The Cassock – A Cancer Victim Dead to the World. The cassock is the garment of priests and seminarians, the Italian writer Isidoro D'Anna explains in a text published on MessaInLatino. The cassock’s …More
The Cassock – A Cancer Victim
Dead to the World. The cassock is the garment of priests and seminarians, the Italian writer Isidoro D'Anna explains in a text published on MessaInLatino. The cassock’s black colour indicates that the wearer is dead to the world. Therefore, the priest doesn’t follow the expectation of the world but the expectations of God. He doesn’t try to build a reputation in the world but wants to please only God and his kingdom.
Except the Head. The cassock is a long robe that covers the entire body except the head. This signifies that only Christ – the head - must appear, and the tongue must speak the language of God. The priest must be an image of the Divinity. The hands are equally uncovered to make known that the priest’s actions are God’s work. The feet are also covered, signifying death to the earthly affections and desires to which man's steps can lead. So, nothing remains uncovered but the head and hands.
Thirty-three Buttons. There are 33 buttons that close the cassock, are in memory of the years of Our Lord's life. The five buttons on the wrists are in memory of his five wounds. This shows that the priest has become an alter Christus – another Christ. Christ operates through him using him like an instrument.
Cancer. A certain James Veselka, a former seminarian, writes in the comments, “I wish I knew this as a seminarian, I would have taken it more seriously.” Anna Melis comments that it is too bad priests no longer put on the cassock. The modern era has ruined many things in the church, she adds. And Alessio Lorenzi writes - quote, “Modernity has been the cancer of the Church.”
Dead to the World. The cassock is the garment of priests and seminarians, the Italian writer Isidoro D'Anna explains in a text published on MessaInLatino. The cassock’s black colour indicates that the wearer is dead to the world. Therefore, the priest doesn’t follow the expectation of the world but the expectations of God. He doesn’t try to build a reputation in the world but wants to please only God and his kingdom.
Except the Head. The cassock is a long robe that covers the entire body except the head. This signifies that only Christ – the head - must appear, and the tongue must speak the language of God. The priest must be an image of the Divinity. The hands are equally uncovered to make known that the priest’s actions are God’s work. The feet are also covered, signifying death to the earthly affections and desires to which man's steps can lead. So, nothing remains uncovered but the head and hands.
Thirty-three Buttons. There are 33 buttons that close the cassock, are in memory of the years of Our Lord's life. The five buttons on the wrists are in memory of his five wounds. This shows that the priest has become an alter Christus – another Christ. Christ operates through him using him like an instrument.
Cancer. A certain James Veselka, a former seminarian, writes in the comments, “I wish I knew this as a seminarian, I would have taken it more seriously.” Anna Melis comments that it is too bad priests no longer put on the cassock. The modern era has ruined many things in the church, she adds. And Alessio Lorenzi writes - quote, “Modernity has been the cancer of the Church.”