Peace Ya’ll

Lowering our masks and feeling loved

01/06/2021

Mark 6:45-52 After the five thousand had eaten and were satisfied, Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and precede him to the other side toward Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd.  And when he had taken leave of them, he went off to the mountain to pray.  When it was evening, the boat was far out on the sea and he was alone on shore. Then he saw that they were tossed about while rowing, for the wind was against them. About the fourth watch of the night, he came toward them walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them. But when they saw him walking on the sea, they thought it was a ghost and cried out. They had all seen him and were terrified. But at once he spoke with them, “Take courage, it is I, do not be afraid!” He got into the boat with them and the wind died down. They were completely astounded. They had not understood the incident of the loaves. On the contrary, their hearts were hardened.

Did you receive any cool Christmas presents this past year? Two of my favorite gifts were masks, even though I have a ton of them already. One had a Trinity “T” and a Buffalo on it, and the other was black embroidered with the Latin words, “Pax Vobiscum.” All our Trinity Latin scholars know that means “Peace Ya’ll” (it’s plural). As we all know, we have to wear masks at Mass to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus. But wearing masks at Mass can come in handy for another reason. Why? Well, because you can yawn really big during a long and boring homily without the priest seeing you.

Did you know sometimes we can wear masks without wearing actual masks? That is sometimes called a “poker face.” In the game of poker, if you get a really good hand – like four Aces – you should not jump up and down for joy. You should hide your excitement and disguise your feelings with a poker face. When you play it cool, as if you had a mediocre hand, you can get others to bet their money and then take their money. But some people wear the mask of a poker face all the time. They try to hide their feelings and even their true selves behind a mask. They do not let other people see who they really are, even when they are not playing poker. Deep down we are afraid people will not like who we really are, so we hide ourselves behind a mask, we don a poker face.

In the gospel today, we see Jesus slowly taking off the mask of manhood so the disciples could glimpse his Godhood. Jesus was not worried others would reject him (like we worry), but rather that people would be overwhelmed by his divinity. Jesus walks on water during a storm at sea – he slowly lowered his mask that covered his Godliness - and what happened? Exactly what Jesus thought: the disciples were terrified. They believed they were seeing a ghost. Jesus should have been wearing my Christmas mask that said, “Peace Ya’ll!”

Our Lord actually said: “Take courage, it is I, do not be afraid!” Jesus sort of wore a human mask to hide his true divine Self not because he was afraid and be rejected but because we would be afraid and feel overwhelmed to see him Face to face. I suspect that is also why Jesus comes to us in the Scriptures and in the sacraments somewhat disguised behind a mask of material things – bread and wine, oil and water – so we are not too terrified. In every sacrament Jesus wears a mask telling us, “Peace Ya’ll.”

Boys and girls, do you wear a mask and hide your true self from others? Now, sometimes that can be good if you are playing the game of poker and hold all Aces in your hand. But it may not be good in the game of life, because we hide ourselves from others and then we fail to feel the love of others for us. Here is a profound truth you should ponder and remember: you cannot love what you do not know.

I had a priest-friend many years ago who committed suicide. Everyone was shocked and saddened because he was such a beloved priest. He was always ready to help others, and he gave me great advice that I still remember today. I love him and I miss him. I cried at his funeral Mass. He wrote a note before he died where he said: “I did not feel that anyone really loved me.” Even though tons of people loved him, including me, he had worn a mask and hidden himself behind it. He was afraid to remove the mask and let people see his true self and feel their love. By the way, even though he committed suicide (and that is a serious sin), I believe God is very merciful – God knows our weaknesses and failings – and that priest is in heaven today. In fact, I mention his name at the end of my rosary every day and ask for his prayers.

Boys and girls, when you return to school, you will still have to wear masks. Maybe you have a cool Trinity Buffaloes mask like me. But be careful not to wear a mask all your life. Sometimes we need to take off our masks, let other people get to know us, so then they can love us. Then we will know the real meaning of the words, “Pax Vobiscum.”

Praised be Jesus Christ!