Masks Are Tearing Us Apart, by Eric Sammons

By Eric Sammons, Crisis Magazine, Feb. 12, 2021

Eric Sammons is the editor-in-chief of Crisis Magazine. He is the author, most recently, of The Old Evangelization: How to Spread the Faith Like Jesus Did (Catholic Answers, 2017).

Recently a local Catholic homeschool group announced a “Mom’s Day of Reflection” at a Catholic community center. The day would allow homeschool moms—those most harried of creatures—to have a chance to relax, reflect, and recharge. There was just one problem: one of the moms didn’t think the group would enforce mask-wearing sufficiently at the event. She contacted the location where the event was to be held to inform them that the event organizers were not going to force people to mask. So the location administrators got nervous and backed out. Needless to say, tempers within the group flared, and eventually the event was cancelled. So much for relaxation, reflection, and recharging.

Now, this isn’t another article debating the efficacy of universal mask-wearing. It’s about how we as Catholics view and treat those who differ from us on pragmatic issues, and how we react in stressful times. …