by Rev. Fr. Rommel Molina Arcilla
Life as it is today is not beautiful. It is filled up with health issues, divisiveness, inconveniences, and sufferings from almost all aspects of our life. I hate to drive and pass all those checkpoints and I hate to stay in line for an hour, under the heat of the sun, and with a face mask on my face, just to buy my medicines and some basic needs (Marlboro, not included). Only those people who are living in a world of “make-believe” can say otherwise. Looking at our present situation from all sides, we can say that this is bad, and this is evil.
No person in his sound mind can honestly say that our situation is just fine, and we can survive it all. I am not trying to dissuade you from doing what you can and save what can still be saved, but the reality is that we are in a real bad situation. We may hate to admit it but try to look around and do some math. The whole world now is like a gigantic ship that is about to dive down into the deep sea of misery and hopelessness.
This present problem is serious, and no one is spared from its ill-effects that can lead to death. I understand that most people would really try to protect themselves at all cost up to the point of sacrificing anybody, everything and even all just to save himself. This is self-preservation and this is our primordial duty to protect our very life. I don’t see anything evil in doing so and I really admire what people are doing… protecting themselves even if means a lot of sacrifice doing so.
Life is beautiful, though, if it has a mission to fulfill. Life is beautiful if it is a life lived to help and save others. Life is even more beautiful if it is given up so that others may have the fulness of their lives. Life is life if it is just like the life of Christ… a beautiful life which ended on the ugly wooden cross which brought us salvation.
Covid-19 is evil. I have stated in my previous article that it was a project of Satan. This evil thing can only win if we will let it win. We still have a lot of options left for our advantage in this fight. Looking at it from pessimistic point of view, we can say we are all drowning in this darkness of evil disease and there is no cure. But we can still live our lives meaningfully and wonderfully for we were created in God’s own image and likeness. In saying so, it is true that we were created to be like Christ.
A lot of those who are on the frontline in this battle have already given up their lives, yes some of them died a gory death, just like the ones whom they tried to save. We read and watch a lot of news about doctors who die almost every day while helping those who were afflicted with this disease. A lot of them sacrificed even their families and loved ones just to care for people whom they really don’t know. It was their mission and their duty to attend to those who need their professional help and they tried their best helping them even at the cost of their own lives. I must say that this is the beautiful life I am talking about because this is very similar to the life of our Lord Jesus. He is God and He died like a criminal just to save us all from the furnace of Satan.
It is outlandish to think of the well-being of other people while forgetting that there are people who depend on you. The two doctors, husband and wife (Drs. Greg and Evalyn Macasaet) who were both anesthesiologists, helped administer intubation to Covid-19 patients. They did their tasks as doctors up to the point when they both caught the disease. Dr. Evalyn survived to care for their son with autism while Dr. Greg, her husband, did not make it. We may have heard about the story of the 85-year-old retired Italian doctor who still decided to help simply because it was his sworn oath as a doctor to help those who need cure and healing. They all share in God’s healing grace and may those who have died beautifully in God’s eyes, may eventually find their special place in God’s kingdom.
Those policemen who are manning the streets to ensure that the virus may be contained are putting themselves in danger of contamination and they may also contaminate their loved ones when they go back home. With all humility, there are also bishops and priests who are still willing to hear confessions and administer the Holy Anointing to sick people, even to those inflicted with this evil Covid-19, not minding of their own health and negative possibilities that this disease can bring because they are simply Priests of Christ, an Alter Christus.
The call to holiness is universal and it is a call to every people notwithstanding their belief, race, status, political affiliation and what else. It is doing the Will of God in everything we do in life and in every given situation, good or bad. So, we better ask ourselves: “What does God want me to do, as a Christian or just a simple believer, in this present global crisis?” God will always, most surely, respect your answer.