There was a time when masks were worn by actors to portray a character in a play – an animal, a bird, a monster. Children love making and wearing masks for fancy dress parties, and aristocrats in a bygone era wore masks to balls. Surgeons and theatre nurses wear masks to perform operations, and those patients who are barrier nursed have to quickly adapt to seeing only the eyes of those who are caring for them.
Nowadays, in these pandemic times, masks have become an essential item of clothing for us all. You can’t get on a train or a bus without a mask. You can’t go shopping or to church without a mask. Only when you are seated in a cafe, are you permitted to remove your mask. Move about, and on it goes!
Masks today are worn to protect ourselves and others against Covid 19, and in some ways, whilst they are a nuisance, and it can be difficult to breathe or to hear what people are saying, when wearing one, we have, sort of, got used to them. We know from scientific research that as part of the fight against the virus, it is essential that we wear a mask in certain situations. So basically, at the moment, we have no choice but to wear a mask.
However, sometimes people will live their whole lives wearing a virtual mask. Their self-worth is so low, that it is easier to hide behind a mask of shyness or reticence than to reveal their true self. Some people wear a mask of credibility and self-assurance which belies a feeling of inadequacy or a lack of confidence. Years of abuse and a sense of shame can be a heavy mask to wear. These virtual masks are not a rarity, they are worn by most of us, at some time in our lives. It is very difficult to expose our true selves. We need to have full trust in someone before we can reveal and admit to our vulnerabilities. Finding someone that you can trust your true inner feelings to is not easy, but we do know that we can be our true selves before God.
He knows us, accepts us, and loves us. Yes, he may want to help us change our behaviors, but he will never stop loving us. We don’t have to wear a mask in the presence of God.
This assurance comes from the way that Jesus describes God’s love for us, and we are reminded of the words of the prophet, Isaiah.
‘But now, thus says the Lord, he who created you …. Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine……. You are precious in my sight, and honoured, and I love you’ (Isaiah 43: 1,4,)
No masks needed!