Love Your Neighbor: Wear a Mask Even if it isn’t Mandated

I was dismayed to learn that my state (Wisconsin) plans to do away with the statewide mask mandate. I urge my fellow Christians to consider the advice of health officials when it comes to mask-wearing.

Wearing a mask is an act of Christian charity.

Let’s begin with our lives as Christians living in a secularized world.

Wearing Masks is Effective in Reducing the Spread of Coronavirus

God blessed us with intellect. One of the many things I love about our faith is that God gave us the ability to discover the world around us through science. Though He miraculously heals people, He also gifts people with the knowledge and skills to treat others through medicine.

Scientific, medical, or psychological experiments on human individuals or groups can contribute to healing the sick and the advancement of public health.

CCC 2292

As Christians, we should celebrate the advances in science that help us address this pandemic that has killed so many.

And what science tells us is that masks help reduce the spread of coronavirus.

• Masks help by reducing the respiratory droplets that carry the virus
• Masks help by protecting those around us, primarily
• Masks can offer some protection for the wearer

Here are just a few resources about the efficacy of masks:

CDC’s infographic

Visual from the Washington State Department of Health

Experimental and epidemiological data support community masking to reduce the spread of SARS-CoV-2. The prevention benefit of masking is derived from the combination of source control and personal protection for the mask wearer. The relationship between source control and personal protection is likely complementary and possibly synergistic, so that individual benefit increases with increasing community mask use.

Scientific Brief: Community Use of Cloth Masks to Control the Spread of SARS-CoV-2

A nice summary from the University of California San Francisco summarizing the science behind mask wearing

A mask overview from the Mayo Clinic

The spread of the virus really goes down in areas where people wear masks and it goes as down as four-to-five times reduced risk of infection when people in the community are wearing a mask than when they’re not wearing a mask

Dr. Dweik quoted in “New Study Highlights New Evidence That Masks Prevent Coronavirus Spread”

As Christians, we should celebrate the advances in science that help us address this pandemic that has killed so many.And what science tells us is that masks help reduce the spread of coronavirus. Click To Tweet

Coronavirus is a Serious Concern

Though people like to talk about the 99% survival rate, we must consider the following:

1. 99% survival does not mean that 99% are free of any long-term complications.
2. 1% is still over 2 million lives lost (and counting).
3. There are still thousands of new cases every day.
4. There are some more contagious strains of coronavirus spreading.

Laws and Mandates Do Not Always Reflect the Moral Action

I know it’s tempting to stop wearing a mask if there is no mandate obligating you to do so.

As Christians, we are well aware that the laws and rules that govern our society do not always reflect moral action.

Abortion is legal even though it is evil. There are not laws that outright ban all pornography even though it is an attack on the dignity of the person and a distortion of the gift of marital love. And the list goes on.

We need to instead consider what is the moral option.

We need to strive for excellence in serving God and loving our neighbor.

We shouldn’t just stop at is something technically not sinful; we should instead be seeking ways to glorify God.

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Wearing a mask protects the most vulnerable in our society with very little effort on our end.

Wearing a Mask is Pro-Life

Wearing a mask protects people who are particularly vulnerable to coronavirus (as well as everyone else). We don’t know someone’s health situation. We don’t know if they are the caretaker for a high-risk individual. We don’t know if they might be one of the seemingly perfectly healthy people who die from complications of coronavirus.

What we do know is that by reducing the spread of coronavirus, we are ensuring that fewer people develop the illness. Therefore, fewer people will die.

Life and physical health are precious gifts entrusted to us by God. We must take reasonable care of them, taking into account the needs of others and the common good.

CCC 2288

Side note: I highly recommend following the ProLife, ProMask, ProVaccines Facebook page.

We Should be Willing to Make Small Sacrifices for Our Neighbors

Before I go into this section, I want to emphasize that this is not directed at the very small amount of people who have a legitimate medical reason for not wearing a mask.

I don’t enjoy wearing masks. They aren’t particularly comfortable. They make it difficult to communicate. I have to make a decision between not being able to see well because my glasses are fogged up or not being able to see because I chose to leave my glasses in the car.

But my discomfort protects those around me. Contrary to what the pseudoscience websites claim, masks do not cause unsafe levels of carbon dioxide build-up. There isn’t some secret government conspiracy to see who in the population is compliant and/or to make people become accustomed to dressing like Muslim women (yes, some crazy people actually believe these things). Wearing a mask doesn’t “infringe on your rights” any more than the obligation to wear a seatbelt while driving, wear a shirt and shoes in a place of business, or not being able to purchase alcohol before a certain age.

For the vast majority of people, the only problem with wearing a mask is that it causes some level of discomfort.

It is selfish to put your comfort over someone else’s life. If we hold this principle when it comes to abortion (when we consider all the ways pregnancy impacts a woman’s body), then we certainly should hold it when it comes to wearing a mask.

This is my commandment: love one another as I love you.No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

John 15:12-13

We aren’t asking you to lay down your life. We’re asking you to wear a properly fitting mask when you’re around people.

For the vast majority of people, the only problem with wearing a mask is that it causes some level of discomfort.It is selfish to put your comfort over someone else's life. If we hold this principle when it comes to abortion, then… Click To Tweet

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Wearing a Mask Could Help Keep the Sacraments Available

It’s possible that wearing masks makes it more likely that our places of worship can stay open. The reality is that churches are a hotspot for the spread of coronavirus. If we take the appropriate precautions (wearing a mask, social distancing, good hygiene, etc.), we reduce the likelihood of an outbreak. This not only protects those around us but also makes sure that our pastors are able to continue serving. It also helps our case if the spread in our communities gets even more uncontrollable. If we can continue pointing out that churches that follow the precautions aren’t spreading coronavirus, we have a better chance of keeping our churches open for worship.

Additionally, following precautions like masking makes it possible for some higher-risk individuals to attend Mass. Though those who are high risk may have a dispensation, that doesn’t decrease the desire to be in God’s Holy Presence, worshipping Him in community. Each individual will have different considerations, but if masks mitigate the risk enough in their situation, your cooperation could make it possible to attend Mass.

I know that they are more hypothetical considerations, but I still believe they are worthy of reflection.

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If you’d like to read what someone else wrote on this topic, I found this CNA article called “For Catholics, wearing masks can be an act of charity for neighbor” right as I was finishing up this blog post.

I also found out about Leslie’s post under almost the exact same title (my bad!) from last year on this subject.

Friendly Neighbor Epidemiologist has a great post about how wearing a mask is faith-filled and faithful and another one on a Christian perspective on being anti-mask.

Wearing masks isn’t fun. It can be uncomfortable, and it does change the way we interact with others. However, masks are effective in reducing the spread of coronavirus. This very small sacrifice can literally save lives.