And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.
But the greatest of these is love.
1 Cor 13:13
IMAGE: Harmony Lawrence
FAITH
Where Is God in a Pandemic?
The honest answer is: We don’t know.
But even non-Christians may find understanding in the life of Jesus.
James Martin SJ | The New York Times | 22 March 2020
But those who are not Christian can also see him as a model for care of the sick. Needless to say, when caring for someone with coronavirus, one should take the necessary precautions in order not to pass on the infection. But for Jesus, the sick or dying person was not the “other,” not one to be blamed, but our brother and sister. When Jesus saw a person in need, the Gospels tell us that his heart was “moved with pity.” He is a model for how we are to care during this crisis: with hearts moved by pity.
HOPE
Coronavirus: Why You Must Act Now
Politicians, Community Leaders and Business Leaders: What Should You Do and When?
Tomas Pueyo | Medium | 19 March 2020
In this theoretical model that resembles loosely Hubei, waiting one more day creates 40% more cases! So, maybe, if the Hubei authorities had declared the lockdown on 1/22 instead of 1/23, they might have reduced the number of cases by a staggering 20k.
And remember, these are just cases. Mortality would be much higher, because not only would there be directly 40% more deaths. There would also be a much higher collapse of the healthcare system, leading to a mortality rate up to 10x higher as we saw before. So a one-day difference in social distancing measures can end exploding the number of deaths in your community by multiplying more cases and higher fatality rate.
This is an exponential threat. Every day counts. When you’re delaying by a single day a decision, you’re not contributing to a few cases maybe. There are probably hundreds or thousands of cases in your community already. Every day that there isn’t social distancing, these cases grow exponentially.
LOVE
Son’s sacrifice for civic sense
Man admits himself to hospital after coming back from Doha
K M Rakesh | The Telegraph | 15 March 2020
His elder brother Linto Abel said the family was waiting to see Lino. “We are really sad that Lino could not see our father. But we are so proud that he showed so much concern for everyone by getting hospitalised,” Linto told this newspaper.
Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan acknowledged Lino’s “big sacrifice” and lauded him for showing concern for others. “A young man came to visit his father. But he thought he had covid (covid-19). So he was naturally kept in isolation,” Pinarayi commented in a video message posted on the state government’s Facebook page on Saturday.
Postscript
To stay at home = to protect oneself = to protect others
M Cardinal Czerny SJ | Twitter | 21 March 2020
Wishing you faith, hope and love,
Rinald D’Souza SJ
HISTORIA DOMUS
For it is not so much knowledge that fills and satisfies the soul,
but the intimate understanding and relish of the truth.
The Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius of Loyola, #2
How do you go about Faith, Hope and Love in the Time of Corona?
READ (recommended)
Are you going through a struggle?
There is someone willing to listen to you. You are not alone.