We’ve all
seen Catholic priests (and other Catholic leaders) with their special “outfits”
or “uniforms” on, usually some type of robe and the typical white collar worn
backwards. They seem to always wear this,
especially during Mass (Church services) or other religious events.
Of course
these are certainly not the only types of religious clothing that you will see
in the Catholic Church. There is a
history of evolving clerical dress for the Church over the years, but we will
not be delving into that aspect of it.
By the way,
there are other groups who claim to serve Jesus Christ besides Catholics that
wear some type of clerical dress. Others
include the different branches of Eastern Orthodox and even some Protestant groups
who wear such attire.
But the
question I want to ask today is why? For
what purpose do these groups clothe themselves in such a way? Why must they be distinguished from others by
their garb?
Set Apart
According to
one Catholic source, the purpose of clerical attire is:
“It’s
associated with liturgy, status, and people’s relationship to material objects…
It helps define the religious body… It has conveyed a sense of community,
solidarity, and allegiance.”
The author of
the article says that a priest in a Roman collar “appears neat and respectable,
someone worthy of respect in society, and will be perceived as a
professional.”
Concerning Catholic
women religious groups, the author also said:
“…if they
were seen doing charitable work in their distinctive clothing, it helped win
respect from non-Catholics.”
See the
article here:
https://uscatholic.org/articles/201907/how-clothing-became-the-thread-that-ties-catholics-together/
According to
one non-Catholic source, the purpose
for clerical dress is:
· For people to “see them as different”
· “To show clergy’s dedication”
· To show “their tradition and role”
· To “tell us about a cleric’s
connection to God and their job in the church”
· “For showing who is part of the
clergy at events or when they’re helping people”
· “This attire helped identify them as
leaders of worship and guidance within communities”
This article can be found here:
The article
also stated:
“The
detachable clerical collar reflects not just an evolution in fashion
but symbolizes a binding commitment to spirituality and service across
Christian denominations.”
A Closer Look
Ok, so let’s
take a look at these reasons for Catholic leaders to wear such attire. Going back to the first link at the beginning
of this article, we find that such attire is to emphasize the liturgy (customary
public ritual of worship), status, people’s relationship with objects (I
suppose they are referring to symbolism
here), definition, community, solidarity and allegiance. In other words, it seems to give them a sense
of belonging in a special group. One of
the things mentioned here that could cause concern is the “status” issue. We’ll come
back to that.
Continuing
on in the first article, Catholic leaders have a desire to appear neat,
respectable and professional. On the
surface, there is nothing at all wrong with that.
The
non-Catholic source mentions seeing clergy as different because of their
dedication/role/job and connection to God, the necessity of identifying clergy
at events, as leaders of worship and guidance, and are known for their
commitment/spirituality/service.
These
reasons sound good and there seems to be nothing on the surface that should
alarm us about clerical dress. But
again, in a roundabout way, they also call attention to the status of the person.
Ulterior Motive?
Here’s where
it gets tricky. There is nothing wrong
with having leaders in the church. They
are, of course, biblical and very much needed.
But very often, people will tend to put their leader up on a pedestal. I remember very well, as a child who was
raised Catholic, I had a respect (or perhaps more accurately, a fear) of
priests. And almost all the Catholics I
knew were more than willing to kiss up to the priest as one would a king.
But there is
a difference, on the one hand, between foolishly fawning over someone important,
and on the other hand, truly “giving honor to whom honor is due” (Romans
13:7). So, yes, there should be respect and honor
toward church leaders, but remember, there is a balance. We can see that balance here in what Jesus said about the scribes and Pharisees:
“But
all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their
phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments, And love the
uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, And
greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi. But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your
Master, even Christ;
and all ye are brethren.” (Matthew 23:5-8)
To consider other believers as equal with you is the biblical attitude for spiritual leaders. Yes, as a leader, you have a different role in the church than the others, but
in the eyes of God, they are just as
important as you are. Actually,
according to Scripture, the minister is the servant
of the congregation (Philippians
2:5-7; Colossians 1:25)! After
recognizing this fact, to wear a distinct set of clothing in order to stand out
from the others is questionable, at best, and calls into question your motives.
The scribes and Pharisees loved the spiritual titles that were bestowed
upon them and the intoxicating affection that came with it. But Jesus burst their bubble and told them
that they were all brothers, i.e., they were not to see
themselves as “greater than” the common people.
Also, neither
did He allow them to be “set apart” by their clothing/fashion:
“Then
in the audience of all the people he said unto his disciples, ‘Beware of the scribes, which desire to walk in long robes,
and love greetings in the markets, and the highest seats in the synagogues, and
the chief rooms at feasts;’” (Luke 20:45-46)
The truth is
they did it for show. Yes, they wore the special garments so
everyone would notice them and revere them over the “common” people.
Blending In or Standing Out?
But wait a
minute! Didn’t Jesus also wear a
robe? Wasn’t He distinguishing Himself? After all, He was a Jewish rabbi, right?
But note
this fact: When Judas Iscariot was
approaching Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane to betray Him, why did Judas have
to give a sign to the murderous mob
of Jews in order to identify Jesus and to distinguish Him from the
apostles? Look what happened:
“Now he
[Judas] that
betrayed Him gave them a sign, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is
he: hold him fast.” (Matthew 26:48)
Jesus was a
rabbi, but if He was wearing special clerical attire (like the Pharisees and
scribes), why in the world did Judas have to give them a secret sign, and why
did they not simply recognize Him by His clothing? It seems that Jesus actually blended in with
the others quite well. So, Jesus was not
trying to stand out among the leaders by His clothing or to promote special vestments
of any kind for the “clergy.”
Outward Appearance or Behavior?
But what
about priests in the Old Testament? If
special clothing for the spiritual leaders is wrong today, then why did God
command the Old Testament priests to have a distinct attire (Exodus
28:1-43)? If it was ok to wear those
distinctive garments back then, why not today?
The point is
the clerical garb in the Old Testament was very symbolic and it was used to
point to Jesus in the New Testament.
Each and every piece of clothing was a distinct picture of Jesus
Christ. And all that symbolism was
fulfilled by Him, not necessarily intended to be continued in the New Testament
church.
The question
must be asked, “Why would a Christian
want to wear a “uniform” indicating that he is a “clergyman”? Would this not appeal to the flesh and cause
pride issues? Again, wasn’t this the exact
thing that happened to the leaders/Pharisees/scribes of Jesus’ day?
Is there
anything wrong with wearing nice clothing?
No, not at all. A close Christian
friend of mine says that someone in church should not look like a bale of hay
that had just been shot out of a cannon.
Although appearance is not everything, we certainly should not want to
be dressed sloppily or indecently, but rather, appropriately.
But is there
really a need to broadcast your “ministry” and your status, through special
clothing? Should it not be shown through
your behavior instead?
1 Peter 3:3-4 talks about one’s adorning/value not being
merely outward:
“Whose
adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or
of putting on of apparel; But let
it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not
corruptible, even the ornament of
a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.”
Although
Peter was speaking about women here, this principle should still apply to men.
Not
surprisingly, many outsiders/unbelievers think that this ministerial clothing
is all about pride, maybe even about intimidation!
Conclusion
I’m not
saying that everyone who wears
clerical dress of any kind does it out of selfish pride, but human nature can
easily and quickly give in to pride (Genesis 3:6; Proverbs 16:18; 1 John 2:16).
In America,
billions of dollars are spent each year on make-up and beauty products, gym
memberships and provocative clothing.
People are well aware of their looks and what they want to look like. We strive
to be attractive and we desire to be noticed.
Furthermore,
it is a fact of human nature that a person (Christian or not) who is wearing a
uniform of any kind is normally self-aware of that uniform, especially if he is
proud of his accomplishments that are represented by the uniform. In fact, many are hoping to be noticed by others, desiring to be on display.
Whether it
is a Boy Scout uniform, a police uniform, a martial arts uniform, a military
uniform, etc., the person is almost always conscious of it. Many of these will even admit that they wear
these uniforms out of pride. Do you
think that priests, rabbis or Christian ministers are exempt from this tendency?
No, no one is.
So, whether
it is a Jewish rabbi, a Catholic or orthodox priest, or a Protestant minister,
they should be very careful. Jesus knows
the heart of man and how capable he is of pride (Jeremiah 17:9; 2 Timothy 3:2). I think we need to heed His Word by examining
our hearts daily (2 Corinthians 13:5).
Clerical
dress
can certainly be a stumbling block, both for the one who wears it and
for the one who observes the wearer.
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