What is it about Ordinary Time and the emergence of ugly stoles from the back of the sacristy closet? There’s not much opportunity during Lent and Easter to be too “creative,” but all of a sudden when folks in the pews start showing up in shorts and message-blaring tee-shirts, some presiders (not to be outdone) pull out stoles of colors never specified for liturgical wear, ranging from Aunt Mabel’s knitted afghan scarf to collections of little faces suitable for singing “It’s a Small World After All.” But the ones which seem to be showing up more this season are variations on the rainbow theme, aka gay pride stoles which can be claimed to be an apolitical view from Noah’s Ark, if we didn’t know better. I have found my eyes so riveted on wild, almost psychedelic abstract shapes, that it was hard to concentrate on the homily with the stole screaming at me. What would it take for Father to simply be obedient to liturgical norms, and wear a green, red or white stole as prescribed in Ordinary Time, instead of making a political or fashion statement like a highschooler trying to wear a different outfit each day? Here are some of the more ghastly examples (from catalogues; not trying to embarrass any particular priest) which invite confusion with gay pride parades, but I’ve seen worse in DoR sanctuaries:
I think the last one (lower right) is a candidate for ugliest, since it is hard to distinguish it from the end stakes in a croquet game, but which one do you think is most obviously supporting the gay agenda?
Tags: Homosexual Agenda, Liturgical Prancing with the Stars, Vestments
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The stole should not be visible at Mass. If Father properly vests, the stole is always worn under the chasuble. We shouldn’t have to look at these fashion statements. Also beautiful chasubles would get rid of the showy stole. If Father wears the old plain solid color drapes as a chasuble he feels the need to add color with the stole. Bottom line the stole is an under garment as they say.
I call these confused stoles as they don’t know when they are to be worn. Ordinary time? Green, check. Martyrs? Red, check. Advent/Lent? Purple, check.
A deeper question is the one I ask when I read this blog. Why is there such a focus on gay themes? I can see that the issue of liturgical vestments is a matter of rubrics and I am all for following them and expecting priests to do so. This entry goes off target, adding another issue.
Rainbow colors were (and maybe still are) the symbol of Cursillo (“De Colores”) and it’s unfortunate that these colors were co-opted by the gay folks. Stoles are not undergarments. Priests who assist in the distribution of the Eucharist do not wear chasubles, but they do wear stoles. Priests in confession wear the stole on the outside. Deacons wear stoles on the outside. I do prefer that stoles have the color of the liturgical season or liturgical feast as the primary color. I do agree that some stoles are just plain goofy.
Sally – My take on your question “Why is there such a focus on gay themes” because those basic patterns and multi-colored patterns have been hijacked by the gay crowd, the diversity crowd, many New Agers and, as Scott Johnston said above Cursillo. Those colors immediately scream out to me (how could they not) and my Catholic radar immediately goes to work. Gays and their everpresent “gay theology” still run rampant in the Church. I have a fair amount of gay friends and usually when they want to promote being gay, they wear the “rainbow”. Heck, pick up a copy of the “Empty Closet” (Rochester’s gay newspaper) and you’ll see many depictions of it. Check out the link below.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainbow_flag_%28LGBT_movement%29
In regard to the use of the rainbow to symbolize the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transsexual) Movement – I think it is unfortunate, disgusting, and disgraceful that this movement has adopted the rainbow, a symbol of God’s covenant (promise and fideliy) to His people in the time of the Noah and the Flood (Noah and his Arc)in the Old Testament. A great sign of God has now been identified with the LGBT Movement. Organizations and Groups of all kinds which HAVE USED the RAINBOW to depict a RELIGIOUS THEME, GODS COVENANT, have, after many years, changed their theme and symbol to something else. Although their intent has been to represent the beauty and fidelity of God in the rainbow, they feel that we will be associated with the LGBT Movement as the RAINBOW is NOW considered to be the SYMBOL of the LBGT MOVEMENT. It is an OUTRAGE how the LBGT Movement has descecrated the sign of God’s Covenant!
Typo: Although I typed an l, it did not show up – It is the time of Noah and the “Flood”. [fixed it]
My point again: It is an outrage that the LBGT Movement has taken the rainbow as their symbol and desecrated the sign of God’s Covenant!
Christian – Thank you for pointing out about the covenant with God. It totally slipped my mind. Sometimes my porch light is on but nobody is home!
Scott J hit it on the head. If there is another word for that enigmatic last vice of Our Lord, “an obtuse spirit”, “goofy” might do it. At the risk of going off on a tangent, from the point of view of the mature man (as opposed to the immature…) things such as the pictured stoles, worn incorrectly, scream (in a high pitched voice), “I’m goofy!!!!” Nothing makes real Catholic men and boys run the other way faster than such goofiness. Other things that fall under the heading, are liturgical disobedience in general; bad, amplified songs at Mass. Do these things and the fathers and sons (and most of the solid mothers and daughters) are getting outta Dodge.
While we are getting all wound around the proverbial axel, they did hijack the rainbow, Worse yet, they hijacked the word gay destroying an entire time frame of music and culture known as the “Gay Ninety’s” Sing some of the old turn of the 20th century music (and some later)and you wince when you get to the word “gay.” Makes you look at the Irish “pot-o-gold” in a differnt light.
“You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.” – Romans 2:1
God have mercy on us…
And you as well?
Now that I have read these comments and thought about it for a while, I have always been suspicious of Joseph in the Old Testament prancing around in front of his brothers wearing the “Coat of Many Colors”. Obviously something was up because they got rid of him rather quickly and lied to their father about his disappearance!!
Most likely Joseph was intrinsically disordered.
Loving obedience to all the teachings of the Catholic Church is healthy and mature and “liberal” (read, informed.) Sumptuous vestments (have you noticed our Holy Father’s vestments of late? They’re becoming increasingly beautiful, ornate and symbolic.) And the light is back on at the lace factory. When done for the glory of God and the elevation of our hearts and minds at Holy Mass and the other sacraments, it is decidedly manly to wear and appreciate the beauty of such vestments as symbols of the garments we will wear as described in Revelations and the Little Flowers of St. Francis, if we persevere to the end and are judged by Our Lord as worthy of Heaven. The Man we imitate and by the Grace of God are being transformed into day by day, is Jesus Christ, Ecce Homo!!! Adoremus!!!! Talk about wresting back a term!!!! Giovanni, we know you get the distinction, you have written insightfully in the past about that distinction between the judging Our Lord condemns and the spiritual work of mercy of admonishing the sinner.
I do get the distinction… and I am not meaning to condemn all the above comments… but there were certainly a few that crossed the line themselves. I do believe that those few bad comments were certainly a minority.
I don’t care where I am, but Please God!!, do not dress me (male) in lace. Likewise I don’t want to see St Claire in combat boots!!
Gay, Diversity, Pride, Choice, Tolerance, Social Justice, Liberation, Rainbow, Conscience… if they hijack such words, it is because media pushes it and we don’t push back!
They (the culture of death) are seemingly winning (though of course Jesus has already won) because our shepherds are not preaching the Truth on street corners (instead of ivory towers), let alone at the ambo; rather, they are seeking to be accepted by the world and honored for their so very understanding, peaceful, jolly, tolerant ways. YUK! Hard pressed to find the courageous men Jesus tapped to lead his sheep, unless I tune in such as Catholic Radio and EWTN. No guts, so no glory going on here.
+JMJ
Having studied St Thomas Aquinas’s works for a few years, I am aware of his missive that if one wants to understand a situation as much as it is possible to understand it, one must determine and study its ultimate causes (ultimas causas). When contributors present a position about homosexuality on this blog, pray tell me what is their understanding of the “ultimas causas” of the homosexual condition.
In regard to Joseph of the Old Testament, and his “coat of many colors”: (By the way, that is one of my favorite Bible Stories). It is my understanding that it was difficult and costly to dye fabrics in a color, especially multiple colors. So when Jacob gave his youngest son Joseph the “coat of many colors,” he was bestowing his favor on him (favorite) by giving him such a costly coat, which incidentally could have represented God’s Covenant as well as being colorful and cheerful. I think the main point is Jacob was signifying Joseph as his favorite and his brothers were jealous. They resented him.
You would have to read on in the story to see how it turned out.
Anonymous II,
I don’t think anyone here is trying to determine what the Church should teach. Some of the others are deep thinkers for sure, but mostly what we do is just apply what our Church already teaches to what we see around us. We accept Church teaching because we believe it to be true. The point is if you don’t accept what the Church teaches then you are CINO (Catholic in name only). I understand the need to delve deeper as you say, but it isn’t always necessary. The Church has already done the delving for us. Certainly it’s good to be able to know those arguments so we can reach beyond the walls of the Church and try to draw others in, but it’s another problem altogether that we battle here. That problem is those who wish to confuse or change what the Church teaches and pretend to do so in the name of Catholicism. That is simply a lie and we don’t need to give a thesis on every argument. Quite simply, we can say, “the Church says X and Fr. So-and-so says ~X, => Fr. So-and-so is wrong”.
Ben Anderson:
Since Vatican 2, I have heard a number of definitions of what “Church” is; everything from “the pope and hierarchy” being the Church, the magestarium, as well as the Church being the “totality of God’s people being in communion with each other “.
What do you subscribe to, if I may ask??
Anonymous II, I see that you asked Ben his definition of Church. I hope you’ll bear with my input while waiting for Ben’s.
The Church came into being as Christ’s blood and water came forth from the thrust of the centurion’s spear into Our Lord’s side. Eve came into being from Adam’s side. The Church is the bride of Christ, born from his very body, as Eve became the bride of Adam from Adam’s very body. And God is a family, just as Adam and Eve is a family and God charged us to be family, to multiply.
You are looking for “definitions”, Anonymous II. Read Scripture and the CCC, and steep yourself in what Holy Mother Church teaches us is said by each and every word, and you will find out by the grace of God that definitions, words, just can’t cover in a nice tidy way the awesome story of this amazing plan of God.
Christ is of the family of the Trinity, the Church is his bride, and thus our Mother. So much to pull into our heads and hearts there! God bless you in your efforts… may he bless all of us who seek a fuller understanding of him as we each stumble along our way but are kept on our feet by Holy Mother Church. +JMJ
Anonymous II,
I subscribe to what the Church had to say about herself at the Second Vatican Council:
Lumen Gentium