“Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society.” – Mark Twain

Yesterday I went to the evening prayer service at the Cathedral Basilica in St. Louis to welcome our new archbishop, Robert Carlson.  There was a reception line after the service, where hundreds of us gathered to shake hands with the Most Reverend Carlson.  Suddenly I realized that all the men around me were dressed in dark suits.  I was wearing a Theater of the Word polo shirt and tan pants.  I felt like a fool.  “I hate being under-dressed.  I’m wearing nothing but dark suits from here on out!” I said to myself.  “Even in the shower.”

There’s something about feeling like a homeless man at a funeral.  I used to feel that way all the time.  Hanging out at the back, eyeing the little sandwiches.  Wishing I could be with the in crowd, the folks who didn’t feel so foolish.

I met the man, told him who I was.  “Theater!” he said.

“Yes,” I replied.  “We evangelize through drama.  We travel the country.  We do lots of stuff for EWTN.”

“Then I’ve probably seen you.”

“We’d be happy to do a command performance on stage for you.  We did one once for Archbishop Burke.  We do a play on St. Paul, another show for the Year of the Priest …”

And his eyes glazed over, and I knew it was time to move on, to let the suit behind me have his chance.

All of the civic leaders of St. Louis attended the prayer service last night.  The archbishop’s homily was about how he looked forward to working with them, etc. etc.  I wondered as I sat there, a bum off the street, the guest at the banquet that the master invited because some of the others wouldn&rsqrsquo;t show – I wondered as I sat there, what would happen if the archbishop shocked them all and suddenly spoke like an Apostle of Christ?  What if instead of saying, “The  Church wants to work with the inter-faith community,” he said, “Jesus Christ wants to work with the inter-faith community”?  That alone would cause a worldly scandal these days.

Anyway, I don’t see how any of these bishops juggle complex politics and CEO / CFO duties with proclaiming the Gospel.  I don’t even know how pastors do it.  I don’t even know, for that matter, how lay people do it.

But the great banquet continues.  And happy are those who are called to the feast.  And though we are subject to expulsion if we’re not properly attired (see Matthew 22:1), it is nonetheless amazing that all of us are invited in.

So I’d better get changed.

God bless Archbishop Carlson