In today’s video, Fr. Mike Schmitz gives us some things to consider before getting a tattoo.
If we do choose to place permanent marks on our bodies, we need to make sure the marks portray values we’ll always identify with and live up to, because tattoos do inevitably say something about who we are.
When considering getting a tattoo, here are some important considerations:
1. Many quote Leviticus 19 where it says not to get tattoos. But if understood in its context, the prohibition was dealing with cultural or religious reasons (tattoos, for example, that expressed devotion to a false god) more than the act of getting a tattoo itself.
2. Lewd or crude tattoos are evidently not good.
3. Where you get them is important. The “where” is directly related to what you are trying to say (especially about your sexuality) and can be inappropriate.
4. An excessive number of tattoos isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it does raise the question: “What are you saying when you mark up your body so much?” What are you trying to say with these tattoos?
5. Before you get a tattoo, ask yourself the question: 10 years ago, what type of tattoo would you get? 10 years later, would you still want that tattoo on your body?
