One Masked Ball: Lessons from the Phantom, part II

An elder in my church, Steve Mozingo, has repeatedly observed that, when we are asked how we are doing, we often answer with a lie –we say we are doing very well.  This is the second type of mask that The Phantom of the Opera tackles.  In Chapter Three, before we have even met the masked phantom, we meet the retiring managers of the Paris Opera House and find that the Phantom isn’t the only character in the book wearing a mask.  Leroux describes the scene: “Everybody remarked that the retiring managers looked cheerful, as is the Paris way.  No one will ever be a true Parisian who has not learned to wear a mask of gaiety over his sorrows and one of sadness, boredom or indifference over his inward joy.  You know that one of your friends is in trouble; do not try to console him: he will tell you that he is already comforted; but, should he have met with good fortune, be careful how you congratulate him: he thinks it so natural that he is surprised that you should speak of it.  In Paris, our lives are one masked ball…”  The second kind of mask found in The Phantom of the Opera is the mask we put over our true feelings and personality out of fear of appearing weak, inviting ridicule, or not fitting in. 

Isn’t this so true to human nature?  We see it even in small children, like the little boys who try to act tough, while they really just want to be hugged.  Sometimes the masks cover joy and sometimes pain.  Sometimes we mask our talents and sometimes our faults.  All the time, trying to appear to be something we are not.  Jesus encountered this in His day in the persons of the Pharisees.  This was His reaction to the false front of goodness they put up:  “‘Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and indulgence… you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness.  So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.’”  (ESV)  No doubt about it, Jesus detested the Pharisee’s masks. 

Really, a mask of this sort is nothing but a lie.  It is telling people we are something we are not.  And what is the harm in this?  Beyond the fact that lying is wrong, there are two harms that come from this sort of mask.  First, we cannot receive the help we need.  When we pretend to be something we are not, when we cover our pain, our struggles, our joy, and our faults, when we pretend to be someone we aren't  we are unable to receive comfort and aid, share our joys, and interact on a deep level.  This is partly because we are unwilling to receive what others are willing to give because receiving it would be an admission of our needs and would begin to reveal what’s really happening behind our masks.  We want to take care of ourselves.  You have probably read, or seen a movie of, L. M. Montgomery’s classic, Anne of Green Gables.  You may remember the scene when Anne takes a dare and attempts to walk the ridgepole of a roof, falls off, and breaks her ankle.  Remember how she refused Gilbert’s offer to drive her home?  In spite of the fact that she was hurt, she was unwilling to accept his help because that would mean taking off her mask of independence and pride.  And she was unwilling to do so. 

The second harm this sort of mask causes is the flip-side of the first.  When we don’t let people know what our true feelings and needs are and who we are inside, the people around us are often unaware of our needs and the best ways to interact with us.  As a result, however willing they may be, they are unable to help us.  It’s as if you were to become seriously ill but were unwilling to go to the doctor for help.  Consequently, the doctor would be unable to help you because he would be unaware of your sickness.

What lessons can we learn from this sort of mask in The Phantom of the Opera?  First, we must be willing to let our masks slip, to let people see our needs, our feelings, and our personalities.  We must leave our pride behind and stop behaving as if we, too, are living our lives as “one masked ball.”  Second, we must realize that, hidden behind the mask of that person we know who seems to have it all together, is a person with feelings and needs, like everybody else.  And then we must be willing to meet those needs, whether or not the person will admit to needing anything.  We humans, from almost the beginning of time, have tried to hide our true selves and our needs and tried to reject help.  Adam and Eve did it by trying to hide from God after the fall.  But we must be willing to imitate God Who sent Jesus to redeem us when we were dying and still trying to save ourselves.

To be continued…