The most common roadblock I hear for people to adopt my “Dress for the King” lifestyle is the financial one. It usually goes like this: “but what about those who can’t afford fancy clothing or good makeup? Should they not come to Mass because they can’t ‘dress for the King’?”
Great question. Here's my response:
#1 - When I say to dress for the King, I do not mean to dress flashy or showy. I’m not saying to wear Prada shoes, a Valentino bag, or a Gucci dress. What I’m saying is to DRESS WELL for Mass based on who you are and where you are in your spiritual life. BE INTENTIONAL and ask God to help you discern what to wear.
#2 - This argument is actually fundamentally ridiculous, and it doesn’t take much to see right through it. It’s the age-old excuse for not making time for daily mental prayer: “I don’t have time”. As stated in the great book *Time for God* by Fr. Jacques Phillipe, “no one has ever starved to death by not having time to eat”. We always have the space to make time or money for what is truly important to us. It’s simply a matter of priorities. Cut out that coffee, cancel your Spotify subscription, earn a side-income - do what you have to do to present yourself well for the Creator of the World!
#3 - I can already hear it, “but what about those who are legitimately poor? Those who cannot afford food to eat, let alone a nice dress?” It’s a serious question, which is why I must refer you back to point #1. Dressing well is a discernment with God on what works for you and your spiritual life. Dress well so that you can, through practice, improve how you view yourself closer to the way God sees you, to become more of your true self - the one that God created you to be. That’s not something I can advise you on from this post, that’s between you and God.
This excuse, like many others, is almost always a way to subvert the actual problem in our world: LACK OF INTENTIONALITY. The “throw it on’’ mentality, where clothing is nothing more than a functional item to cover ourselves or keep us warm. As Catholics, we are called to live the Christian way of life in all aspects of our lives.
How then can we neglect such an important daily representation of ourselves TO OURSELVES?
