|
Objection 1: It would seem unlawful for religious to wear coarser
clothes than others. For according to the Apostle (1 Thess.
5:22) we ought to "refrain from all appearance of evil." Now
coarseness of clothes has an appearance of evil; for our Lord said
(Mt. 7:15): "Beware of false prophets who come to you in the
clothing of sheep": and a gloss on Apoc. 6:8, "Behold a pale
horse," says: "The devil finding that he cannot succeed, neither
by outward afflictions nor by manifest heresies, sends in advance false
brethren, who under the guise of religion assume the characteristics of
the black and red horses by corrupting the faith." Therefore it would
seem that religious should not wear coarse clothes.
Objection 2: Further, Jerome says (Ep. lii ad Nepotian.):
"Avoid somber," i.e. black, "equally with glittering apparel.
Fine and coarse clothes are equally to be shunned, for the one exhales
pleasure, the other vainglory." Therefore, since vainglory is a
graver sin than the use of pleasure, it would seem that religious who
should aim at what is more perfect ought to avoid coarse rather than
fine clothes.
Objection 3: Further, religious should aim especially at doing
works of penance. Now in works of penance we should use, not outward
signs of sorrow, but rather signs of joy; for our Lord said (Mt.
6:16): "When you fast, be not, as the hypocrites, sad," and
afterwards He added: "But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thy head
and wash thy face." Augustine commenting on these words (De Serm.
Dom. in Monte ii, 12): "In this chapter we must observe that
not only the glare and pomp of outward things, but even the weeds of
mourning may be a subject of ostentation, all the more dangerous as
being a decoy under the guise of God's service." Therefore
seemingly religious ought not to wear coarse clothes.
On the contrary, The Apostle says (Heb. 11:37): "They
wandered about in sheep-skins in goat-skins," and a gloss
adds---"as Elias and others." Moreover it is said in the
Decretal XXI, qu. iv, can. Omnis jactantia: "If any persons
be found to deride those who wear coarse and religious apparel they must
be reproved. For in the early times all those who were consecrated to
God went about in common and coarse apparel."
I answer that, As Augustine says (De Doctr. Christ. iii,
12), "in all external things, it is not the use but the intention
of the user that is at fault." In order to judge of this it is
necessary to observe that coarse and homely apparel may be considered in
two ways. First, as being a sign of a man's disposition or
condition, because according to Ecclus. 19:27, "the attire .
. . of the man" shows "what he is." In this way coarseness of
attire is sometimes a sign of sorrow: wherefore those who are beset
with sorrow are wont to wear coarser clothes, just as on the other hand
in times of festivity and joy they wear finer clothes. Hence penitents
make use of coarse apparel, for example, the king (Jonas 3:6)
who "was clothed with sack-cloth," and Achab (3 Kgs.
21:27) who "put hair-cloth upon his flesh." Sometimes,
however, it is a sign of the contempt of riches and worldly
ostentation. Wherefore Jerome says (Ep. cxxv ad Rustico
Monach.): "Let your somber attire indicate your purity of mind,
your coarse robe prove your contempt of the world, yet so that your
mind be not inflated withal, lest your speech belie your habit." In
both these ways it is becoming for religious to wear coarse attire,
since religion is a state of penance and of contempt of worldly glory.
But that a person wish to signify this to others arises from three
motives. First, in order to humble himself: for just as a man's
mind is uplifted by fine clothes, so is it humbled by lowly apparel.
Hence speaking of Achab who "put hair-cloth on his flesh," the
Lord said to Elias: "Hast thou not seen Achab humbled before
Me?" (3 Kgs. 21:29). Secondly, in order to set an
example to others; wherefore a gloss on Mt. 3:4, "(John) had
his garments of camel's hair," says: "He who preaches penance is
clothed in the habit of penance." Thirdly, on account of vainglory;
thus Augustine says (cf. Objection 3) that "even the weeds of
mourning may be a subject of ostentation."
Accordingly in the first two ways it is praiseworthy to wear humble
apparel, but in the third way it is sinful.
Secondly, coarse and homely attire may be considered as the result of
covetousness or negligence, and thus also it is sinful.
Reply to Objection 1: Coarseness of attire has not of itself the
appearance of evil, indeed it has more the appearance of good, namely
of the contempt of worldly glory. Hence it is that wicked persons hide
their wickedness under coarse clothing. Hence Augustine says (De
Serm. Dom. in Monte ii, 24) that "the sheep should not dislike
their clothing for the reason that the wolves sometimes hide themselves
under it."
Reply to Objection 2: Jerome is speaking there of the coarse attire
that is worn on account of human glory.
Reply to Objection 3: According to our Lord's teaching men should
do no deeds of holiness for the sake of show: and this is especially
the case when one does something strange. Hence Chrysostom [Hom.
xiii in Matth. in Opus Imperfectum] says: "While praying a man
should do nothing strange, so as to draw the gaze of others, either by
shouting or striking his breast, or casting up his hands," because
the very strangeness draws people's attention to him. Yet blame does
not attach to all strange behavior that draws people's attention, for
it may be done well or ill. Hence Augustine says (De Serm. Dom.
in Monte ii, 12) that "in the practice of the Christian religion
when a man draws attention to himself by unwonted squalor and
shabbiness, since he acts thus voluntarily and not of necessity, we
can gather from his other deeds whether his behavior is motivated by
contempt of excessive dress or by affectation." Religious, however,
would especially seem not to act thus from affectation, since they wear
a coarse habit as a sign of their profession whereby they profess
contempt of the world.
|
|