https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broken_windows_theory
One of the leaders of the liturgy that I attend regularly asked me if I have read the book Atomic Habits by James Clear. I had not, but when he told me what it was about I fell in love with it. I still haven’t read it but in summary the book focuses on the power of small, incremental changes in building good habits and breaking bad ones. The core idea is that tiny improvements, when compounded over time, lead to remarkable results. Clear emphasizes that you don't need to make drastic changes to transform your life—instead, by making habits 1% better each day, you can achieve significant growth.
The point here is that the little things matter - incremental good is great, and incremental bad is terrible. The title of this article is Broken Patrasheel Theory, named after the Broken Windows Theory, summarized in the Wiki article above. You know the saying “when you boil ribs, the terrorists win?” Similarly, when you don’t wear the patrasheel appropriate to your deacon rank, the devil wins.
It doesn’t seem like a big deal. Who cares? It’s just a patrasheel. I’m still a reader. I haven’t done anything wrong. The key here is that you are not wearing it for you. You are wearing it for Us. It is an icon of your submission to the system. You are a part of a larger whole. When you say “it’s too hot” or “I just don’t like wearing it” you are saying that your comfort or preference is what matters.
Here is an incomplete list of things that I notice, that I think you should notice. I’m not telling you that you have to do anything about it, but I am asking for you to at least notice what happens when we let this things slip, and what happens when we are careful to attend to these seemingly inconsequential details.
| Detail | Consequence of Ignoring | Benefit of Addressing |
|---|---|---|
| Wearing your patrasheel | Signals personal comfort over communal order; breaks visual unity; suggests small rules don't matter | Shows submission to liturgical order; reinforces serving something greater; maintains iconic clarity of roles |
| Going to liturgy early | Complacency begets complacency; if there is no clear expectation of the time to be there, people show up later and later from one week to the next | Going early every week shows reverence and respect for the responsibility of service; allows you to benefit from all parts of the Liturgy |
| Standing together in a chorus instead of disjointed | Distracts congregation; suggests individualism; makes liturgy feel casual | Presents unified witness; embodies "one body" theology; enhances beauty and solemnity |
| Bowing when it's time to bow instead of sitting | Ignores the importance of our physical participation in Liturgy; signals disengagement; teaches participation is optional | Engages embodied worship; demonstrates reverence; leads congregation by example |
| Preparing the readings in advance | Causes stumbling and poor delivery, resulting in poor understanding and lack of reverence. | Allows for reading with understanding which is edifying to both the one reading and the congregation listening |