Corona Virus: Fears and Faith

Fears of corona virus is all around us. People are confused and scared. Nations are in shock. Leaders are frantically searching for solutions. The world is on lock down. Nobody has a final answer regarding this crisis.

Let us meditate on this global health crisis, as followers of Jesus. Where does faith fit into this unprecedented event that is gripping the world?

I believe that approaching this crisis from the perspective of faith is the only way to keep our sanity in this era of fake news, hysteria and paranoia.

There is so much anxiety misinformation out there. My first rule is not to believe anything I read on Facebook about it. I follow CDC guidelines which you can find on the CDC website. The website of John Hopkins university is also a good source for accurate information. Discard everything else.

The most important thing to watch is what your brain is downloading into you, and how your mind is processing that data.

What are you feeding into your mind? Is it fear, anxiety, worries, helplessness, hopelessness, panic? All those feelings are generated by a thinking behind them. So before you can control your feelings, you have to control your thinking. Because what you think about, you bring about.

Remember, the heaviest burdens that we carry are the thoughts in our head.

That is one phrase you should never forget.

Therefore examining your head is extremely important at all times, especially now; otherwise you will go crazy with fear and anxiety.

So what are your thoughts about the corona virus? What do you think is going to happen? Let me tell you what I am thinking. I have no idea how all this is going to shake out. The experts are saying that everything is going to be closed down for a while. It could be two weeks, it could be 8 weeks. How do we cope with 8 weeks of social distancing? I don’t know, because we have not done anything like this before. I have no idea what are the long term implications of this crisis on world economy, commerce, politics and life in general.

But I am not excessively worried, or aggressively planning or unnecessarily panicking. Because even without the corona virus, life in general, is a huge risk. Every second, two people die in the world. That is 172,000 deaths every day. You have a higher chance of dying from a car accident or heart attack than corona virus. Regardless of how careful you are and, how many precautions you take, there is no way you can totally protect yourself from the eventualities and uncertainties of engaging in this adventure called life.

Considering all the poisonous pollutants that we inhale and, all the stuff we call food that we ingest every day, it is a miracle that our body continues to function as well as it does for years and years without breaking down. It is a miracle. Experience and appreciate that. And be grateful. As I reminded you a few weeks ago, 95 percent of things you worry about never come about. That is just to give you some perspective.

I think fear is the most serious casualty of corona virus, not facts.

Fear and ignorance are related. The level of our fear is directly proportional to the level of our ignorance. In other words, the more awakened you are, the less afraid you are. Madam Curie said: nothing in life is to be feared, it is to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less. So if we can manage our fears, we can navigate this crisis.

Fear and love are the only two basic human emotions. All other emotions fall under these two umbrellas emotions: For example, Anxiety is fear of the unknown. Panic is fear on steroid; Paranoia is psychotic fear. Suspicion is fear in disguise. Anger is fear manifested and depression is fear suppressed. So if you can successfully tackle fear, you can successfully manage life.

Jesus does not want us his disciples to be living in fear. That is why the first words Jesus said to them after his resurrection were: Do not be afraid.

That same phrase is repeated in the bible more than a hundred times. God tells Don’t be afraid, to Abraham, to Isaac, to Jacob. He says it four times to Joshua after the death of Moses. He says it to each of the prophets, and tells them to say it to the people in his name. Jesus repeatedly admonishes his disciples not to be afraid.

And you may remember, those are the angel’s first words to Mary.

In spite of hearing “be not afraid” so many times, we are still afraid. You know why? Because we don’t totally trust the promises of God. We think that if we have to survive in this so called crazy world, we have to take care of business. We have to take matters into our own hands.

From this day forward, I want you to stop trying so hard. I am not saying take unnecessary risks. Always use common sense and caution. What I am saying is don’t go overboard trying to close every loop hole and, control every situation and manipulate every outcome.

Stop relying on your frantic efforts, but on God’s generous grace;

stop depending on your performance, but on God’s providence;

stop covering all the bases and turn your face towards God.

Stop feeling abandoned in the middle of the ocean called life and start feeling embraced by the unending ocean of divine grace.

We should live fearless lives not because we are brave, but because God is benevolent.

We should be calm, not because we are smart, but because the Lord is my shepherd.

We are fearless not because of our faithfulness to God, but because of God’s faithfulness to us.

Now, listen carefully. I did not say, our faithfulness to God. Faithfulness is usually understood as an initiative we take, a discipline that we follow, an effort that we put forth to please God and we are blessed in return.

I invite you to imagine and experience the whole process in reverse — as God’s faithfulness to us. It is initiated and sustained by God. We can see it in the history of salvation. God’s faithfulness to the Israelite even when they were not faithful to God. So many times, they turned away from God, but God went after them like a “mother who never who never forgets her child.” (Is.49.15)

Another way of saying it is, imagine God being with you, rather than you being with God. What is the difference? The equation is the same. God and you. Does it matter who is with whom? In the case of human relationships, the equation is equal. But when it comes to God, it is vastly different. Our relationship to God is asymmetrical. When we are faithless, God continues to remain faithful. That is why the psalmist said; “Your faithfulness endures for ever to all generations.” (Ps 119:90)

Jesus experienced that kind of faithfulness from his father and that is why he said to his disciples:

“Be not afraid. Let not your hearts be troubled..trust in me and trust in my father.”(John 14:1)

Besides, a life lived in fear is antithetical to the fullness of life Jesus promised. Jesus came that we may have life and have it abundantly. When we live in fear, we are not experiencing abundant life.

Fear shrinks our souls, making us more selfish, less charitable, less idealistic. Fear extinguishes our joy, eliminates our peace, strangles our outreach, and paralyze our lives. Being afraid diminishes our humanity.

That is why I refuse to live in fear. Because, according to an old Spanish proverb:

A life lived in fear…is a life half lived.

Sometimes, a word or a phrase you hear or read can completely reshape your thinking and your life. The right word at the right time, can give you a new revelation. This is one of those phrases. I hold on to it in times like these. As soon as I say those words fifty percent of my fear just evaporates.

In the context of corona virus fears, that phrase is so true. People are living literally half lives in most parts of the world. The entire country of Italy is shut down with no civic life. Here in America, we cannot attend a ball game. Musical concerts and theatrical productions have stopped. Schools and offices are closed. Disney world, the happiest place on earth is closed.

Humans are social animals. We need each other to grow and flourish. The concept of social distancing which is demanded by these trying times is actually sapping the live out of us. I was at a memorial service yesterday. It felt awkward, constrained and confusing. What is a memorial service if we cannot give a hug to the grieving family?

During this time of social distancing it is time for spiritual closeness.

This is not the time for fear, despair and desolation. That will only make a bad situation worse. The more you live with fear and anxiety, your body gets flooded with stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline which will weaken your immune system thus making you more vulnerable to the virus.

Engage in social distancing, but enter into closeness to God.

This is the time to pray. And by prayer, I don’t mean asking God for favors. It is time to go into deep reflection about the meaning of life. We humans often live our lives pretending that we are in charge. That we are in control and that we are smart.

Look at what a tiny, unseen virus can do to the seemingly powerful nation on earth with the biggest military and smart scientists and intelligent innovators.

On Friday around 4.3 PM, the president declared a national emergency. While he was doing that, Miami Dade school superintend announced closing of all county schools. That was immediately followed by Broward chief, Runcie closing schools. Then we had a lot of questions about what to do with our little preschool. Alice and Eliani were working late into the night on Friday, fielding phone calls from worried parents. Every event related to the corona virus has huge ripple effect affecting millions of lives.

We have to get through this and we will get through this because we are all in this together.

On Friday night, after being bombarded with all the bad news, I went for a long walk. I was clutching the cross of my rosary and meditating on the cross of Jesus.

Cross is the symbol of suffering and salvation. By salvation I don’t mean, after we die, but right now. The cross in my hand acknowledges the suffering of the moment, but it also absorbs it. The power of the resurrection is built into the weakness of the cross. Gazing at the cross helps me see the blessing beyond the blood. Holding onto the cross, I can walk through the valley of the shadow of this virus.

And while walking through my neighborhood, I began repeating to myself these words of Jesus:

And Surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.

That was the final promise of Jesus to his disciples, which you can find in the last verse of the last chapter of the gospel of Mathew.

Jesus didn’t say I will be with you in the future. He didn’t say, “I could be with you if you need me.” Or “I shall try to be with you whenever I can.” Or “I may be able to be with you, if I can find the time.”

No, he said: I am with you always…it is a promise and a guarantee of his continued presence with us always. Meditating and praying that phrase brought me an enduring sense of peace.

Download that phrase into your brain. Check every fearful thought that comes into your mind against that promise of Jesus and you will experience your fears evaporating instantly. That is how apostle Paul handled his extremely difficult life.

It is the constant and protective presence of God that made him ask this rhetorical question:

If God is with us who can be against us?

I like to end by reading again part of Psalm 46:

God is our refuge and strength

an ever present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear though the earth give way

and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,

though its waters roar and foam

and the mountains quake with their surging

The Lord almighty is with us

The God of Jacob is our fortress.