Coronavirus could well be a sign from God – a golden opportunity

The Coronavirus could well be a golden opportunity of renewal and grace for the Church. We are living in a world in which there are few Samaritans, whereas the world is full of people who are desperately in need of them.

Nov 28, 2020

By Bishop Alex Dias
The Coronavirus could well be a golden opportunity of renewal and grace for the Church. We are living in a world in which there are few Samaritans, whereas the world is full of people who are desperately in need of them. How could the Church of Christ abandon such people on the streets, and yet claim to be the Church of the Good Samaritan? In my opinion, this just cannot be tolerated.

Coronavirus is one virus and plague that has hit the world very badly. But we should not forget the fact that, in history, there have been many other viruses and plagues that have snuffed out the lives of millions of people. The Church has proved herself, on all those occasions, to be at the forefront to help the infected and dying people. As a result, many in the Church have offered their lives, dying in the service and care of the stricken people.

Very recently we celebrated the memory of St John Capistrano. He was a saint who lived and worked in Italy when the bubonic plague was sweeping the world. It is estimated that the plague killed one-third of the population and nearly 40 per cent of the clergy. The saint, exhausted with his strenuous life, fell prey to the plague and died.

St John Leonardi is another saint of the Catholic Church, who died after being infected by a plague while visiting and serving the sick. More recently, we have had Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, the first canonised USA citizen. Lovingly called “Mother Cabrini” by the Americans, she is understandably, very popular in the USA.

These and so many other saints died because they were consumed by the Holy Will of God, which made them fearless in the face of plagues and illnesses. All that mattered to them was to walk in the footsteps of the Divine Master, and be good Samaritans to the suffering and dying. The Coronavirus could well be a sign from God, a sign for our times, to remind us that it is time for the Church to pull up her socks, and meet the challenge to be what she is called to be, a sign and sacrament of the Love of God for humankind, particularly in our times. It could well be a new grace for priests and religious, mainly, to discover modern and relevant ways of forming our members. How nice would it be if these had been trained to take care of COVID-19 patients?

It is a wake-up call for those who are fumbling before a choice whether one chooses between the Priest, the Levite and the Good Samaritan as seen in the Gospel of the Parable of the Good Samaritan, (Lk10:25-37).

Those suffering from COVID-19 today are like the man lying injured on the street, rescued by the Good Samaritan. We have no other choice but the choice of the Good Samaritan. The fear of being affected is no reason to stay away from the infected.

We would certainly not like to hear those terrifying words of Jesus; “I was a stranger, and you did not welcome me; naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison, and you did not visit me… as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me” (Matthew: 25:43 ff.). –– Indian Currents

––Bishop Alex Dias, was Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Port Blair from 1985 to 2019. Currently, he is based in Goa

Total Comments:0

Name
Email
Comments