Dressing for the King: Wearing 'Our Sunday Best'

My parents taught us that part of our offering to the Lord on Sunday was the best of what we had to wear.What has happened?

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CHESAPEAKE, Va. (Catholic Online) - When I was a little girl, I always loved to watch my parents getting ready for church on Sunday. It was an important thing in my house. Mom and Dad insisted we all look our best. My sister and I always wore a dress and tights and my father would clean and polish our patent leather shoes. My brothers were in dress slacks, shirts & ties and loafers (no sneakers allowed.) Mom would start getting ready an hour beforehand, and I'd sit and watch her do her hair and makeup, choose her dress, then some matching jewelry, and a spritz of perfume. My father always wore a suit and tie. He'd shine his shoes til you could see your reflection in them. You'd have thought we were getting ready to go someplace really special, and of course, we were. We were going to see the King.

I have to confess, I miss those days, when wearing your "Sunday best" was still the norm. It made a statement to look around the pews and see people spiffed up and cleaned up. It meant they'd taken some time to prepare for this gathering. It seemed like a demonstration of respect for the occasion.

Today, "Sunday best" seems to be the same as weekday casual, from the tank tops right down to the flip flops. Now, at the risk of sounding judgmental, ponder me this: if people will take the time to get all dolled-up to go out for dinner or dancing, why not dress properly for the banquet of the Lord?

My parents taught us that part of our offering to the Lord on Sunday was the best of what we had to wear. It was an outward sign of our belief that God occupied the highest place in our lives. It didn't mean we had to be in fine silk and expensive leather shoes, just that we put some time and care into our appearance for the One we love.

With my own family, I'm enforcing a similar dress code for mass. On the "not allowed" list are shorts, jeans, sneakers, tank tops, and t-shirts. However, from where I sit, the greater issue today is not one of sloppiness, but one of modesty and propriety. Too many women are, eh, revealing way too much. Pardon me if this seems uncomfortably blunt, but there's just too much skin on display at mass these days from the ladies, and it's simply inappropriate. From teenagers on up, there's an epidemic of spaghetti straps, visible lingerie, backless dresses, too-short skirts, and overt cleavage.

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No matter what may the world says is fashionable, it's just bad form (and even sinfully tempting), girls, to show off your bosom with a low-cut top or slinky dress. It's very distracting to others, to say the least. Without question, we need a return to modesty in our society all around, and an excellent place to start is in church. It's a sacred moment we've come for, not a drink in a nightclub.

Sexualized attire has no place in the sanctuary. It really is a sign of consideration for those around you to dress in a way that doesn't take anyone's mind off the reason we're there - to worship the Lord and to receive the Lord. I'm not suggesting you need to wear a potato sack from neck to ankle, but for heaven's sake, please keep the feminine assets under wraps.

You may think no one has the right to comment or criticize what you wear to church, but remember you are a member of the body and what you do affects the whole body. We should all know by now that our words, our actions can cause scandal for others and cause others to stumble. Our manner of dress can either contribute to worship untainted by distraction and temptation, or it can possibly cause someone to stumble. Like it or not, we are obligated to each other in this way, so we must take great care not to invite sexual temptation to the Lord's Supper. Ladies, again like it or not, the lion's share of this duty rests with us. We must clothe ourselves with modesty and dignity, for our sake and the sake of everyone present.

The mind and the heart are not disconnected from the body. The way we dress affects the way we think, our disposition, and our behavior. We can help steer our hearts toward worship, we can help focus our minds on God by dressing in a manner befitting His Eucharistic table. It sure is wonderful to see everyone spiffy and polished, but at the very least, let's please keep it modest and proper so our attention can be purely directed at Jesus. Let's make modesty part of our Sunday best again.

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Jennifer Hartline is a Catholic Army wife and stay-at-home mother of three precious kids who writes frequently on topics of Catholic faith and daily living. She is a contributing writer for Catholic Online.

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