Abbey-Roads2

This is so not a good look…

In many offices Fridays are regarded as casual Fridays.  More often than not, it’s a day to come to work looking like crap.  I once worked in an office where the HR person came in wearing something similar to what is shown in this photo, only the jeans were faded and sort of ugly, and the heels were uglier than these.

Other people come in wearing sweat pants made out of teddy bear fur, or what is known as velour.  Not a good look, especially if you’re a chunk and you are wearing a tight top.  I used to say no matter how fat you are, if you have a tan, you look good.  I was wrong, a leatherette face is not attractive enough to distract from rolls.  (My apologies to overweight women.)

I’ve never understood guys who wear kahkis and cords to work every day, suddenly showing up for work wearing blue jeans because it’s casual Friday.  Kahkis and cords arecasual.  The same with women who wear flip flops and capri pants with T-tops all week, coming into work wearing something worse on casual Fridays.  (Worse would be running outfits.)

Since I worked at a Catholic Company where modesty was promoted, casual Fridays sometimes left little to the imagination.  Cleavage, tight clothes…butt- you may say, it’s casual Friday.  It doesn’t take much to turn a guy on - men are the weaker sex when it comes to T&A - please excuse the vulgar expression.

Some guys used to complain about the clothing of a couple of the girls, suggesting their style of dress became an occasion of sin for them.  That didn’t go over well with the predominant female management, especially since one of the accused happened to be a family member.  (Yet they would criticize a couple of women who always wore dresses or skirts, saying how dowdy they looked.  Office women can be a lot like those featured in “Ugly Betty”.  Meow.)

So, what’s my point?  Casual Fridays are pointless, society has become far too casual as it is.  Dress appropriately and cover up.  Maybe keep the flip flops for the yard or beach - the noise can be a turn-on for guys.  Oh, and don’t wear heels with pedal pushers - it looks dumb.  (Especially on the guys.)

Trivia:  Do you know one reason why women wear really high heels with pants?  They enhance the derriere.  It’s true.

[This has been  public service announcement for people without taste.]

A dash of Latin. 

Last evening I attended Mass at a Church in St. Paul I once frequented on a daily basis.  It’s a lovely Church, with good priests, a devout congregation, and ample opportunity for the sacraments and Mass, as well as Perpetual Adoration.

I have become so accustomed to the Church I normally attend where the priest says Mass with his back to the people.  It is a Novus Ordo parish, yet they have continually offered one or two Masses a week in Latin, and all of the Masses have never deviated from the Roman Rite through novelty or alteration.

The parish I attended last evening celebrates Mass in the vernacular - which is just fine with me.  However, I have been noticing that many parishes are introducing more Latin into the liturgy - but not a lot.  I think the new rubrics may call for this, or advise for this, and many good priests are doing so.  Most often, it seems the use is limited to the Kyrie, the Sanctus, and the Agnus Dei.

Perhaps I’m a little too black or white about stuff, but I prefer consistentcy in liturgy.  (I know the Kyrie is actually Greek and not Latin, but that has been tradition for centuries in the Latin Mass.)  Sometimes I wonder if the insertion of Latin at various points in the vernacular Mass isn’t simply throwing a bone to those who want Latin back.

Mixing the liturgy up with Latin and English is disconcerting to me.  Why not do either or?  Does Latin make certain parts of the Mass more sacred?  (Of course, it can be more accurate than the English translations at key points of the Mass.) It just seems a tad disingenuous to me, and I find it distracting.  (Of course I am aware that from the beginning it was recommended that certain parts of the Novus Ordo retain the Latin, but that recommendation was rarely followed.)  Nevertheless, if one is going to insert Latin, why not just do the entire Mass in Latin?

Extraordinary Ministers

(Check out Angela Messenger’spost on EMC’s.) 

Since it was a daily Mass I attended and the attendance was low, the Church still used 3 Extraordinary Ministers for Communion.  I wondered why they were needed at all, since most people were in line to receive from the Celebrant anyway.  I received from an EM and took Communion in the hand.  If I were to have received from the priest, I would receive on the tongue.  I might mention, the altar server was a girl.  (I know all of this is allowed, permitted, even encouraged, I’m just not comfortable with it anymore.  I don’t see the reason for it.)

I think I’m so ready for the Traditional Latin Mass.  At least it is consistent.