THE Covid-19 pandemic has been wreaking havoc in the lives of people around the world. Many people are getting sick and are dying. Economies, even giant ones as those of the US and Europe, are on the path to recession, and in a matter of weeks, millions have lost their jobs. Stimulus packages aimed at cushioning the impact of dislocation and pump-priming national economies can only go so far, while families and individuals stand at the brink of poverty. In the midst of this dark era, we ask ourselves, “Is there still hope that lies ahead?”
The good news is that, “Yes, there is.” Jesus, by the pattern he had set in Lent and Holy Week, has shown us that the conclusion of any story in the human journey will surely be God’s victory. Jesus suffered, was nailed to the cross, died, and was buried, but as the Easter Sunday gospel (John 20:1-9) tells us, the Lord did not remain in the tomb. Three days after his crucifixion, what the apostles saw was an empty tomb, for Jesus rose from the dead.
By his resurrection he has defeated evil, sin and death. As St. Paul writes, “Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where O death is your victory? Where O death is your sting?” (1 Corinthians 15:55).
At the appointed time we too will rise from the dead. All the troubles of this present world will come to pass, and God’s children will live in perfect peace, joy and love.
This pandemic will come to an end, just as the many pandemics and plagues that have rocked the world down the centuries have ended. Covid-19 is but a piece among many other pieces in the puzzle of events that will occur first before Jesus returns again as the Righteous Judge.
Let us remember that in everything, God is in control. If we cling closely to him, we can draw confidence in what psalmist declared, “You who live in the shelter of the Most High, who abide by the shadow of the Almighty, will say to the Lord, ‘My refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust.’ For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from deadly pestilence; he will cover you with his pinions and under his wings you will find refuge. His faithfulness is a shield and a buckler. You will not fear the terror of the night, or the arrow that flies by day, or the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, or the destruction that wastes at noonday” (Psalm 91:1-6).
After death will come resurrection. After darkness, light. And after destruction, restoration. Let us continue to pray for God’s mercy and deliverance; nothing is impossible with him.
Happy Easter.