Opinions Expressed in "Rants," while informed by Catholic doctrine, are merely the opinions of the author.
Ties and Collars are Stupid
This particular rant is more the opinion of the author than usual.
TIES ARE STUPID! Why do men wear these ridiculous colored fabrics from their necks? They're impractical, illogical, meaningless, ridiculous. What purpose do they serve? Decoration, that's all.
From my understanding they had their origins in the desire to have a napkin handy so as to wipe food from one's mouth. Probably also where the tradition of having various colors on the necktie came from.
The worst thing about the necktie, in my view, is where we wear it - around the neck, so we can be STRANGULATED - what a perfect symbol of the strangulation of the human spirit manifest in the professional industrialized world.
Why is it that the formal professional dress of every man in the western world is the suit and neck-tie? WHY? It makes no sense to me at all.
Some say because it looks nice. But how relative is that?
Now if you like ties, fine, I respect that - but why is it the convention? Why are ties the standard male professional dress? Why do some companies INSIST that its employees wear a tie? WHY A TIE?
When I see people dressed up for formal occasions, with Queen wearing her crown, or First Nations Peoples wearing their ceremonial headdress, or an African monarch in his furs and jewels, or an Arab dressed in his beautiful robes and turban, the RCMP in their red serge, and see them greeted by our leaders, wearing their lame suits and ties, I can't help but feel that we aren't holding up our end.
Slaves to convention - that's what we are - we're told that suit and tie is the thing to wear, so that's what we wear.
Vowing never to wear a necktie again, I became a priest, and what do I have to wear? A COLLAR! Which is JUST AS STUPID!
Don't get me wrong - I see the value in a priests dressing, in some way, distinct, so that people can recognize us, so that we stick out in a crowd. I think people need that, and I am willing to pay that price for their sake. Click HERE to see my explanation thereof.
And there is a long tradition for clerics, of wearing some form of clothing that distinguished them - I'm willing to be part of that tradition too.
But why that stupid little piece of plastic around our necks? What's so sacred or holy, what is reminiscent of God or of Christ or of His Church, about a little white piece of plastic? WHY THAT!?
Some trade off that was! Just as impractical and illogical, again devoid of theological meaning - what does a white piece of plastic have to do with priesthood?
Not to mention the fact that the strangulation process remains intact with the collar as well.
In my opinion, we should move to something else entirely - something rooted in our tradition, but at the same time something that is simple and practical. How about hoodies? All priests should wear hoodies at all times. Maybe with a cross on it or something.
After all, when I go visit a grade 2 class and ask them what I am wearing that tells them that I'm a priest, they ALWAYS answer, not my collar, but the cross necklace I have hanging around my neck. A connection to Jesus. That's the way it should be.
Don't get me wrong - I know I don't make the rules on this, the Church does, and the Church says we should wear collars, so I will obey - but hopefully this member of the Sensus Fidelium can influence a tiny little change.
Because ties and collars are STUPID!