Bishop to faithful: Dress up for God

12:16 am | Monday, March 19th, 2012

MANILA, Philippines—The rising temperatures should not be an excuse to go to church wearing skimpy, stringy clothes.

A Catholic bishop advised churchgoers, especially the youth, not to attend Holy Mass wearing flimsy summer outfits at the onset of the hot weather.

“I think the Lord deserves more than simply shorts and sneakers,” Legazpi Bishop Joel Baylon, chair of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines Episcopal Commission on Youth, told reporters in a recent interview.

Baylon said that if one could dress to impress a boss or a VIP, he or she could also do so for God. “It’s just a matter of propriety,” he said.

The prelate noted that Filipinos seemed to have picked up the habit of wearing “comfortable clothes” to church from western culture.

“Some people in the United States are like that … I personally experienced that because I studied there during the 1980s,” said Baylon. “They wear comfortable clothes because after the Holy Mass they would go on a picnic. It seems that we’ve also been influenced here.”

He said today’s fashions had blurred the meaning of formality, making people become “so practical and pragmatic” in the way they dress.

“Some people think that certain clothes are formal, which in the eyes of some are not,” he said.

Because more churchgoers are attending Mass in too revealing clothes, some churches, at least in the capital, have strictly imposed dress codes, prohibiting sandos, jersey shorts, skimpy skirts and shorts, sleeveless blouses and tops with plunging necklines.

While God doesn’t impose on the faithful what to wear in church “because He knows it’s what’s inside our hearts that counts,” Baylon said one must still be aware of what they wear.

“There are clothes appropriate for certain occasions,” the prelate pointed out.

Baylon said the Lord was so simple that he manifested Himself to the people in the form of “very simple things”—like bread and wine. “But we take for granted this bread and wine … but that is the Lord. He is the author and source of everything and everything that we are,” he said.

Dressing appropriately for Mass is also an indication of how one takes seriously his or her encounter with God, he said.

“My advice, especially to the youth, is to be worthy to stand before God’s presence not only internally but externally as well,” he said.

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Tags: Catholic Church , Holy Mass , summer clothes , Summer Events Philippines , temperatures

arlag816

HOW ABOUT THE POOR? This call to dress well during mass is discriminatory against poor people!

mang_empoy

Discriminatory? Saan dyan sa article?
You do not have to put in branded or even new clothes to mass. Appropriate and clean ones are enough.

Now if you really are so poor, like say beggar poor, then that is an exemption. You can still come in and attend mass. What’s inside the heart is the thing that counts.

But be careful not to make this a lousy excuse. We have kababayan who are poor but who have decent clothes for special occasions like fiestas, weddings, pamporma sa nililigawan, etc. Poor? Pang-load nga meron, pinagdadamit lang nang maayos magrereklamo na?

http://profile.yahoo.com/Q67DS5PS2N2Q4CFVW24TGFXXFA Y M

wtf where in the bible says that there’s a dress code? #damasosinplay

akobakini

1 Timothy 2:9

mangtom

Father Damaso, (Baylon) you failed to mention that Jesus did not ride in pricey Mitsubishi. In bible stories, He is seen walking a lot. That may be one reason he is fit physically, unlike the bishops with beer belly-kasi nakasakay lagi sa Mitsubishop.
brunogiordano

“A Catholic bishop advised churchgoers, especially the youth, not to
attend Holy Mass wearing flimsy summer outfits at the onset of the hot
weather.”

GOOD!!!!!!

OK lang palang hindi umatend ng MISA kung ang damit mo ay ‘flimsy summer outfits’.

lahat ng damit namin ay ‘flimsy summer outfits’.

pero kung gusto ng mga BISHOPS na magsimba ang mga tao, pa-aircon nila ang kanilang mga simbahan para hindi magkasakit ang mga tao..

marami naman silang pera di ba???? at walang asawa at anak na pinagkakagastusan.

http://myplanetphilippines.blogspot.com/ Philippines

lame excuse. can’t you not sacrifice even one hour of your life even just for attending mass? Nasa-isip kasi natin parati convenience para sa sarili.

tekateka

So, it’s okay if I’ll bring a bottle of wine and not wear anything skimpy?
mang_empoy

Pambihira, ang topic ay ang magdamit ng ayos at tama bilang paggalang sa Diyos at sa lugar dalanginan tapos sisingitan na naman ng mga comment na damaso, mitsubishop at discrimination against the poor? Kahit di related, maisingit lang ang bias sa simbahan, ok na!

tekateka

Kasalanan ng Simbahang Katoliko yan… makisawsaw ba naman sa programa ng gobyerno at pulitika… Imbis na makatulong, pinapalala pa ang sitwasyon ng mga Pilipino… pinapanakot pa ang impyerno e mukang nasa impyerno na ang karamihan ng mga Pilipino.

mang_empoy

tekateka… tekangamuna, kung may ganyan kayong reklamo di doon nyo ikomento sa mga article na may kinalaman sa “kasalanan ng simbahan” na tinutukoy mo. Eh tungkol sa pananamit ito, proper dress code, social etiquette, paggalang sa Diyos at lugar dasalan.

Nakikisawsaw sa programa ng gobyerno? Nakakatulong pa nga kamo. Naaalala mo ba yung PCSO scandal? Mismong yung mga taong tumira sa Simbahan starting from Margie admitted in a live interview that they appreciate the Church’s help and continues to hope for a working collaboration. Sa bibig na mismo ng critic galing yan.

akobakini

‘While God doesn’t impose on the faithful what to wear in church “because He knows it’s what’s inside our hearts that counts,” Baylon said one must still be aware of what they wear.’
Stupid is what stupid says.

http://myplanetphilippines.blogspot.com/ Philippines

okay, no arguments. Go to the church naked. I dare you.

akobakini

You obviously missed my point.

It is not true that God doesn’t impose on the faithful what to wear in church. In fact what the so-called prelate said was erroneous, odiously Biblically erroneous if we consider his stature and wisdom presumably gained along the way.

One proof: 1 Timothy 2:9
http://myplanetphilippines.blogspot.com/ Philippines

i stand corrected =) I read the passage. Thanks.

kishbuff

kasi tumataas ang temperature ng mga pari pag nakakakita ng nakasuot ng sexy, hehehe. joke!

http://myplanetphilippines.blogspot.com/ Philippines

A simple truth. Yeah, it is, precisely because they are still human beings after all. There is still flesh down there that when evoked…. you know. Di naman sila pinutulan nang… toootttt… di ba? Logical enough. Sabi yan ng prof ko sa Theology.

http://profile.yahoo.com/NRDLA7J7VSUODVJY7KNURODRL4 Milchesidic

“I think the Lord deserves more than simply shorts and sneakers,”
Legazpi Bishop Joel Baylon, chair of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of
the Philippines Episcopal Commission on Youth, told reporters in a
recent interview. xxx xxx While God doesn’t impose on the faithful what to wear in church “because
He knows it’s what’s inside our hearts that counts,” Baylon said one
must still be aware of what they wear.

why based the doctrine in what the bishop “think”? is it not that the teachings of the Scripture are enough that it is prohibited to add or subtract? God imposes, contrary to the bishop’s thinking, what should the faithful wear during worship like in 1 Chronicles 16:29 – “Ascribe to the LORD the glory due His name; Bring an offering, and come before Him; Worship the LORD in holy array.” holy array is a phrase referring to clothing that is most proper and fitting to the sanctity of the occasion, hence whether the faithful is poor or affluent is immaterial, the criteria not being anchored on the price of the clothes but on its propriety.

what is really the doctrine of the church? opinion or scriptural? F scriptural, why only now? what is the consequence of not wearing the proper dress? these and other questions remains unclear leading to a more and more cravings on the true faithful to demand attention from the supposed shepherd….bishop, what is happening to the flock?

http://myplanetphilippines.blogspot.com/ Philippines

it has been long said, even long before to wear a proper attire when attending masses. Remember those days yung mga babae nagbebelo pag nagsisimba?

http://profile.yahoo.com/NRDLA7J7VSUODVJY7KNURODRL4 Milchesidic

“long been said”,,but not imposed as doctrine..i remember well in the 70s or early 80s specially mga elderly nk belo,, but i cant remember that such was regarded or held by the church as doctrine, its more on of tradition…,tradition changes but doctrine does not,,,why not put it in black and white like the apostles did, separating the commandments of God from worthless traditions of man…

http://www.facebook.com/roan.ruanto Roan Ruanto

“likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and decently”
— 1Timothy 2:9

Bishop to faithful: Dress up for God

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