Fr. Frank Majka, SJ – The Bridge

Masks and Costumes

This past Friday I saw a six-foot bunny (seven feet, if you count the ears), the Grim Reaper, two nurses, and the Devil. Yes, Halloween had come to campus, and costumes were the order of the day, even for class. Most of the costumes were entertaining, some were very creative, but one or two were a little too ghoulish for my taste. It’s clear that putting on a costume and mask is a lot of fun for a lot of people.

Unfortunately, however, some of us disappear behind masks and costumes not just at Halloween but for much of our lives. We find it difficult simply to be who we are, particularly if we don’t know or like who we are or fear that if we present ourselves truly, others will reject us.

If we find ourselves in such a situation, we probably need to spend some time listening to what God says in the Song of Songs: Let me see you, let me hear your voice/For your voice is sweet, and you are lovely (chapter 2). God wants us to be, as much as we can, just who we are, nothing more or nothing less. God accepts us and wants us to accept ourselves and each other. Then, except for times like Halloween, we can take off our masks and get rid of our costumes.