There's a Dress Code in Canon Law?

There’s a Dress Code in Canon Law?

Most of us would agree that in today’s world as far as fashion goes, anything goes. Yet in various social settings and age groups there are still expectations about dress etiquette for certain settings. Typically, etiquette is indicative of civility. Holding the door for someone, shaking hands, dressing for an occasion, chewing with your mouth open have specific regulations. Good parents teach these manners to their children.

I would guess that most Catholics don’t know that Catholic Canon Law has some regulations about attire for Church. One is that there should be no bare shoulders or arms in Church. I’m sure you have seen a bit more skin than bare arms in Church, not to mention leggings or tights that leave nothing to the imagination.  Second. even men should not wear pants that reveal the knees. Does that include bellies? I don’t know how old these regulations are, but the point is valid regarding modesty in a worship setting.

Perhaps you have noticed more women wearing a mantilla or chapel veil at Mass. They wear them as a sign of respect and submission to the Lord and remind the themselves that Church is a different setting than other public venues. The custom of men removing their head covering originated with the knights of old who would remove their helmet out of respect and to reveal their identity.  This action would leave them vulnerable. Perhaps that is why men still remove headgear in Church. We all need to be vulnerable before the Lord.

It seems that most rules of etiquette are ignored or abolished. Society has become so casual that nearly any attire is acceptable at work, school or social events. Probably the only place left where proper attire is still de rigor is at a wedding. Church doesn’t even qualify for dressing up. In most of the West we have shifted so much toward equality that respect for a person’s age, status or handicap is barely visible. Rarely does anyone relinquish a seat to a pregnant woman, the elderly or persons with disabilities.

Our world has shifted to a ME-FIRST mentality with little compassion for others. People cut off others in traffic, push to the head of a line and interrupt conversations. This is even observed in Church when people park themselves on the end of a pew, making others climb over them.

Never-the-less, back to Canon Law, appropriate, modest attire in Church is a sign of respect to Our Lord present in the Tabernacle and to our fellow worshipers. Modesty also prevents us from being an occasion of sin to others. It is the last place that there should be a temptation to lust for those who see us. Nowhere do people want to see jiggling body parts, excessively exposed skin nor men’s hairy legs and short T-shirts which reveal jelly bellies. If it isn’t sinful, it is still a distraction. It appears that some come to Mass dressed for what is happening after Church rather than for Church.

How did we allow this lack of modesty and decorum to invade our holy places? Personally, I feel that it is because too many Catholics come to Church out of habit or duty but have lost their faith in the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. They no longer believe that Jesus is physically and really present in his body, blood, soul, and divinity on the altar. Because belief is weak or absent, Sunday Mass is just another To-Do to check off for the day. Perhaps we come to Church out of habit or to meet friends or to eat donuts. We certainly are not entering the presence of God in holy awe and silence, humbly presenting our best selves to the Lord. Some execute the gestures of genuflecting, making the Sign of the Cross etc. with little reverence. Our sloppy attire and mannerisms attest to our lack of faith.

Catholics are called by God to evangelize their world by word and deed. Reverence and respect for the sacred speak loudly about our perception of Christ’s presence in the Eucharist. Where else can you encounter the Lord’s physical presence? We come to Mass not as an observer but to participate in worship of God with our fellow Catholics. To all present it should be evident that we believe that something unique is present here and our exterior reflects our interior disposition. We never know what visitors may be present to learn what we believe by what we do. Let us then, fall down in worship, and begin a conversation with the Lord from the moment we enter. He IS there to listen.