I don’t have a huge interest in dresses, but the recent viral sensation got me thinking. And while I am fascinated by the physics and biology of it all, I am more enthralled by the faith and spiritual connections it brought to mind.
You see, what I think of when I hear White and Gold is the Vatican, and by extension, the Pope and the Church. And when I hear Blue and Black, I think of a nasty bruise, or by extension, a wound or illness.
So here’s the comparison: Some people legitimately see the dress as White and Gold. Others legitimately see the dress as Blue and Black. This parallels the opposing ways by which people perceive the Catholic Church.Many, hopefully most Catholics (and ALL Catholic Gentlemen), see the Church for what it is, White and Gold. They see the beauty and the goodness. They love the living tradition and the collective theological and moral wisdom of centuries. They love the Holy Father. They see Christ present in the fruits of the Church’s efforts. And they understand that we are a Church of sinners on a journey to become saints. They don’t expect the Church and its children to be perfect at every moment through the ages, but they do have certainty that she will not teach error or lead her children astray. They perceive the Church as a valuable, precious, and important gift to the world.
On the other hand, there are many, even within the Church, who see the Church as Blue and Black, bruised, wounded, sick, and frail. These are often repulsed by the Church, her traditions, her teachings, and her history. They are turned off in minor or major ways by their perceptions. They see the Church as an inhibition to world progress thanks to its stance on issues like abortion, marriage, and contraception. To these, the Church is a rigid moral imposer that guilt trips people into repressing their natural desires. They see the Church as a bunch of hypocrites who aren’t anything like what they preach to be. They perceive the Church to be an ugly wound to the world.
So when you look at the Church, what do you see? White and Gold or Blue and Black?
I’ll simply conclude with this quotation:
“There are not one hundred people in the United States who hate The Catholic Church, but there are millions who hate what they wrongly perceive the Catholic Church to be.” –
Fulton J. Sheen
~ The Catholic Gentleman's Guide