Today is October 31,
better known in some parts of the world as Halloween.
According to The
World Book Encyclopedia, the probable source of Halloween was an ancient Celtic practice of
celebrating the dead on the evening before November 1, the start of their new
year. This pagan custom was
continued even after the Celts became Christians.
Eventually, in the 800’s
A.D. the church established All Saints’ Day on November 1, and the people made
this old pagan custom a part of this Holy Day celebration. The Mass said on this day was called Allhallowmas. The evening before All Saints’ Day became known as All Hallow
e’en, or Halloween.”
People celebrate this
festival by dressing up in costumes and wearing masks. Children go from door to door asking
for treats, and their friends and neighbors try to guess who they are. It’s great fun if they are disguised so
well that even their good friends can’t recognize them—until they gleefully
pull off their masks to reveal their identity.
As we all know, masks
are used in other situations as well—to hide our identity or to make us appear
as someone other than who we really are.
For example, robbers wear masks to hide their identity; actors (think “ancient Greek”)
wear masks to change their
identity to the character they are portraying.
As I thought about our
use of masks, I began to picture different kinds. Some just cover the area around the eyes. Some cover the
whole face. Some are held over the
face on a stick. Some cover the
whole head with face and hair that make you look like someone else (usually a
famous person).
But as I pictured these
masks, my mind turned to a different kind of mask—an invisible mask.
It made me wonder, how
many people in this world wear invisible masks. They masquerade as someone they aren’t. They’re afraid to let others know who
they really are, and in so doing, they give a false outward show—a pretense.
Someone mentioned
recently that there should be a sign above our church doors saying: PLEASE REMOVE MASK BEFORE
ENTERING.
Perhaps more of us wear
invisible masks than we care to admit.
Or, perhaps we all
wear invisible masks of one sort or another.
Do I wear an
invisible mask?
Is God asking me to
remove my mask before entering His presence?
Is He asking me to
take my mask off, not only in His presence, but in the presence of others?
HOW DO I GET THIS
MASK OFF; IT SEEMS STUCK!
“If we say we have no
sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful
and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness.” I John 1:8-9
“Blessed are the pure
in heart, for they shall see God.”
Matthew 5:8
