Sunday Best

Dear Friends in Christ,

We have all heard the proverb, “Clothes make the man”. In other words, what we wear often reveals something about our character. Today I would like to address the delicate but necessary topic of proper attire in church. Here in southern California we have a very casual attitude toward dress as compared to other parts of the country or the world. You may have read the article in the daily pilot recently that Huntington Beach had to pass a law after a man was caught walking in his yard in his birthday suit. Sometimes it takes an extreme case to make a point, but the fact that people will go to extremes makes laws necessary. People who go about in extreme degrees of undress are living proof of original sin and its sorry effects. In other words, we are inclined to sin already; provocative clothing only makes matters worse.


Someone might object, well God knows us and is aware that we don’t mean to provoke scandal by our dress. Yes, God does know us, but we don’t wear clothing for God’s sake but for our neighbor’s. God knows us more intimately than any significant other ever will. God gave Adam and Eve clothing because of their fallen state. Since all of us share that fallen state, clothing is a form of spiritual protection against our lower inclinations.

I’m inclined to believe that many people are not conscious of the affect their clothing (or lack of clothing) has on others. However, what we wear does usually reflect our sense of propriety. I know that certain Christian denominations are quite strict about what they wear to church on Sunday. They have a real sense of dressing their “Sunday best”. If asked why they dress that way, I’m sure they would answer that they see Sunday as the Lord’s Day and they dress up because they are in the Lord’s house. Now these Christians do not have what we have, the Real Presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament. Even some non-Christians have very strict dress codes for both religious and secular gatherings.

Too often dress in church has become very casual. We wear the same clothes to church that we wear to the ball game or to a barbecue. True, it does take some preparation and sacrifice during the warm weather, but that is why we have air conditioning. We priests have no choice in what we wear to Mass. Our vestments can be very warm, but we know that at Mass we are engaged in the greatest prayer of all. At Mass we offer the supreme sacrifice of Christ to the heavenly Father. All of us should offer Christ our “Sunday best”. We should dress modestly, not in an immodest way that would draw attention to ourselves. Our dress should reflect who we are, Christians, especially in church. Our good sense should tell us that very revealing, brief, scanty clothing is not appropriate in church where we are offering the sacrifice of the Mass in the presence of the angels.


Sincerely yours in Christ,

Fr. Hildebrand

Living the Sacaments at SJB

Dear Friends in Christ,

This week I’d like to talk about our ministry to the sick. As you know, we offer the sacraments of Penance, Anointing of the Sick, and Holy Communion to parishioners who are homebound or live in the many care facilities in our area. When there is an emergency, we may also go to visit a parishioner in a nearby hospital or at their home.

The Lord provides the sacraments for the spiritual health of our sick and elderly to comfort them and strengthen them in time of need. The stories are sometimes very inspiring. For example, recently I visited a local nursing care facility and met a person who had not been to confession for over thirty years. It was a great joy to hear the feeling of relief when the person had finished and was ready again to receive our Lord in Holy Communion after so long a time.

Our Extraordinary Ministers also visit the sick, especially on Sundays when the priests are busy in church. We have about twenty volunteers who visit more than sixty persons to bring them Holy Communion. This is a true work of love, to bring Christ in the Sacrament of love to His people. Jesus says, “I was sick and you visited me.” Our extraordinary ministers of Communion are a great example of stewardship of time, giving of themselves to those who are lonely and in need of healing. Please remember to pray for our ministers who share their time for the good of God’s people.


Speaking of visiting Jesus, we have more adorers on our roster since last week. The blessings of Eucharistic adoration are many. Just recently two young men came to me inquiring about a vocation to the priesthood. You can see that Jesus is blessing our parish already now that we are making Him more available in the Sacrament of his love.

Have a great week,

Fr. Hildebrand

Adoration Chapel at SJB

Dear Friends in Christ,

With the inauguration of our Blessed Sacrament Chapel as a perpetual adoration chapel we enter a new period of evangelization for our parish. Yes, I firmly believe that the fact that many of you are now adorers of our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament will make a great difference for our parish. Many graces will come from this new effort to put the Lord at the center of our lives.

You say you haven’t heard that we have perpetual adoration at our church? Well, let me encourage you to join us. Just stop by the chapel and sign up for an hour once a week. You will find that spending an hour in His presence will change your life for the better. Do you suffer from insomnia? Sign up for an hour and receive your personal entry code so that you can come at any time during the night for prayer. Do you want to improve your prayer life? Stop by the book shelf outside the chapel and find a good spiritual book to read while you sit at the feet of Jesus in the tabernacle. Are you looking for companionship? Sign up for an hour of prayer each week and introduce yourself to your fellow adorers. You’ll soon find that you can develop a little cell of prayer partners, a real support group. Then you can stop somewhere for coffee after your hour of prayer is over.We have about 400 persons who have received entry codes. There’s room for about 2,600 more in our computer bank. A word on etiquette for the Blessed Sacrament Chapel: This is a sacred place where the Lord’s Body is reserved. It is proper to genuflect (bend the knee) towards the tabernacle when entering and leaving the chapel. It is a place for prayer, normally silent prayer, meditation, and spiritual reading. A challenge to everyone! We need to have at least four persons for every hour in the week in order to assure that each hour is covered. When we reach that level we will be able to open the panels on the tabernacle for exposition. Let’s reach for that goal. Remember the words of Jesus to His Apostles in the Garden: “Could you not watch one hour with me?” If the Apostles offered a holy hour, then we should do the same. Then we will be more effective apostles at home, in school, at work, or wherever we are.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Fr. Hildebrand