Growing up, my three sisters and I were expected to put on our “Sunday Best” for attending Mass on Sundays. For my sisters that meant either a dress or a blouse/sweater and skirt. I do not remember when they were allowed to wear a nice pair of slacks. For me it meant dress slacks, a buttoned Oxford shirt, and a tie – when I was younger a clip on, but it was a passage towards “manhood” when Dad showed me how to tie a Windsor knot. Of course it meant dress shoes. Jeans, tee shirts, sneakers were unthinkable – we were going to church, into the presence of God, the Lord of Lords, and King of the universe. My parents instilled in us the proper kind of “fear of the Lord,” that the Scriptures speak about: not being afraid of God, but rather an awe and reverence for the God who loves us more than anyone else and gives us “all good gifts.”

Since then, the Church has been in crisis. I am not talking about the sexual abuse crisis; but rather a more general crisis. Attendance at Sunday Mass has plummeted to around 20% of Catholics. Many of the Church’s teachings on family life, human sexuality, finances, immigration, human life are ignored. Faith does not seem all that important in the life of many people, and even for those who still go to church, there is a tendency to take God very casually.

While not thinking that this will solve all the problems in the Church, I do think we need to start dressing better for Mass. I see what our neighbors at Refreshing Life Praise Cathedral look like when they go to church on Sunday. They are all in their “Sunday Bests” like I remember as a child. For us, at best we get “Casual Friday” at work, but most are dressed as if they are going to a tailgate party. I am sure that there are Eagles, Phillies, and Flyers fans who attend Refreshing Life, but you would not know it by what they wear to church. They first give God His due respect, and then go home and change into their fan gear to cheer on their favorite teams.

Casual clothing at Mass contributes to a sense of commonness about the Mass. We are not going to the local movie theater. We should wear clothing that reflects the awe and reverence we should feel as we approach the King of Creation. By dressing up we send a signal to those who see us that Someone awesome is present.

I can already hear the excuses, “Father, God doesn’t care.” But that is not what Jesus says in the Gospels. In His parable of the Wedding Banquet (Matt 22:1-14), Jesus says this, “But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment; and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and cast him into the outer darkness; there men will weep and gnash their teeth.’ For many are called, but few are chosen.” God care about clothing, and the Catechism of the Catholic Church says that before receiving the Eucharist, “Bodily demeanor (gestures, clothing) ought to convey the respect, solemnity and joy of this moment when Christ becomes our guest” (#1387).

Some might say that they want the convenience of wearing casual clothing because it is relaxing and they don’t want to go home to change after Mass. This is nothing other than sloth, a lack of discipline and willingness to give God our best.

Others will use the “I never dress up” excuse or “its too expensive”. This is rubbish, for they will dress up for other events, and I know how expensive some of those sports jerseys run.

Dressing up for Mass is important because the Mass is infinitely more important than any worldly event. Justice demands that we give God our best; in the Bible they called this giving God the first fruits. After all, we owe God everything.

I am not going to give you a list of what and what not to wear. I trust that most of you have a sense of what “dressing up” means. I will leave you with some words from St. Clement of Alexandria (c. 195 AD) in regarding clothing, “Yet, it should not be immodest or entirely steeped in luxury. And let the garments be suited to age, person, figure, nature, and pursuits.”