This is a term my sister and I affectionately coined to describe our wonderful, loving, Catholic mother. Once while my mom was telling me about her day over the phone she said “I couldn’t nap so I made a lasagna.” While this is the single most Italian thing I’ve ever heard her say it also perfectly highlights her unquenchable spirit of giving. She’s constantly hosting dinners for her church friends or sharing a nightcap with one of her local priests. She spends her days dreaming up new ways to draw people to the faith and strengthen her parish community and is never content until those dreams have been fully realized. In short, my mom is aggressively hospitable.
She has a PR personality that is ever seeking to bring souls closer to the Kingdom of Heaven. It’s an endearing and relentless attitude which I’ve found is widely shared among many Catholic women, mothers in particular. I aspire to be counted among the ranks of aggressively hospitable ladies that are reinvigorating our faith and pray they never run out of steam in their soul saving quest.
I’ve written on this subject before in the context of the mass but the fact is there is an appropriate dress code for every occasion. Workout clothes are for working out. Pajamas are for sleeping. Jeans and t-shirts are for grubby errands or work around the house. I realize this is a very unpopular opinion in our casual world. I’m not advocating that we walk around in ball gowns and tuxedos all the time but there is a day-to-day standard of dress which we are called to maintain and which is so often disregarded.
How we look says things about who we are. Fashion is not about celebrating ourselves through a grand spectacle but should instead be an outward sign of our inner virtues embraced in Catholic teaching. Cleanliness, modesty, discipline, humility, beauty, poise can all be communicated and practiced through our daily attire. It reminds us to live out our faith in all situations.
This is an ideal which should be upheld by both men and women. Unless you’re at the beach or on the verge of heat exhaustion there’s absolutely no reason for you to be whipping off your shirt in public, regardless of gender. It doesn’t matter how fabulous your six pack is. In fact, going around town in little more than a sports bra is deeply uncatholic for men or women. It invites scandal by leading others to sin or have sinful thoughts which damages their souls and is in direct conflict with loving thy neighbor.
Likewise, sweatpants or ratty jeans are not appropriate for a day around town. Have you ever noticed how men and women distinguish themselves when getting dressed up for a formal evening event but in the day-to-day routine everyone starts to look the same? This is my second unpopular opinion for the day. Men and women are different. We think differently, we act differently and we ought to dress differently.
I’m not saying that women can’t throw on a pair of pants in certain situations. I regularly do it myself. But so often ladies underestimate the power of a nice dress and a sensible pair of heels, just as many men are loath to don a button down and a pair of slacks. We were made to complement each other in distinctly feminine and masculine ways. By embracing these traits in ourselves we become better partners to each other. If you are called to marriage and are on the hunt for a virtuous spouse your first step should be to start looking and acting like one.
I know there are many people who feel that it’s just clothing and it’s what’s on the inside that counts so let me extend this challenge. Do everything in your power to put your best foot forward this week even if it seems like a waste of time. Perhaps nothing will come of it but we are made in the image and likeness of God in body and soul. How might He begin working in our lives if we all started dressing the part?
You wouldn’t wear basketball shorts and a t-shirt to meet the king of England would you? Why then is it acceptable to wear such things to mass?
When you go to mass or Eucharistic adoration you are in the presence of our king, our lord and savior, Jesus Christ. The sanctuary is His throne room. It is a great honor to witness and reverence our God and ought to be treated as such. If more people grasped the true weight of the mass, a reenactment of Christ dying on the cross for our sins, I think we’d see more suits in the pews on Sunday. This isn’t your mother’s living room, but the house of God.
In the hustle and bustle of 2022 it’s easy to forget to put our best foot forward when we go to worship. Sometimes it can feel like we’re just checking a box before hurrying off to the next Sunday errand or activity. Imagine how God might speak to you if you slowed down, took the time to make yourself presentable, and actually immersed yourself in worship. We are called to turn to God in all things including how we present ourselves to the world.
For most of my life I wasn’t sure I wanted a good Catholic fellow. After one failed long term relationship, a smattering of dead end first dates and years of the single life, I was more than hesitant to limit my options. It seemed to me that young Catholic gentlemen were rare and far between. I also had yet to discover the true power of prayer and was skeptical that it could land me my dream husband. The jury was still out on whether such a person even existed at all. Little did I know that God had plans for me.
At the urging of my deeply Catholic and loving mother, I prayed a nine day novena to Saint Anne. I wasn’t expecting it to work but I knew it would make my mom happy and at the very least, it couldn’t hurt my odds. As a much more seasoned woman of faith than I, my mom had some tips for exactly what intercessions to ask for from the patron Saint of unmarried women. Her number one piece of advice was to BE SPECIFIC. I wasn’t merely praying for a date or even a husband but rather that God send me a kind, humble, handsome, Catholic gentleman who would go the extra mile early and often and would always strive to bring me closer to my faith. I rolled my eyes at the time for what I thought could only amount to wishful thinking but did as instructed. I said the words everyday while desperately hoping that, just maybe, the grandmother of our savior, Jesus Christ, might hear my plea for help.
Not only were my prayers heard. They were answered one thousand times over. Just a few months after my grudging but heartfelt novena to Saint Anne I met the love of my life, a man I would marry just one year later. No good thing in my life has come to me the way I expected but every single prayer was answered. I got everything I asked for in my husband . He’s even more old-fashioned than I am, always holding doors for me and showing up with a dozen red roses on Valentine’s Day. Since we met he’s taught me nearly all the prayers I know; the Rosary, the Memoroire, the Guardian Angel Prayer. He’s constantly looking for ways to woo and spoil me while keeping me humble and on the path to God.
Prayer works! Everyday that I get to wake up to my very own miracle is a happy reminder that God hears me and He loves me.
There always seem to be a couple of subjects that most people shy away from in professional or social situations. Politics and religion are devoutly avoided because you never know who could be listening and of course you don’t want to offend your friends or coworkers. This is, in my opinion, precisely the wrong approach.
As disciples of Christ we are called to do God’s work and spread the good news. We should talk about our faith just as freely as we would a favorite hobby because it’s so much more than a hobby. It’s a lifestyle and a conscious choice that informs everything we do. In every conversation, whether it be at work or at a Saturday potluck, we should always strive to be living examples of Christ for the other person. This does not mean that we have to be preachy or holier than thou. It doesn’t mean that we are on a mission to force our ideas and beliefs down the throats of everyone we meet. Quite the opposite.
We are always called to act in an attitude of service, kindness and compassion toward our neighbor (friends, family, coworkers, random strangers on the street) and to turn toward God in everything we do. This sounds straightforward but can be surprisingly uncomfortable in our modern society. Sometimes it seems nothing short of social suicide to tell people what we believe. However, as with everything in life, practice makes perfect. Here are some small, everyday ways that you can profess your faith without losing your friends.
Wear a cross or crucifix
Make the sign of the cross and pray before a meal when you go out to eat
Pray a rosary when boarding a plane or other public transportation
Be honest in office small talk. Share your weekend fellowship or service ministry experiences and your Sunday plans.
Invite friends to mass – they might say no but at the very least it’s nice to be invited and there’s always a chance that this is just the invitation they were waiting for.
We might be a little uncomfortable and out of practice when it comes to sharing our faith but we absolutely can and should talk about it. Being Catholic is more than going to church on Sunday or helping with the local soup kitchen or filling up the parish collection basket. We have to go out into the world and proclaim the good news.
Blessed in the Midwest 