Issued by the Catholic Center for Studies and Media - Jordan. Editor-in-chief Fr. Rif'at Bader - موقع أبونا abouna.org

Published on Sunday, 20 December 2020

COVID-19 coincides with the advent of Christmas celebrations

By Fr. Dr. Rifat Bader :

As soon as one is informed about the result of one's laboratory test, then one's feelings become perplexed. Effective this moment, one becomes a figure that can be added to the number of infected people if the result is "positive". In the evening, the followers of the health conditions view the number of the infected people as one becomes among them.

 

When the result of the Laboratory test is positive, then this marks the onset of "perplexity" in one's life. Then one is forcibly kept in quarantine with need to keep oneself away from "non-infected" people, thus marking the start of a journey into the unknown, and consequently obligated to monitor daily readings of oxygen, temperature, pressure, and diabetes, among others.

 

From that very moment on, one expresses actual solidarity with the masses of the infected in one's country and in the entire world. The matter is no longer just numbers one reads; it is rather a pandemic that has sneaked into one's home and into one's body and caused successive symptoms. One would also express solidarity and appreciation with all those making efforts to conduct tests and afterwards monitor one's health. It happens that one is consequently separated from work, colleagues, family and friends. Among the symptoms of Corona pandemic is deadly solitary that makes one's mobile phone the only communication tool with the outside world.

 

It happened that the pandemic coincides with the preparations for Christmas. One has responsibilities and duties, particularly when one is a clergyman who is supposed to preside at religious ceremonies and a rites, so being infected with COVID-19 aggravates one's frustration. In the end the only available option is to accept the status quo.

 

Being infected with Corona virus is possible at any time and at any place despite all the precautionary measures taken. The fact that one is infected is not shameful, what is shameful from a conscience point of view  is to be infected and to conceal the matter in order not to impede work fearing becoming on everyone's lip. The infection, in the first place, makes one realize that one is part of the human family which expresses solidarity through thick and thin.

 

Among the advantages of the year 2020, despite its bleak nature, is that it made us more and more certain that all of us-- regardless of nationalities, religions and cultures--are brethren under the care of one divine mercy.

 

God bless you all!

 

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