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Who knew that literally wearing masks would be a “normal” way of living today? We’ve learned just how crucial they are in protecting ourselves, as well as social distancing. Whenever we see someone not wearing a mask, we are quick to notice and to judge. Whenever we put on a mask, we notice how uncomfortable it feels too.A few years ago (before COVID was an unfortunate reality, obviously) my street team and I met a man flying a sign. It was a sunny, but chilly day in early March. The man (we’ll call him Todd) was bundled in a heavy coat, and had a cloth covering the bottom half of his face. When I greeted him, he seemed a bit hesitant and confused as to why three young people were stopping to talk to him. However as the conversation slowly took off, Todd began to warm up to us. At one point, he removed the cloth that was covering his nose and mouth, and we could see his whole face.
He then told us a very moving story, of losing all he had and coming to realize that these material things were nothing in the end. He revealed the beautiful relationship he had with God...and also the Blessed Mother! My team and I prayed with him, and we walked away feeling incredibly uplifted.
I can’t remember if I felt anything when Todd removed his mask, but looking back on the encounter from today, something within me blooms. In that moment, he decided to take the risk of being authentic with us, to put away the “mask” of homelessness which I'm sure he’d been identifying with for a long time. We saw the heart God gave him.
In the current state of the world, we know that masks and social distancing protect us from harm. But do we realize that the immaterial masks we wear and put on others does more harm than good?
First, we automatically put masks on people by assigning them an identity—whether that’s their personality, occupation, vocation, you name it. It’s not necessarily a negative thing until it is the only thing you see of them. You see them as a personality type, an occupation, and not as a person.
Then we have the masks that we wear. Perhaps it’s the mask of belonging to a prestigious school. Or having a particular job. Or being in a certain group of friends or relationship. They are not wrong in and of themselves, but if we constantly keep them on, we will either drive people away or end up hurting them.
Take off the Mask
To take off your mask means to recognize the dignity of the person in front of you, to be aware of their needs and to tend to them accordingly, to not get caught up in the mask you’ve put on. If you are a parent and working extra to provide for your family, there is nothing wrong with that. Do your kids, however, know that you still see them, and that their emotional needs are worth being met? That you’re more than just mom who spends a lot of time at her job?
To take off the mask from others is to allow them the space to be themselves, and to be realistic in your expectations from them. It is to take off any surface-level labels we might already have for them, to realize that they are more than these pre-conceived images.
Maybe this means taking time to get to know the man who is flying a sign on the street corner. Maybe he’s more than just “homeless.” He’s an unrepeatable, human being made in the image and likeness of God.
In these days, it’s important to keep your literal masks on, but it’s also important to take off your proverbial masks. Only then can you truly live.
Hazel Jordan is an Office & Communications Assistant at Our Lady of Lourdes. She is currently pursuing a Master's in Theology at the St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity. A recent graduate of the University of St. Thomas, she continues to be active in the faith community there, leading and developing a street ministry program that forms students to encounter the homeless in the Twin Cities. Among other things, she is a self-taught artist and musician, proudly acquiring graphic design and guitar/songwriting skills!