COVID-19

On December 2019 the Chinese City of Wuhan reported a very deadly and very infectious virus. China told the World Health Organization about it stressing that it is worse than the 2014 African ebola virus and the 1980’s HIV. The world’s response was slow, thinking that it could easily be controlled like Ebola. On January 2020 (a month after the December 2019 outbreak) WHO sounded the alarm but too late, COVID already encircled the earth. Pres. Duterte led our nation using all the WHO suggestions. By March 2020 we had a total merciless lockdown.

The church cooperated with the government’s efforts. From 2020 to 2022, we had no fiestas, novenas, processions; all religious meetings activities were reduced. Daily masses were greatly reduced with emphasis on setting distancing, communion only by hand and avoiding social contacts. The combined efforts of the government and the church, was successful because of the total support of the people. In 2020, the church issued the Oratio Imperata. Oratio means prayer, Imperata means a must, this prayer must be read in all masses and novenas.

By June 2020, drug makers began giving out COVID Vaccines worldwide. On January 2021 the church gave a second Oratio Imperata recognizing that the vaccines worked: “We thank you for the vaccines developed made possible by your guiding hands”. “Bless our efforts to use the vaccines to end the pandemic”. On January, 2023 the Church gave a third prayer called “Litany of Gratitude after Covid–19” to be prayed from February 11 to 22, 2023. Tokyo’s Nikkei Ava Media using WHO statistics showed that on Sept. 2021 we were number 121, last among the nations with COVID in terms of planning and carrying out medical programs. On May 2022 we were no. 33 in the COVID Recovery Index overtaking developed states like the Swiss (38), Japan (53), UK (58), America (81), China (93). The 2022 WHO records showed that COVID caused the death of million plus Americans and 66,000 plus Filipinos.

There are many ways of looking at COVID-19. It is a wake up call for the 8 billion people in the world that we have to change our ways or else even worse calamities will come. Noah told the people that because of their sins, terrible things will happen (specifically the great Flood). God listened to our prayers to save us from COVID-19. God answered our prayers. The Lord is kind and merciful, He listens to the cries of His people and He will save them. Salamat Ginoo sa imong kaayo.