot of debate about whether what we wear really matters. After all, we do want to be welcoming to those who are poor and those who are homeless who may not have good clothes to wear. But in the middle of trying to be sure that we are welcoming to all comers, we have lost the sense of dignity that going to Mass used to have.
Perhaps in this day and age when people think less and less of God, it is time to restore that sense of awe and wonder that going to Mass should have. We're entering the gates of Heaven - are we treating it like that? Are we acting like we are entering the royal kingdom of God? Yes, Jesus is your friend, but He is also your Divine Ruler. Are you treating him with the same respect you would treat your boss, or a visiting dignitary from a far away land?
If there are homeless among us who have nothing but rags to wear, then perhaps the solution isn't to dress down to meet them where they are, but to be sure that we have something fine prepared for them to wear should they need it. If everyone donated an outfit of their own, it wouldn't be hard to keep a store of such clothing for those who might not have better to wear. Then we will have not only clothed the naked - something our Father greatly approves of doing - but we will have given dignity to the homeless man or woman who walks into our church. We will have allowed them the opportunity to feel normal, and to feel like they truly belong.
My mother shared this video with me, and I thought it was appropriate to share with you. I encourage you to share it with others.
Let's talk about an oft-overlooked object of the Mass: The Assembly. That's you and me, the lay people in the pews who gather together for worship. There's a lot of debate about whether what we wear really matters. After all, we do want to be welcoming to those who are poor and those who are homeless who may not have good clothes to wear. But in the middle of trying to be sure that we are welcoming to all comers, we have lost the sense of dignity that going to Mass used to have.
Perhaps in this day and age when people think less and less of God, it is time to restore that sense of awe and wonder that going to Mass should have. We're entering the gates of Heaven - are we treating it like that? Are we acting like we are entering the royal kingdom of God? Yes, Jesus is your friend, but He is also your Divine Ruler. Are you treating him with the same respect you would treat your boss, or a visiting dignitary from a far away land?
If there are homeless among us who have nothing but rags to wear, then perhaps the solution isn't to dress down to meet them where they are, but to be sure that we have something fine prepared for them to wear should they need it. If everyone donated an outfit of their own, it wouldn't be hard to keep a store of such clothing for those who might not have better to wear. Then we will have not only clothed the naked - something our Father greatly approves of doing - but we will have given dignity to the homeless man or woman who walks into our church. We will have allowed them the opportunity to feel normal, and to feel like they truly belong.
My mother shared this video with me, and I thought it was appropriate to share with you. I encourage you to share it with others.
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