Yeah, It’s Getting Hot Outside, But Resist the Temptation … (Proper Church Attire Revisited)

A few months ago, I opined in this space about proper (as I saw it) church attire (see “Can We Make Dressing Up For Mass ‘A Thing’ Again?”).

Intentionally using a somewhat provocative headline, I wanted the piece to grab readers’ attention (from the comments generated on Facebook, it worked!). After posting the article, I half expected pushback — from readers of a Catholic website — saying I was being too easygoing. After all, around halfway through, I wrote: “I believe God will measure what’s in our hearts much more than he will render judgment over whatever we decide to wear to church on any given Sunday.” I then cited Matthew 6 (“As for clothes, why be concerned?… Stop worrying, then, over questions like … ‘What are we to wear?’ The unbelievers are always chasing after these things”) and Luke 12 (“Life is more important than food and the body more than clothing”).

Indeed, my broader message contrasted that of an earlier Catholic365 post (“Getting More Out of Mass …,” which I linked to at the end of my piece). The writer argued, “[D]on’t rationalize … by arrogantly claiming that ‘God does not care what I wear. He only cares about what’s in my heart.’”)

But rather than receiving criticism that I was letting people off too easy, many (not all) Facebook comments about my piece (a few from some people who, I suspect, didn’t read beyond the headline) essentially shared the theme: “Don’t judge others.”

One commenter, a healthcare provider and mother, shared that she occasionally goes to Mass, between shifts, wearing scrubs. To her, I replied that seeing someone in church wearing scrubs says to me that they’re beautifully attentive to their faith (so they are, in fact, “dressed up” for the occasion). I’d add: Anyone in church wearing any kind of “work clothes” deserves our respect.

One needed to read all the way to the end of my article to get to the crux of the matter. I wrote, “Ultimately, though, your presence in church is most valuable to your soul (whatever your clothing).” Thus, readers who got beyond just the provocative headline surely discovered a moderate stance with the main message: “Go to Mass.”

My prior piece targeted, instead, those sometimes more intentional, but subjectively inappropriate choices of attire (think flip-flops, shorts and ostentatious T-shirts) for the rest of us (who aren’t between work shifts). So, I found it somewhat heartening when just last week an X user, @PrayTheRosary (with nearly 162 thousand followers), posted simply: “It’s almost Summer. Don’t wear shorts and tank tops to Mass. Make an effort to look presentable.” Three days later, the post already had two thousand “Likes” (and, as you can imagine, comments running the gamut from praise to condemnation).

So, this time, with the weather changing for the better (although that, too, is subjective), I’ll simply urge readers to think twice about what you wear to church — but with the qualification that it’s always better you’re in church (no matter your attire) than not. And as for those “scrubs” worn by some of our hardworking healthcare heroes (my mom was an RN, by the way) and the on-the-job uniforms of others, may your presence at Holy Mass always bring blessings to your work and in your lives.