CITY OF SAN FERNANDO -- An archbishop said recently that influenza A (H1N1) or swine flu may have its roots in the Holy Bible.

In his homily during the mass for the “Sutana” investiture of 18 second year philosophy seminarians at the Mother of Good Counsel Seminary here, Archbishop Paciano “Apu Ceto” Aniceto said A (H1N1) sounds like the Hebrew term “AHINI” which means “I AM.”

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The prelate, who is known for his long but meaty and oftentimes funny sermons, said the full text could be found in Chapter 3, Verse 14 of the Book of Exodus when God commanded Moses to see the Egyptian Pharaoh and the Israelite slaves and liberate them from bondage.

In the Old Testament scriptures, Moses asked God what he would tell the Israelites if they asked him the name of the “one” who sent him to Egypt.

The New American Bible puts the conversation as: “God replied, “I Am who I Am.” Then he added, “This is what you shall tell the Israelites: I AM sent me to you.”

Aniceto said in jest, “So you see? Just change the I’s into 1’s and you have A (H1N1) which is swine flu. God surely has a way of sending a message to the people, not only in our country but all over the world.”

The archbishop likened the pandemic to the plagues of frogs, locusts, flies, hale storms, darkness, and the waters of the Nile turning to blood which bore down on the Egyptians and tested the faith of the Israelites.

“What happened in the time of Moses and the Israelites in the desert is similar to what is happening now like this A (H1N1) disease, storms, the destruction, and pollution of the environment and floods. That is why we need to wash our hands and our clothes with the ‘blood of the Lamb’ and strengthen our faith,” Aniceto said.

The Department of Health (DOH) announced Friday that the Philippines has recorded 134 new cases of the A (H1N1) infection, bringing to 861 the total number of confirmed cases.
 
Health Secretary Francisco Duque, however, said that 634 or 74 percent of the total number of confirmed cases reported since May 21 have recovered.
 
“The number of fully recovered patients is the same as the previous update, because the present reported cases are still getting treatment and recuperating either in hospitals or their homes,” Duque explained.
 
Sixteen of the 134 new cases are foreigners. Twenty of the victims have a history of travel to a country affected by A (H1N1).
 
The DOH also said that so far, there is only one recorded death due to A (H1N1) in the country.
 
With the reported increase in the number of A (H1N1) cases in the country, Archbishop Aniceto reiterated the Church’s call for the churchgoers not to hold hands, particularly in singing “The Lord’s Prayer,” to prevent contracting the virus.

He said rituals of the church have been severely affected by the A (H1N1) pandemic.

He also cited the recent pastoral letter of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), which calls for change in the attitude and culture of the church and the government.

“The pastoral letter of the bishops calls for changes and reforms, to be led by you, the laity and from June 2009 to June 2010, on our attitudes, culture, and our leadership. It calls for reforms in the political system and even in our own lives,” Aniceto said.

For his part, Caloocan Bishop Deogracias Iniguez, public affairs officer of the CBCP, said that while the number of A (H1N1) in the country continue to surge, they do not see it as alarming as compared to other countries that have similar cases of the virus.
 
Iniguez said the CBCP has not discussed the probability of closing the churches to prevent its further spread.
 
He also agreed to the regular updates being made by the DOH on the cases recorded and cases responding to the treatments, since this helps appease the public and ward off any panic or tensions that may arise due to ignorance.

As of June 24, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported 55,867 cases of the virus, with 238 deaths from 102 reporting countries. (JTD of Sun.Star Pampanga/MSN/Sunnex)