Thursday, April 29, 2010

Mantilla the Hon Debates U.S. Catholic Writer on High Pontifical Mass








The above Is Good and Gives Glory To God?



And the Above is Bad?



and seems to hate silk.

See the rant here at A ridiculous mountain of red silk

I will try to update this with much better reactions to this nonsense. But let Liturgical Fashion Critic Mantilla the Hon Hon weigh in.

At her post Mantilla on Lutheran Lady Bishops via Standing on My Head she says in part:

But there is a serious point hon. Listen. Why don't these people want to have a traditional cope and miter? It's because they hate tradition, that's why. They wear radical clothes because they are radical people. They wear clothes that express themselves rather than expressing the office they hold. I remember one time in Barcelona we get this young bishop who said he didn't want to wear a miter and a cope and ring and all the bishop's special vestments because he doesn't want to be special and he doesn't think he is any better than anybody else.

Mgr. Quixote, who was my professor of Ecclesiastical Haberdashery at Salamanca University took him aside and said, "Your Grace, with the greatest respect, everybody already agrees with you. They don't think you're so special either." The new bishop kind of misses the point hon because he says, "Really! Then I won't wear them. I think they embarrass me. I don't want them to be looking at me."

So Monsignor Quixote says, "What I mean is they don't think it's all about you. They want to see the Bishop. They are not coming to see you. They are coming to see the Church and the Bishop stands for the Church. The Bishop's robes do something very important your grace. They block you out. With any luck you will get your wish and no one will see you at all. Then when you're gone the next bishop will wear the same cope and miter and they won't see him either.

"Lucky this priest is pretty smart, so he says, "You mean instead of the fancy robes making me special they actually make me not so special?""You got it!" says Monsignor. "The splendid robes are not because you're a splendid person, but because the office of the bishop is splendid. The better bishop you are the more you will forget about yourself."So that's the problem with these robes that are 'creative'. They draw attention to themselves and they draw attention to the people wearing them and the people who made them. Listen hon. These vestments say, "Look at me. I'm radical. I'm a woman bishop. I'm something special. I am going to change the world." It is saying, "Women priests are good. People who don't like them are bad."This is why these vestments are so bad. Because they are preaching to me. Good vestments preach by being humble. The only thing you should notice is that they are made from the finest materials with the finest workmanship.

It's simple hon. Vestments should not send a message.

You want to send a message? Send a telegram.

Maybe the Hon can get a job at U.S. Catholic

Further she notes at Mantilla Talks Vestments she says in part:
Every kind of symbol that is preachy is a mistake. All these vestment makers want to be clever and do something smart. Forget it hon. Here is a good rule of thumb: too clever is dumb. When I was doing my degree in Ecclesiastical Haberdashery at Salamanca University I learned something every seminarian should learn: "Vestments should not preach, except by the quality of materials used and the skill and prayerful dedication of the craftsman." Yes hon, that's right. Vestments don't preach. Priests preach. You see, the vestment should complement the divine liturgy. It should beautify and reflect the beauty of the divine sacrifice.

If someone goes away from Holy Mass and says to me, "You know Mantilla, those vestments were simply gorgeous--so creative!" I say to myself, something is wrong. It's okay for vestments to be gorgeous, but creative? I don't think so. They get too 'creative' and they draw attention to themselves, you know? They should not do that. They were probably made by someone who was trying to show off. That's not good. Listen, hon, Low key is the thing. Low key. Keep it dignified. Keep it classy.
You know?

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