This past weekend I attended church with my parents. This is not a normal weekend ritual. In fact, I have not attended Mass besides funerals, weddings or holidays since my teenage years. So I decided a visit to The Big Guy was long overdue. As Mass began, I felt strange feelings come over me. I was in a state of disarray. I felt confusion. I felt fear. And most of all, I felt an overwhelming urge to pray. Not for myself, but for a vast number of the parishioners. Their sins were overtly obvious. They were dressed like slobs.
As I scanned the crowd I was horrified. I saw tank tops with exposed bra straps. Ratty, ripped jeans. Concert t-shirts. Dirty sneakers. Disheveled heads of hair. Bless them Father, for they have sinned! If God were to strike them down right there at St. James, I wouldn’t have blamed him. Not one little bit.
How did our society become so darn casual? Scratch that, how did our society become so down right sloppy!? What happened to a time when dressing up wasn’t a novelty, but an everyday expectation? What happened to men who wore hats & cuff links? Ladies who wore gloves and kept their undergarments...well...under? What happened to wearing sneakers only while playing sports? Clearly I was born in the incorrect time period. I understand we live in a go-go–go world and ultimately old styles change and new styles become acceptable. But when going to the Lord’s house, make yourself presentable! After all, some things are sacred.
