The clerical garb: Unless you are ashamed of it or...

...or you are proud of who you are or...

...you want to play permanent CosPlay.  Ha!

This is going to be a classic!

Fr. Robert Paul Zarate has his own blog, Pari sa Japan, and has written a true classic about the Clerical Collar and Cassock.  Go click here to read the full post.

Makes me wonder why an elderly priest would scold a seminarian aflame with love for God and proud of his vocation just for wearing the garb, uniform proper for his state of life.

Are you ashamed old man?

Here is his advice for those who opted to enter the religious life.

"Dear young seminarian, be always happy and grateful to God for the gift of your vocation and commitment shown through your cassock or your clerical.  Yes, be always grateful.  Never content yourself on the comforts of what ordinary, casual clothes can give you.  Never desire to be “invisible” in this world.  You chose to walk that path to the priesthood, a path that has never taken any “undercover” role in the world of evangelization.  (Leave that  to the lay!)  Take care of that cassock.  Respect it and don’t let it just hang around as some piece of rag.  Take care of your collar.  That collar is meant to be shown, not hidden or tucked in.  Let your cassock and clerical be your instant instrument of evangelization.  Let them also be your instant shield from temptations.  Let them be instant reminders to you and to others that God is just among us... yes, just here among us!"

I am still looking for a valid argument from priests and religious who go around not wearing their cassock or habit.


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PS:  The note is for priests and seminarians.  Not for any altar server or not for any guy who goes around claiming to be an instituted acolyte or an instituted lay missionary or whatever hockum you could think of to justify the wearing of the collar.

Makes me wonder, to quote Fr. Bob Zarate:

"If you see a Buddhist priest standing and praying with a begging bowl in front of train stations, chances are they are not real Buddhist priests.  They are fake.  They just stand there to collect money for their daily living sans proper work.  Yet, they are dressed to the detail.  I was moved to think that if people who are not really so can dress up well as if they are the real thing, what about a real priest dressing up as a real priest!"

Still it does not justify the fakes one going around dressed up as if they are priests.

I am pretty sure Fr. Bob agrees on this one.