Rachel Campos-Duffy: "Have We Become Too Casual? Why I Dress My Kids Up for Church"

Rachel Campos Duffy writes about why she dresses her kids up to attend Mass:

... Dressing my kids for church is a nonverbal way of letting even our youngest child know that our church is an important place and that Mass is an important event. The dress shoes and pretty dresses, the bows and neatly parted hair sets Sunday Mass apart from soccer practice and all the other things they do in the week. Yes, it is an inconvenience with a family our size, and it doesn't always work out despite our best efforts. It's a constant struggle getting everyone out the door and loaded into the minivan on time...

The bottom line is that I go through the trouble out of respect for God and the other worshipers. Sometimes I'll hear people say, "God doesn't care what I wear." Or, "God only cares that I come." True enough. But faith and religion, in my view, is also about my response to God. God is not "lucky" that I showed up. I'm privileged to be invited. And the time and effort I put into bringing my family to His home freshly scrubbed, combed, and neatly dressed is part of my gift to Him. My God died on the cross for me. Dressing up to worship Him is the least I can do.