Wednesday, August 17, 2022

20th Week, Ordinary Time, Thursday, 18-08-2022

Ezekiel 36:23-28 / Matthew 22:1-14    

The question of the state of attire for Church services, especially for Mass, has been and is still a topic of deliberation.

Whatever the view points or opinions, it comes down to the personal attitude and disposition in deciding how and what to wear for Mass.

Among other considerations, dressing is a form of respect for self, for God and for others.

And in the spiritual sense, our dressing is an expression of the image of being “clothed in Christ”.

So, for the Christian, dressing for Mass can be said to be an act of faith.

It is a reminder that we have been washed clean at Baptism and being clothed as a new person in Christ.

In the 1st reading, God tells His people that He will cleanse them of all their defilement and give them a new heart.

In the gospel parable, the wedding garment is highlighted to remind us that as much as we are invited to the wedding feast of God at Mass, we must come with clean hearts and clothed with virtues so as to offer a pure sacrifice to God.

When we understand this, then it is not so much about how or what to wear for Mass, but that we are cleansed by the Blood of Christ and that we are clothed with the holiness of Christ.