11th Sunday after Pentecost (Clothing Matters) Let God arise and let His enemies be scattered: and let them that hate Him flee from before His Face. Introit 1. As the Dominican friar and stone carver, Fr. McGlynn, prepared the model of the statue to adorn the main entrance of the Shrine at Fatima, Sr. Lucia described the various elements of Our Lady as she appeared in the apparitions things like what she wore, her size and apparent age Sr. Lucia recounted the Lady as wearing two visible garments: a simple tunic and a long veil, or mantle. The tunic had no collar or cuffs, and was drawn in around the waist although there was no visible sash. According to her, both tunic and mantle were two separate waves of light, one on top of the other. Both were white in color. There was, however, a line of gold on the mantle like a thin thread, a ray of sunlight all around the mantle. 2. Fr. McGlynn asked, Was Our Lady s flesh the color of flesh or of light? Flesh colored light, Lucia replied, light which took on the color of flesh. She was all of light. The light had various tones, yellow and white and various other colors. It was more intense and less intense. It was by the different tones and by the differences of intensity that one saw what was hand and what was mantle and what was face and what was tunic. 3. Almost a 100 years earlier, St. Bernadette described this same beautiful Lady as wearing a white dress reaching down to her feet, of which only the toes appeared. The dress was gathered very high at the neck by a hem from which hung a white cord. A white veil covered her head and came down over her shoulders and arms almost to the bottom of her dress. On each foot I saw a yellow rose. The sash of the dress was blue, and hung down below her knees. The chain of the Rosary was yellow, the beads white, big and widely spaced. The girl was alive, very young and surrounded with light. 4. In the sacred book of the Apocalypse we hear this from St. John: I saw a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and tribes, and peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne, and in sight of the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands (7:9). As Catholics we are to be always about practicing for heaven. That is why we are attending Mass today it is simply practicing for heaven! The more we practice, the more ready we will be to go there after our death.
5. As we just have heard, they wear clothing in heaven heavenly beings come back to us wearing clothing, even if it seems to be waves of light. St. John says in the Apocalypse, white robes were given to every one of them present in heaven. Hmmmm. This indicates that clothing matters. If we want to practice for heaven, what we wear is important. (What does this say about naked without shame?? Before the Fall, Adam and Eve were naked and without shame because they were clothed in the light of grace and saw each other through that light. But 7,000 years of experience show that we must cloth ourselves lest sins of shame multiply and compound!) 6. This last week we honored the 13 th Century Dominican St. Hyacinth (feast day, Aug 17). During his time in Poland, we read about this particular miracle in the Roman Breviary: he crossed over the river Vistula near Visograd when it was in flood, taking his companions with him, not by boat but on his cloak spread out over the waters. Notice it was a piece of clothing that belonged to him as a Dominican Friar that God used to perform a miracle. Again, this means our clothing is important and using this cloak to get across a flooding river is not insignificant as flooding rivers often represent the trials of this life while getting to other side represents reaching heaven, or the Promised Land. Think of the Israelites passing over the flooding River Jordan so long ago in order to get to the Promised Land. Again, the message here seems to be our clothing has a part to play in our getting to heaven 7. Think of the Gospel scene where the woman with the flow of blood is healed instantly simply by touching the hem of Our Lord s garment. Many miracles have been worked down through time simply by touching some piece of clothing worn by a saint. In fact, there is a certain garment theme that runs from Genesis to the Apocalypse (e.g., the multicolored coat of Joseph). 8. Clothing has long been considered a first line of defense against the elements of the world. This is true in the spiritual realm as well. Consider following exchange between Our Lady and St. Gemma Galgani. Our Lady: Jesus, my Son, loves you very much and He wants to give you a grace [the stigmata in the case of St. Gemma]. Do you know how to make yourself worthy of it? St. Gemma writes: In my misery I did not know what to answer. She continued: I will be your Mother. Will you be a true
daughter? She spread her mantle and covered me with it (autobiography). Her mantle saves brings us across the flooding revolutionary river of this world. Hmmm. [I hope you see the importance of what we are striving to do today by consecrating our parish to the Immaculate Heart of Mary placing everyone s name literally in an Immaculate Heart.] 9. Again, we see that clothing is important. What we wear matters! When I was given my religious habit, the Roman Cassock, the formula read, may you be clothed with Mary Immaculate. It makes you want to wear your habit always. And so I do. When out and about, people ask, why do you wear black and the long robe? I say, because Someone special died and I do not want to forget that Now, I think I will add, because I am practicing for heaven! 10. In reflecting on God s created order, Aristotle gave us the 10 categories that help us define things that is, they enable us to understand their place and meaning in Creation. Some examples, using simple language they include things like color, shape, place, and size. Among them is also Habit, as in, what one is wearing. Yes, what we have on our body helps to define who we are. Think of a police officer. We know when a man is dressed in certain uniform, having a badge and other like things, he is there to defend public order. When things get tight, it is comforting to see one of these good men about 11. Clothing does indeed help define us. Think of the great prophet St. Elias. At the very beginning of the 4 th Book of Kings, when the evil son of King Achab, Ochozias, sent some envoys to consult the demon Beelzebub, Elias stopped them and rebuked them, foretelling the death of the king. And Ochozias said to them: What manner of man was he who met you, and spoke these words? But they said: A hairy man, with a girdle of leather about his loins. And he said: It is Elias, the Thesbite. 12. The Gospel describes St. John the Baptist according to what he wore and what he ate And John was clothed with camel s hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and he ate locusts and wild honey (Mark 1:6). Recall that in the Miracle of the Sun, Our Lady appeared wearing different clothing e.g., as Our Lady of Mount Carmel and Our Lady of Sorrows.
13. What we wear is important. It is something that can help us get to heaven or hinder our going there. In speaking of our times to Ven. Mother Mariana of Jesus Torres, Our Lady prophecied: In those times the atmosphere will be saturated with the spirit of impurity which, like a filthy sea, will engulf the streets and public places with incredible license. Innocence will scarcely be found in children, or modesty in women. He who should speak seasonably will remain silent. 14. St. Paul says,... the works of the flesh are manifest, which are fornication, uncleanness, immodesty, luxury... But the fruit of the Spirit is charity... modesty, continency, chastity (Gal 5:19,22-23); and I will therefore that men pray in every place, lifting up pure hands, without anger and contention. In like manner women also in decent apparel: adorning themselves with modesty and sobriety, not with plaited hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly attire, but as it becometh women professing godliness, with good works (1Tim 2:8-10). 15. The trouble is who determines what is modest and what is not? There is no simple answer. The Vatican s Sacred Congregation supplied some answers back in 1930 s due to the strange fashions that were coming about after WWI the very thing Our Lady warned us about at Fatima: Certain fashions will be introduced that will offend My Son very much! How much more today!! 16. Back in the 40 s and 50 s Canon Mahoney looked into this document (which many today try to attribute directly to Pope Pius XI and say it is a universal teaching. This is not quite accurate). The Canon says the Sacred Congregation gave twelve rules. Some of these are of a general character, e.g., the need of reproof and vigilance and the duties of parents in this respect. Others are more particular such as when to preach on this, when some immodest persons should not be given Holy Communion or be allowed to belong to a confraternity or pious association. Then the Canon explains, It will be observed that the Holy See, in this instruction, makes no attempt to define what is immodest dress. What the common law leaves undefined, local legislation often makes more explicit. This is the reason we have rules for modesty in each and every bulletin and on our website. The Canon mentions that women have to be dressed a certain way in order to visit with the Pope
which is still true today. Each place has its customs! 17. I bring this up because the rule of modesty is according to custom. St. Thomas Aquinas explains: outward apparel should be consistent with the state [gender] of the person, according to the general custom (II- II,169,2ad3). But as most those attending this Traditional Mass know well, most decent customs are nearly swept away now and, as we mentioned on the Assumption, gender is under attack. Thus, we must do the best we can to recover what has been lost. And this is where some difficulties arise. People disagree what that entails. Thus, we end up looking at each other and wondering who is right, leading many to make unnecessary judgments. It propose that we follow the rule of St. Augustine, In essential matters, UNITY; in non-essential matters, LIBERTY; and in all things CHARITY. What is essential here is that we dress properly, as in not becoming an occasion of sin to another (e.g., avoiding see through and seductive clothing). How that is done should be allowed some liberty Keep in mind that some may be poor others may be doing penance for past decisions, dressing more or less penitentially (something all the saints did to practice for heaven!!). Thus, Pope Pius XII said: There is nothing wrong in being fashionable. God does not require us to ignore the dictates of fashion so that we look grotesque! But, fashion can never be the supreme rule of conduct. There is a limit beyond which fashion can bring about the ruin of a soul. 18. I once worked for a pastor who like to say, Give them something to talk about! by which he meant something good and wholesome such as wearing a cassock around town and so does our wearing modest clothing give many something to talk about!! This is good! 19. Let us strive, therefore, to dress in a way that is pleasing to God and man in a way that defines us as true and faithful Catholics showing the fruit of the Holy Ghost modesty. God has shown that He will work even through such clothing to protect us and get us to heaven We should also not be afraid to make a sweep through our wardrobe and cast aside anything that is not fitting and pleasing to God that is not helping us practice for heaven that is a work of the flesh immodesty. Let us not
be afraid to give them something to talk about!! 20. From the Life of St. Teresa of Jesus, XXXIII, 16: On the Feast of the Assumption of our Lady I was in the church of the monastery of the Order of the glorious St. Dominic, thinking of the events of my wretched life, and of the many sins which in times past I had confessed in that house. I fell into so profound a trance, that I was as it were beside myself. I then saw myself clothed with a garment of excessive whiteness and splendor. At first I did not see who was putting it on me. Afterwards I saw our Lady on my right hand, and my father St. Joseph on my left, clothing me with that garment. I was given to understand that I was then cleansed from my sins. When I had been thus clad I was filled with the utmost delight and joy our Lady seemed at once to take me by both hands.