What is it about Ordinary Time and the emergence of ugly stoles from the back of the sacristy closet?  There’s not much opportunity during Lent and Easter to be too “creative,” but all of a sudden when folks in the pews start showing up in shorts and message-blaring tee-shirts, some presiders (not to be outdone) pull out stoles of colors never specified for liturgical wear, ranging from Aunt Mabel’s knitted afghan scarf to collections of little faces suitable for singing “It’s a Small World After All.”  But the ones which seem to be showing up more this season are variations on the rainbow theme, aka gay pride stoles which can be claimed to be an apolitical view from Noah’s Ark, if we didn’t know better.  I have found my eyes so riveted on wild, almost psychedelic abstract shapes, that it was hard to concentrate on the homily with the stole screaming at me.  What would it take for Father to simply be obedient to liturgical norms, and wear a green, red or white stole as prescribed in Ordinary Time, instead of making a political or fashion statement like a highschooler trying to wear a different outfit each day?    Here are some of the more ghastly examples (from catalogues; not trying to embarrass any particular priest) which invite confusion with gay pride parades, but I’ve seen worse in DoR sanctuaries:

I think the last one (lower right) is a candidate for ugliest, since it is hard to distinguish it from the end stakes in a croquet game, but which one do you think is most obviously supporting the gay agenda?