I Dress Like Batman, Just Better

As a priest, I regularly 'suit up' for work. Like an decent superhero, I have a special outfit, consisting of a black shirt, black pants, white collar and cross. When in uniform, no one can mistake what I am--a man of the cloth (which can be a bad thing, when I'm impatiently tailgating a slow senior citizen on the road when I'm suited up--no one likes a priest with road-rage, after all).

Some people have an issue with my clergy shirt and collar. To them, it's unnecessary at best, and nothing but arrogant pomp at worst. For some, the clergy collar symoblizes everything that is wrong with the Church.

I think that the best explanation I heard concerning the reasons why clergy where collars (and shirts) came from Archbishop McClanahan. He noted that, in our society, we have many police officers that function undercover. We need such hidden officers, as they can easily catch us at breaking the rules, since we are not expecting their presence. Archbishop McClanahan pointed out, however, that we also need police officers who visibly display their office, as the sight of a police uniform or car is enough to deter bad behavior.

We can easily extend the above analogy to special clergy attire. Sure, some ministers might prefer to 'minister undercover', not wearing a collar; I have found, however, that many people need to see that there are men and women of God among them. On one of my first visits to the local hospital as a priest, I was approached in the parking lot by a sobbing woman, who desperately needed comfort and guidance concerning a rebellious daughter. She saw my collar, and saw a source of comfort and hope. Just this week, while visiting the hospital again, another woman, seeing my collar, stopped me so that I could pray with her ailing father. On both occasions, if I had not been 'suited up', I would not have had the opportunity to minister to hurting and broken people.

In the end, our uniforms mark us, and what we do. Batman wears an outfit specfically designed to take down the isane members of Gotham City, outfitted with the latest and coolest bat-toys and gadgets (being a billionare, Bruce Wayne can afford such a fancy outfit). Superman, being Superman, just needs to wear colored tights in order to fight evil, his flimsy costume marking the fact that he is super (the big 'S'). Police officers wear uniforms with guns, tasers and handcuffs, symbolizing their role in protecting society. And me, I wear a black shirt and collar, special attire of the clergy, wear a cross, a symbol of my faith and the fact that I must die to self each and every day, and carry around a Bible, the Word of God which I use to bring comfort and healing to a world desperate for healing.

Like superheros, we members of the clergy dress special for a reason, and that reason is to stand out and be of assistance to others--nothing more, and nothing less.