The Voice of SARS-CoV-2
Jesus
said, “My sheep listen to my voice” (John 10:16). This saying reminds the
reader of the account of the dead of Lazarus recorded only in the Johannine
Gospel (John 11). Though buried in the tomb for four days, his body having
begun the first steps of being decomposed (that’s what his sister pleads with
Jesus), after hearing the voice of the shepherd who calls his name out loud,
“Lazarus, get out,” (v. 43), the dead man Lazarus opens his eyes. Life at once is
restored to the dead body. He then gets up from where his body had once been
laid; and he walks out of his own tomb.
Jesus’
saying “My sheep listen my voice” also reminds the reader of the Easter account
in the Fourth Gospel in which Mary Magdalene is described as failing to recognize
the one whom she has been looking for standing and talking to her, right in
front of her eyes… But, as soon as Jesus calls her name, “Mary” (v. 16), she at
once recognizes the voice of her shepherd, for she is the sheep that belongs to
the good shepherd Jesus.
The
novel coronavirus first raises its voice in Wuhan in December 2019. At first
its “voice” was classified as an outbreak, for it was reported as taking place
within the city of Wuhan only. And then the first case of the new coronavirus
in the Philippines was confirmed through media report of a woman in Manila who
travelled to the Philippines from Wuhan. And very soon, Hong Kong, Macau, South
Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Italy, and lately the US are reported with many cases of
having been infected with SARS-CoV-2. Many countries in the world now are
currently under lockdown, enhanced community quarantine, stay-at-home,
shelter-in-place. Amazingly, since SARS-CoV-2 raises its voice, the air of the
polluted cities in the world very soon is improving… The sky of the
urban cities like Manila, Hanoi, San Jose California, for example, becomes azure
blue with many formation of while clouds on the background. At night, one can
see many stars sparkling in the sky. In the morning, one can hear the joyful
chirping sounds of many sparrows by the windows. And since SARS-CoV-2 raises
its voice, the lives of Mother Earth and the rest of creatures have shifted to
a new chapter. They are no longer oppressed by the human race, but freely to
move around in their own territories. The forest is having a break from
humanity, since the human race is under lockdown. Bats and many animals in the
endangered list are less threatened to be items to exquisite dishes for human
pleasure. And since the human beings are no longer roaming free, the rest of creatures
currently can live and enjoy their own precious lives.
Everything has happened due to the voice of the novel
coronavirus who causes the so-called Covid-19 pandemic. Obviously, what is
considered pandemic to the human race is not to the rest…
After the farmer Cain slaughtered his brother, the Lord
God appeared to him, confronting the murderer, “Listen! Your brother’s blood is
crying out to me from the ground” (Gen 4:10). Likewise, in the name of
progress, humanity continues to ignore the precious lives of many other
creatures. Their blood have cried out to the Lord God from the ground. And God
decides to take the matter into God’s own hands. SARS-CoV-2 then from out of
nowhere appears in Wuhan, China. From an outbreak, Covid-19 has been shifted to
new paradigms, epidemic and currently pandemic.
The risen Lord commanded his disciples to preach the Good
News not only to the human race, but rather “to all creatures” (Mark 16:15).
Obviously, before Covid-19 pandemic, the disciples of Jesus have failed to heed
the voice of the good shepherd. Then the voice of SARS-CoV-2 has begun roaring
since late 2019.
Jesus says, “My sheep hear my voice”… The meditative
thought that comes to my mind while pondering Jesus’ saying is: “Can I recognize
the voice of the good shepherd speaking through the voice of SARS-CoV-2” “Do I?”
“Do we?”
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