A "catholic" politician's rants. And I do too!

From the column of former senator and ambassador Ernesto Maceda in the Philippine Star.

***

BE MODERN . . If there is one ongoing criticism of the Catholic Church, it is the fact that it is antiquated and has not modernized.  [On what areas?]

Here comes Legaspi Bishop Joel Baylon telling the faithful to dress properly to go to church, and not wear skimpy shorts or t-shirts and sandals or sneakers in church.

Shorts and miniskirts are accepted dressing even in business offices. [Shorts are accepted in offices?!]  Why ban it in church? Haven’t priests given up using long dresses?

Especially during summer, considering that churches are hot places, churchgoers should be allowed to use comfortable clothes. What is important is the people come to church, not what they wear. Remember 80% of our people are poor and cannot afford to buy several sets of clothes.

***

The Church is an agent to modernize the world.  Remember that some of the brilliant minds in the world are either Catholic clergy or laity.

Never did the Church was against the advancement of science.  In fact, the Church gave birth to the modern university system.  Almost all of the oldest universities in the world were started by Catholic orders.

But I digress, just as this politician and columnist is.

To get to point 1, "What is the proper attire when worshipping?'

Yeah, some people would say that it is not what is on the outside that matters but what is on the inside.  Uh-huh?

Some would say "Look at what Christ said against the hypocrisy of Pharisees and scribes."

Woah!  Wait a minute, little Jimmy!

Christ was condemning the incongruence of the inner reality with what the Pharisees were wearing.  Their holiness is only good from outside.  Christ did not condemn what they were wearing.  He condemned the Pharisees' hypocrisy for drawing attention to themselves, telling the whole world that "Hey look!  I am wearing this.  I maybe holy!"

This is not the case for wearing the appropriate garment for the appropriate occasion.  Going to work is not the same as going to a graduation ceremony or going to a job interview or going to an audience with the Queen of England.  No, siree!  They are not the same.

Same thing goes for this debate and quite frankly, either a stupid commentary from former Senator Maceda or some modernist priest telling him "that what matters is what is inside the heart" thing.

If what is important is what is inside, then, by golly PROVE IT OUTSIDE!

Show it with what you wear.  The inner reality becomes visible to the naked eye and audible to the human ear with what we say or do.

So, the next time you see someone coming to your wedding, to your birthday party, to any important event in your life and he or she comes wearing that fits a bum in a park, then you should look at that person as a.....bum!

Do the proper things in the appropriate time and setting, properly.

If Sen. Maceda were in front of the Queen of England, he would have told the Queen that all those layer of cloth are worthless and the "thing" she wear on top of her head is too antiquated and should be left at the museum.

Actually, somebody thought of it that way with the Queen.  Read it here.

And as a conclusion, read what the Gospel has to say about this topic:

Matt.22
[1]And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying,

[2] "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a marriage feast for his son,
[3] and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the marriage feast; but they would not come.
[4] Again he sent other servants, saying, `Tell those who are invited, Behold, I have made ready my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves are killed, and everything is ready; come to the marriage feast.'
[5] But they made light of it and went off, one to his farm, another to his business,
[6] while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them.
[7] The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.  [8] Then he said to his servants, `The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy.  [9] Go therefore to the thoroughfares, and invite to the marriage feast as many as you find.'  [10] And those servants went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good; so the wedding hall was filled with guests.
[11] "But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment;  [12] and he said to him, `Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?' And he was speechless.  [13] 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.'
[14] For many are called, but few are chosen."  [15]Then the Pharisees went and took counsel how to entangle him in his talk.

Yup, it is safe to say that the Pharisees did not like the lesson taught by Christ about the proper wearing of clothes.

And so do Sen. Maceda.