Fr. Aric Aamodt
“At least I put some clothes on this morning, right? And God doesn’t care about the appearance, He looks into my heart and knows that I love him no matter what I’m wearing.” So the question often goes. True enough, “Man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart” (1 Samuel 16:8). This does not mean, though, that the outward appearance does not matter. After all, the Catechism reminds us, “To prepare for worthy reception of [the Eucharist], bodily demeanor (gestures, clothing) ought to convey the respect, solemnity, and joy of this moment when Christ becomes our guest.”
Imagine a bride who has been up since six in the morning preparing her appearance and her dress to be as beautiful as she possibly can for this life-changing moment. When she comes through the church doors and sees her groom at the altar, he is wearing his favorite outfit: flip flops, sweatpants, and a football jersey. How will she respond? An understandable response from her would be, “I love him so much that I want to make myself as beautiful as I can be for him. He didn’t take the time to do that, so he must not care that much about me.” Were she to actually go up the aisle and ask the groom why he’s dressed that way, he could say, “You know I love you. I just wanted to wear this. At least I put something on, right?” I don’t think that’s a response she would take very well. The bride showed her love for her groom in the way she dressed. This day was important to her, and she wanted to show how important she thinks this is by the way she dressed. Sure, they can go ahead with the wedding, but it would be a less-than-joyful wedding, to say the least.
When we love someone, we love and honor them with both our hearts and our bodies, inside and out. The exterior reflects the interior; what we wear says something about what we think. Mass is the greatest encounter of love with the God Who infinitely loves us. God Himself speaks to us in the Word and gives His very life to us in the Eucharist. Our clothing ought to match the occasion. But dressing well for Mass means nothing if we don’t have love for Jesus in our hearts. Dressing well on the outside reflects the love we have for Jesus on the inside.