Coronavirus Pandemic. What should our be response in such a situation? As Christians, we are expected to be a light to the world and salt of the earth. In times of adversity, others should be able to look upon Christians as fountains of hope. Even while the world plunges into darkness, the never ceasing light of Jesus Christ shines on those who believe in Him. The Lord our God wants nations to travel in that light.
King David and Israel
Remember King David and Israel? In a single day, 70,000 Israelites fell to the plague sent by God. It was because of David’s act of counting the numbers of his subjects, which God never approved. (1 Chronicles 21:7)
“Some were sick through their sinful ways, and because of their iniquities endured affliction; they loathed any kind of food, and they drew near to the gates of death. Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and He saved them from their distress. He sent out His word and healed them, and delivered them from destruction.” (Psalm 107:17-20)
Our only recourse in times of trouble is crying to the Lord. That is exactly what David did when the plague destroyed approximately 2% of the population of his country. “David built an altar to the Lord, and offered burnt offerings and offerings of well-being. So the Lord answered his supplications for the land, and the plague was averted from Israel.” (1 Samuel 24:25)
Use the Same Weapons
David’s offerings and supplications were enough for God to contain His wrath and shower mercy on the land. If so, why don’t we use the same weapons against the coronavirus? In fact, this has been the practice of Christians across the world and throughout the centuries when they faced difficult situations. In times of adversity and epidemics, they gathered together and prayed for God’s mercy. Their faith assured them that Holy Mass and Eucharistic Adoration were capable of warding off evil from their homes.
History tells us that during times of epidemics, priests used to lead Eucharistic Processions through the affected localities. And the results were amazing. Many towns, cities, and provinces were saved from epidemics solely because of the Eucharistic Processions through their streets.
Just one example. It happened in Italy. Yes, the very same Italy which became the first country in continental Europe to report maximum number of deaths due to the coronavirus. The city of Cava de Tirreni was visited by the plague epidemic on Ascension Thursday, May 25, 1656. In no time, thousands succumbed to the epidemic in the city and surrounding villages.
Father Paolo Franco was one of the few priests who had been spared from the epidemic. Despite the danger of contagion, he listened to the inspiration from the Lord to lead the people in a Eucharistic Procession of Reparation. It took them from the city to the summit of the Castello Mountain, which is a few kilometers from the city. When the procession reached its summit, Father Franco blessed Cava de Tirreni with the Blessed Sacrament and the rest is history. The plague epidemic miraculously ended!
Lessons from History
Go back in history and see what happened in Lisbon, the capital of Portugal in 1432. The plague which devastated the city was so terrifying that scores of people dropped dead on its streets every day. There were hundreds of corpses lying in the streets with nobody to bury them. Panic stricken people fled the city for their lives and in the process infected others in the nearly villages. Doctors, nurses, and priests, who are usually at the frontline battling any epidemic, were the first casualties.
Monsignor Andre Dias was the Bishop of Lisbon. He was bravely attending to the patients and risking his life. Going by the scale of death, he came to the conclusion that it was not for man to contain the infection. Only divine intervention could save Lisbon and its people. So he exhorted his people to call upon the Most Holy Name of Jesus with confidence. He advised the people to write the Holy Name of Jesus on cards and keep them on their persons and to place them under their pillows while sleeping.
He then gathered his flock into the Cathedral of Saint Dominic where he distributed holy water with instructions to sprinkle it on themselves and those afflicted with the disease. The results of this act of faith were incredible. The sick and dying blessed with the holy water or prayed for through the Holy Name of Jesus arose healthy and healed. And in a few days, the plague afflicted city of Lisbon was free of the deadly epidemic.
Power of the Rosary
Ever heard of four Jesuit priests who survived the deadliest weapon known to date? Fathers Hugo Lassalle, Hubert Schiffer, Wilhelm Kleinsorge, and Hubert Cieslik were praying the Rosary in their monastery chapel situated in Hiroshima, Japan on the morning of August 6, 1945. It was then that U.S. troops dropped the atomic bomb on the city, killing approximately 130,000 of its inhabitants.
They not only survived the attack, but lived for decades further without having the slightest of consequences of a survivor from an atomic bomb attack. Believe it or not, they were subjected to detailed investigations, not less than 200 times! Every report reiterated the same findings: They were untouched by atomic radiation when all the people around them either perished in the attack or survived to live with the agonizing aftereffects of radiation.
Oh Christians, what are we waiting for? If David could save his people from plague by calling out Our Lord’s name and offering a sacrifice pleasing to the Lord, what prevents us from safely attending Holy Mass with the prayer of sparing us from the coronavirus?
If Father Paolo Franco could save a city from the epidemic by leading a Eucharistic Procession, will not the Lord hear our prayers also in Eucharistic Adoration? If Bishop Andre Dias could bring succor to a city devastated by plague simply by calling out the powerful name of Jesus and using holy water blessed in His sanctifying name, what else do we need in this hour of need to save our dear ones and ourselves from the epidemic?
If the poor Jesuits could overcome the atomic bomb with a simple Rosary, what prevents us from seeking the intercession of our mother and the mother of Our Lord, the Blessed Virgin Mary?
What We Need
We need Eucharistic Processions in the streets and Eucharistic Adoration in churches. Let Holy Mass be offered in every church, every day, with the special prayer intention of sparing us from this epidemic. Say as many Rosaries as possible and seek the intercession of the Blessed Virgin in this hour of crisis.
But first of all, be confident in your heart that Jesus Christ, Our Risen Lord, wields all power and authority in heaven and on earth. He is eager to respond to our prayers. His ears are always open to our supplications. "Know that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth. Know also that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:10-11)
With this firm belief, be in prayer. May Jesus Christ bless us. May the Blessed Sacrament protect us from every evil. May the Body and Blood of Jesus be our daily bread and healing medicine.
“Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them.” (John 6:56)
+JMJ+
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