“When you give alms, do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do…
When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites…
When you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites…” Matthew 6:2, 5, 16
Hypocrisy is an ugly sin. Essentially, being a hypocrite is being a fraud. The word itself comes from a Greek word referring to a mask that actors wear to depict their character. The person behind the mask would pretend that they were the person depicted by the mask. Therefore, a hypocrite is one who pretends to be who they are not.
We all wear masks.
One of the most difficult things we may have to do is to remove those masks. The masks we wear are both spiritual and worldly – some worn to cover both.
Speaking for myself, this was and is a very difficult exercise. Ever hear your voice in recording? Sounds weird. Look in a mirror and a photo – the images we see often appear different.
It’s the same with our masks. What is underneath is us, but we’ve grown so used to seeing ourselves through the mask(s) that exposing what’s underneath, even to ourself if hard.
But, God wants to see us unmasked. Yes, God sees through any mask we wear but, the Father wants to see us remove those masks so He can see us see ourselves for who we are. Who we are is not always pretty nor who we want to be seen as. For instance, when we wear a mask of holiness, pretending to be more virtuous than they are, they sometimes end up even fooling themselves. Just as an actor may become so caught up in their character that they temporarily take on that character’s thoughts and feelings, so we also can become blinded by the truth of who we are when we habitually wear a mask of holiness. When that happens, we lose sight of who we are, where we need to grow, what we need to change and even what good there is within us.
But, when the mask comes off, we see ourselves as we are. We can begin to truly become who God wants us to be. When the mask comes off, those around us might not like who they see. But, again, this allows us to be truthful and begin to become who God wants. By removing the masks, we remove the hypocrite and lies. It hurts and may be ugly. Only from this point can we truly become what we are meant to truly be. Only in this can the world see the miracle God sees.
As we stand at the foot of Calvary, we are invited to take off the masks we wear so that the real person shines forth. We are especially called to combat any spiritual hypocrisy we struggle with.
Our Lord gazes upon you, night and day, with perfect love and affection. He sees you, the real you, despite any masks you try to hide behind. Do you know that He knows every detail of your life and walks with you through everything? This may be hard to believe because we cannot hear Him audibly, see Him with our eyes, or touch Him with our hands. But His intimacy is much deeper than the physical world. His intimacy is one that looks into our soul and loves us. His gaze of love, if we let it, will cast out all fear in life. Looking into His eyes, we can drop all the masks we wear and become who we are meant to be. He doesn’t care what the mask tried to show nor does He care what you’re pretending to be. God only wants to gaze upon the true face of the soul – no masks.
“O my Jesus, You alone know what persecutions I suffer, and this only because I am being faithful to You and following Your orders. You are my strength; sustain me that I may always carry out what You ask of me. Of myself I can do nothing, but when You sustain me, all difficulties are nothing for me. O my Lord, I can see very well that from the time when my soul first received the capacity to know You, my life has been a continual struggle which has become increasingly intense.” Divine Mercy in My Soul # 90