When masking became an issue last year at the beginning of the school year, few people would have expected it to extend into another school opening. Yet, here we are. With more children succumbing to the virus, it’s difficult to understand why some people would be averse to protecting children and other vulnerable members of society when there is such a simple solution at hand.
It would be great if everyone used common sense and did what is not only in their best interest, but in the best interest of others — get vaccinated when eligible and don a mask. Sadly, that’s not the case.
I recently received an email from a woman who works at a retail store. One day, when a customer told her that he couldn’t wear a mask because he had asthma, she explained to him that she also had asthma, which is why she wouldn’t consider not wearing a mask.
I’m not the only one who is flummoxed by those who are not vaccinated and yet have no problem exposing others to what all too often has proven to be a deadly virus. Given what is known about the high transmission rate of the delta variant, the recommendation that even vaccinated people wear a mask when they’re inside a space where social distancing is not possible should be common sense.
It raises a simple question: Have we become so self-absorbed that we can’t see the forest for the trees, or so concerned with personal comfort that the smallest inconvenience becomes an issue? Giving up control is never easy, but rather than resist what is in everyone’s best interest, why not be proactive?
I applaud the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops for supporting vaccinations and the mask mandates according to the CDC guidelines. Catholic schools, as well as most private schools, have no problem mandating masks, nor do many stores or places of employment.
I am thankful that our parish priests and extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist don masks before distributing the Communion, sending a clear message by their example. For me, it’s simply a matter of abiding by the teachings of Jesus: “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments” (Mt 22: 37-39).
Loving God always has a social and communal dimension. Listening to the stories of people who have lost loved ones to the pandemic is heart-wrenching. Yet, we are not entirely helpless. All we have to do is follow the recommendations that have proven effective deterrents to the virus.
One ICU nurse told a reporter that when people who have not been vaccinated are at death’s door, the one thing that almost all of them say is that they never thought it could happen to them. The notion of exceptionalism and invincibility is nothing new, and it’s a fallacy that can have deadly consequences.
It’s true that death is inevitable, but to expose our self or others to needless risk is averse to everything that Jesus taught. I wonder if it would help if there were masks that had printed across the front, “Remember the First and Second Greatest Commandment.” What a great way to evangelize! Even those who do not know what the words mean might be prompted to look it up and find in the Gospels the truth which may have eluded them for most of their lives.
God speaks to us in many ways. This pandemic may be one more way that God is telling us “Those who say, ‘I love God,’ and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen” (1 Jn 4:20).
The Church teaches that parents are the primary educators of their children. Our example goes a long way in teaching the importance of loving our neighbor as we love God and our self. When I think of the tremendous sacrifices that many of the saints made in order to love God, self and neighbor, vaccinations and mask wearing pales by comparison.
Wearing a mask or getting vaccinated may not be an enforceable law, but it’s simply good practice. Like buckling up when we get into a car, the same adage could apply to vaccinations and masks: “The life you save could be your own – or that of a child!”
Barbara Hughes is an author, retreat facilitator and spiritual guide. She lives in Virginia Beach and can be reached at [email protected].