Masks

SOMEONE said that the disciples did not recognize Jesus after He rose from the dead because He appeared to them wearing a mask!

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On the contrary, it was Jesus who had to remove the masks that prevented the disciples from recognizing Him as the Risen Lord. They were masked with fear and unbelief. He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. Jesus was so patient and understanding to his unbelieving followers. He understood their fears and weaknesses. His constant greeting was "Peace be with you." In effect, what Jesus was saying was: "I understand. Be not afraid. I have forgiven you. I am with you."

What comfort and consolation these words are to us, even now -- especially now.

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A lot of people are wearing masks these days for fear of contracting SARS. Last week, on my flight to South Korea, I was seated beside a woman who was coughing and who did not even bother to cover her mouth.

Alarmed by the situation, I asked her if she was okay. "Just a sore throat," she said.

All the more alarmed, I politely asked her if she needed a surgical mask. "No, I don't need one" she haughtily replied.

Gathering all my courage I said: "Ma'am, maybe you think you don't need it, but I and the people around you need it, so please wear one now."

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We all have masks. More than the masks we wear for fear of SARS, we all wear masks because of fear itself. We fear to be left out. We fear to be poor. We fear to be known as we really are, and so we wear masks. And we are all very good at it. In fact, we're so good at it that we even forget we're wearing them. And so we go on with our lives filled with half truths, pretenses, compromises and subtle lies. We need someone like Jesus to unmask and strip us of our dishonesty and lies.

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The key to a mask-free life is humility and honesty. If one is truly humble, one can be honest and vice versa. You can't go wrong with humility and honesty.

Is there anything bothering you right now? Start with humility and honesty, and you can see the road up ahead clearly. Without these, you will just go around, driving in circles with no direction and no end in sight.

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The SARS phenomenon should lead us all to be humble and honest before God. We must be humble and honest enough to acknowledge that we have often left out God in our pursuit of human progress. As in the past, plagues and other misfortunes are just a reminder that we can't go it and do it alone. We need God in our lives. We need God in our world.

We hope and pray that the SARS problem will be solved soon, and that at the end of the day, we will recognize the presence of God in all these events happening in our lives and in our world.

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Have you ever tried talking to someone who is in the middle of composing or reading a text message? How frustrating to talk to someone who is half-listening or not listening at all!

In the same way, Jesus had to be patient with the disciples who could not catch up with His Easter spirit because they were still so caught up with their Good Friday woes, fears and unbelief.

A lot of times in our lives Jesus is telling us, "Let's get going." Still we insist on staying on with our fears, woes, regrets and doubts. If you continue to listen to yourself and to your own agenda, you can hardly listen to what Jesus is telling you. Do you know why you can't hear Jesus? It's because you are too loud.

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Like the woman in the story, we must look beyond what we want and what we need and see what others around us need. Personal wants and needs will never end. If we wait for them to end before we start doing our mission for others, then we will never begin. The message of Easter is clear: Lay aside your personal ambitions and get busy with your life-mission. There is work to be done. There's a big world out there waiting to be loved, so remove your masks and put on the face and the heart of Christ. Wherever you go, whatever you do.

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The battle cry of the day is isolation: Check, prevent, contain and isolate SARS. Likewise, the battle cry of the Risen Lord is to check, prevent, contain and isolate SINS.

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Amid the SARS scare, let us not be cruel and uncharitable to those who have contracted the disease, especially those who did so while taking care of SARS victims. By all means, be careful and prudent, but don't be mean and uncaring. Because of SARS, be in isolation, but let your love continue to be in circulation.

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Just a reminder: May 11 is Mother's Day. Don't forget to remember the one person who loves you as you are, whoever you are, with or without masks, with or without SARS. Happy Mother's Day!

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A moment with the Lord:

Lord, remove my masks and put in me your face and your heart. Amen.