In the early days of the Church, no special clothes were worn for "the breaking of bread". But it did not take long for the early Christians to realize that participants in a rite so sacred as the celebration of the paschal mystery should put on a distinctive dress, especially in view of the Jewish tradition of special vestments for the priests.

In chapter 28 of Exodus we read how God gave the Jewish people, through Moses, special instructions regarding the kind of vestments the priests should wear, how they were to be made, and how used. The purpose of special vestments for priests was "to give dignity and magnificence." (Exodus 28:2) that would redound to God's honour. Putting on vestments was a human way of honouring God.

If that was how the priests of the Old Testament were to be vested, there was greater reason for wearing special vestments for the offering of the sacrifice of the New Law. Gradually vestments came into use, as also more elaborate ritual. A rudimentary form of vestment appears to have been in use already in the 3rd century. It was a white robe Origen (c. 185-254) says that for the celebration of Mass the priest should be clothed in white linen.

Vestments have been in use for centuries in the Western Church as well as in Eastern Churches. Vestments of the latter are generally more elaborate and colourful than those of the Latin rite.

There are several reasons for the use of vestments.

1. It is customary for one to put on special clothes or robes when performing a special office, such as judges wearing robes when they come on the bench. It is essentially when a priest celebrates the holy sacrifice of the Mass that he functions as a priest. The vestments he wears draw our attention, in the first place, to the special priestly office he holds.

2. Special clothes (robes, uniforms) highlight the special character of the function itself, in the case of religion the religious exercise. The vestments give emphasis to the special nature of the celebration, which is that, in the case of the Mass, it differs not only from other human acts but also from all other acts of worship. Vestments are a symbol of the uniqueness and exalted character of the Eucharistic Sacrifice.

3. The Mass is not just a prayer like other prayers said by us in private or in public. There is mystery in it. The mass is the celebration of the paschal mystery. The change of bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ is a mystery for us. The Mass brings a mysterious presence manner of communing with him. The vestments indicate to us that the priest is handling something mysterious. They heighten our sense of the sacred and the mysterious.

4. When we go to meet a distinguished person, it is customary to be well dressed. For an audience with a king or queen or the Pope or a head of state there an in fact protocol rules regarding dress. To be well dressed is a way of honouring persons of high status. At Mass we meet Jesus himself who became present in the Holy Eucharist. The celebrant who performs the rite of the Eucharistic Sacrifice comes closest to Christ present on the altar. At Mass the priest has as it were an 'audience' with Christ, much more than the faithful have. For this audience he wears special clothes, thereby to pay reverence to Christ the Lord. For these reasons, not only should the priest not fail to be properly and fully vested for Mass according to liturgical rules, but also see that the vestments are clean and appropriately, if not elegantly, made, since this is our human way of adding "dignity and magnificence" to the sublime and mysterious act of worship God has placed in our hands.