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Hi, Dee —
Thanks for writing.
There isn't any real law forbidding men to wear any kind of head covering
in church, though it is customary for men to uncover their heads.
This is a very old practice which goes back to the Jewish
religion. Saint Paul mentions it in 1 Corinthians 11:4-7. He says that men should uncover
their heads and women should cover theirs.
4 Every man who prays or prophesizes with his head covered
dishonors his head. 5 And every woman who prays or prophesizes
with her head uncovered dishonors her head—it is
just as though her head were shaved. 6 If a woman does
not cover her head, she should have her hair cut off;
and if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair
cut or shaved off, she should cover her head. 7 A man
ought not to cover his head, since he is the image
and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man.
1 Corinthians 11:4-7 (New International Version)
In my opinion, this is an act of humility in both cases because men's
heads are less beautiful and women's heads are more beautiful.
It is unusual when a man wears a cloth in church
to cover his head. It's not surprising that
your friends noticed although I understand your concern
that people would notice the scar if you went to church
without the cloth.
Just as a practical suggestion:
- Have you ever though of using any
type of cosmetics to hide the scar?
If you have not tried
that, you can get advice from the same experts who help
women with cosmetics. If that makes the scar look better,
you will be able to go everywhere without a head covering.
I would consider trying
an experiment in the near future: Letting your
head be uncovered in church. Perhaps no one will even notice.
If you want, you can make sure to dress well on that day,
as an extra way to honor God.
Thank you for writing. It is a pleasure to read a letter from someone
who is so thoughtful and wants to do the right thing in church.
God bless you!
— Richard Chonak
for AskACatholic.com
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