Vestments

There have been several posts comparing the vestments of the Holy Father for 1st Vespers of the 1st Sunday of Advent in 2006 vs 2007. Fr Z and Gerald Augustinus are examples. It's amazing some of the comments that appear. That said, there are some things to note:

• The patience of His Holiness in allowing the former MC to dress him in Tie-dye vestments and Joseph and his Technicolor dream-copes.
• Complaints that his new vestments are "foppish" -- is there no understanding that the vestments worn actually demonstrate the dignity of the Sacred Liturgy? He is not foppish, he's Catholic.
  
• There is, among those who prefer Marini I's vestment choices, a lack of understanding of how the human mind naturally perceives beauty. Such things as balance and symmetry are important. Hence the balanced six candles and Crucifix on the altar!

The classical vestments take these things into account. Modern ones do not. I despise having to wear cheap polyester vestments into the Holy of Holies. Sadly, we have to purchase our own vestments these days because many of our predecessors threw away the cloth of gold vestments and replaced them with burlap. There are fewer things more embarrassing than having the Episcopalian priestess down the street wearing nicer looking vestments than the Catholic Priest.