What Masks Reveal

To paraphrase our Lord, “do not be afraid of what can kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.” (Mt 10:28)

Masks provide only limited protection of our bodies against coronavirus. The Eucharist protects our immortal souls and strengthens our bodies. Whatever zeal we have for masks, we should have 10, 30, or 100-fold for the Eucharist.

But that does not seem to be the case. The zeal for mask-wearing is a remarkable phenomenon. So much so that for the purposes of this article we’ll call it mask devotion.

We will look at two spiritual principles that are illustrated by mask devotion and what we can learn from them to grow in our interior life.

With that, this article is not about masks and their effectiveness per se, but a little background information is useful for context.

Masks in Context

When we exhale we emit relatively large droplets, which are too big and heavy to remain airborne and quickly settle on surfaces like a bunch of microbial paratroopers. We also exhale relatively small particles, called aerosols, that are so small (a few microns wide) that they remain airborne like a cloud of microbial gnats, waiting for someone to pass through the microscopic cloud (which is why we’re told to social distance). Masks can be effective at capturing respiratory droplets but most are not effective at capturing tiny aerosols.

There is also a growing awareness of negative outcomes from extended mask-wearing. Loaded masks (used masks) can trap the virus so that individual doses that might have been harmless are multiplied and thus increase the likelihood of the wearer contracting the disease (and thus present a greater risk to the population in general). Droplets trapped in the mask may become aerosolized and thus converted into aerosol particles that escape through the mask and infect others. Extended mask-wearing is being found to increase dental problems and gum disease. There is the potential for an increase in respiratory issues in the years to come. Then there are the psycho-social issues, including the emotional development of small children (e.g. ordinarily babies smile at every passerby and the person smiles back…). And most of these masks are made in China – heaven only knows the toxic chemicals we’re taking into our physiology.

In short, the primary benefit of mask-wearing to trap droplets comes with costs.

Mask usage should then be considered in the context of the setting. Masks become more critical when social distancing is difficult and in the presence of people who are at high risk (advanced in age and with comorbidity factors) and perhaps those who care for them. In a Church setting social distancing is readily practiced and hands and surfaces repeatedly sanitized (a separate question is whether that will produce a cohort of antimicrobial-resistant “superbugs”).

These factors along with whatever government requirements are in force are the framework to inform mask-usage at Mass. Someone else may frame it differently. Reasonable minds can differ.

But that’s the point – on this issue, there is no room for minds to differ.

Mask Devotion

Most of the Parishes in my corner of the globe practice an absolute zealousness for mask-wearing. It is thorough and uncompromising. The rules are specific, clearly communicated and there are definite consequences if you deviate in the slightest. And this has happened in record time. Truly, the coordination is impressive; how quickly the Parish staff have leapt to the clarion call and how willingly the parishioners have moved in lockstep.

I suspect many people have similar experiences. Here are some characteristics of mask devotion:

Faith in the Mask: The efficacy of masks is unquestioned, even though the effectiveness of masks to reduce the spread of the virus in a Church setting is probably marginal and the net health benefit could be negative.

Catechesis of the Mask: Mask education and literacy are stellar. “Wear your mask at all times, place it on while in the parking lot, and it must cover your nose”. The motivation is drilled in – “it is not to help you, it’s to protect others” and “mask-wearing is the expert consensus”.

Reverence for the Mask: Masks are serious business. You have multiple masks and select them carefully. You coordinate them with your personal style. You wash them often.

Evangelization of the Mask: The indoctrination to mask-wearing is universal. If positive messaging doesn’t work (“you’re helping others”), fire and brimstone will – scorn, public shaming and removal from premises.

Eucharistic Devotion

Let’s compare mask devotion with the Sacrifice of the Mass and the Eucharist.

The Power of the Eucharist: The Eucharist is known to convert sinners, restore virtue, heal the sick, and win wars. And yet, in the minds of many, the Eucharist is little more than a vector of disease transmission; something to be treated guardedly and, by some, avoided altogether.

Catechesis of the Eucharist: We start with the Pew statistic that 70% of Catholics do not know the Eucharist is the body, blood, soul, and divinity of our Lord and Savior – we can quibble about the fine point of the Pew research, but that statistic is telling. Then there is the distinction of supernatural faith in the Eucharist. Of the 30% who know the teaching that the Eucharist is the Real Presence, how many truly place their faith in it? In which would they place greater trust to protect the health of those around them – the mask or the Eucharist?

Reverence for the Eucharist: We schlep into Church in the worst of garb – guys look like they’re going to a barbeque and ladies look like they’re auditioning for Eve in the Garden (before God fashioned clothes for her). We leave early (turning our backs on Christ). We spend hardly a moment reflecting and communing with Who it is that we just received. And when was the last time you heard a homily about the necessity of Reconciliation to properly receive the Eucharist? Me too.

Evangelization of the Eucharist: Do I need to write anything here?

Make no mistake – I recognize myself in these observations. I was once among the 70%. And there are too many times that I don’t practice the reverence I ought at Mass.
Frankly, I need help. We all do.

Imagine how uplifting it would be if everyone came to Mass with the same fervor exhibited for masks. What if everyone was wearing their Sunday best? What if everyone was arriving early to prepare their minds and hearts and staying after to have a moment of silence to commune with God who they just received into their very body? We would all be carried along in that current of reverence.

Two Spiritual Principles

And so it’s helpful to remind ourselves of spiritual truths revealed by mask devotion:

• We naturally seek security and salvation from something outside of ourselves
  Even the most rugged, boot-strap-pulling individual is eventually brought to the point of seeking security outside of himself. And the coronavirus hysteria is doing that to many. We cry out with Isaiah, “O Lord, I am in straits; be my surety!” (Is 38:14) Of course, there are many who don’t realize that in the deepest source of their being they are crying out to God, and instead, they cry out to government or science or what have you, but all of us at some point recognize that we are insects compared to movements of the universe and we need something bigger than ourselves to save us.  Ultimately, this child-like plea for help should lead us straight to God. But that brings us to the second principle:
• We naturally prefer physical and material sources of security and salvation over the supernatural variety
  Here’s the rub – even among true believers, we have a natural inclination toward worldly solutions above all others. More accurately, it is an unnatural inclination. It’s the result of the fall and part-and-parcel with our fallen nature, the flesh. Why this inclination to worldly solutions? Because we crave control.

“Wear a mask? Absolutely, I can control that!” What we really want to control is not the activity (mask-wearing), we want to control the outcome (good health). If you’re reading this article, as you appear to be, you’re probably not under the spell of the mask, but all of us face this battle of the flesh. With Solomon, we chase after “vanity of vanities” rather than handing everything to Christ as our way, truth and life.

I know for myself, as St. Paul would say, there is a principle operating inside of me that I naturally want to “do” rather than be. When the duties of life are pressing on me, my instinct is to give up my Holy hour so I can get more done. I have to battle against that. When an emergency suddenly arises, my instinct is to rush to action rather than take a moment to call on the Holy Spirit. I have to battle against that. When someone close to me is facing a challenge, I want to step in and fix it, rather than first interceding for them in prayer. I have to battle against that.

Three Resolutions

Here are three concrete actions we can take from this:

Renew our Devotion to the Eucharist
To paraphrase a familiar saying – we should be receiving the Eucharist as if it were our first, last, and only Holy Communion.
And let’s show up in our Sunday best, arrive early and remain after Mass to spend time in silence with our Lord dwelling within us (even if it means not being able to chat with friends in the narthex – God will make other arrangements). We can also rethink how Eucharistic adoration fits into our life as well as the Sacrament of Reconciliation and champion both in our communities.

Let go of False Gods
We may not be under the spell of the mask, but it is safe to say that all of us have areas of our life where we are clinging to the false god of control. Even the great St. Faustina was gently but firmly chastised by Christ for clinging to a final attachment on her deathbed – her suffering (kudos to her, heaven only knows what I would be clinging to, but probably not the joy of my suffering).
What are our false sources of security? A bank account? How well the marking is doing? Who wins the election? Our circle of friends? Our career? Our own piousness? Physical attractiveness or charisma? Put differently, what part of our life is God calling us to crucify?

Share an Inspiring Word
We can allow the Spirit to guide us in teachable moments, which usually are not in the heat of the moment but far downriver. At some point, we may be called to gently comment to someone along the lines of, “remember during coronavirus how ardently we responded with masks and other disciplines, isn’t God calling us to that same type of trust, devotion, and passion for Him?”

Final Thoughts

Mask devotion is illuminating. It shows that as a community we are capable of placing tremendous faith in a seemingly small and insignificant object to save us from great peril. We can very quickly devote the best of ourselves, our intellect and will, to embrace this source of salvation, submitting ourselves to whatever rules and requirements come with it, and boldly sharing that faith with others.

Someday, one way or another, the coronavirus pandemonium will be behind us – but the enemy who can kill both the soul and body is always prowling like a lion. Here is the hope and glory – if our communities can cultivate such zeal for masks in short order – by God’s grace we can tap into that same aspect of our nature and redirect it to its greatest object – Christ in the Eucharist.

The masks reveal what we are capable of. They are a sign.

In that way, aren’t they rather like a sacrament?