Transfiguration Church

Its been a year now since Trans joined St. Hilary now St Padre Pio. Here are some memories from our last “Simbang Gabi” with Most Reverend Bishop Mark Bartosic of the Archdiocese of Chicago and our former pastor Rev. Alfredo Salera.

WHERE DOES GOD FIT IN THE PANDEMIC?
By: Fr. Henry Bocala

As a child you must have felt “hurt” when dad, for example, snatched the matchstick out of your hand playing with fire, or mom "forced" you to take a bitter pill. You didn’t see the bigger picture then; only later did you realize it was because they cared for you. What pained you before is now a source of gratitude.

Though imperfect, the analogy helps explain the apparent “inaction” of God on the pandemic. Children of God as we are, we ask the question: “Why would the Lord allow this tragedy to happen?” Or “Why won’t He put a stop on the terrible crisis?” His "silence" hurts but in time we shall see its wisdom.

What we’re going through now is part of the mysterium iniquitatis – the mystery of evil that’s ever present in this world. Bad things happen without anyone causing them directly – for sure not God. He may allow it, yes, for a reason. Seen through the eyes of faith, something good can come out of even the most painful tragedy. Everything has a purpose. Human logic is not God's. Our vision is limited.

We have seen heroic deeds of solidarity and compassion amidst the chaos. Front-liners put their lives on the line. Broken families heal and reunite. Nations close ranks to help fight the common enemy. Helpless, an Italian atheist doctor realized the need to pray to help save lives, finally believing in God. This is no small thing, for the tiniest amount of grace is far superior to the whole material universe.

Covid-19 is bad and we do well to try to eradicate the disease. But it remains a “physical evil” that need not destroy man in his deepest being. Sickness can even draw us closer to God. A more insidious enemy to watch out for is the “moral evil” that we easily commit, like lying, greed, hatred, impurity, pride, etc. “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Mt 10:28)

The full import of the pandemic is beyond our grasp. But it is a wake-up call for a world steeped in irreligion. God is telling us something; this dark spot in our history has redemption. The Lord could indeed banish Covid in a puff of air. If He hasn’t, it’s because He has reason unknown to us. Thanks to the pandemic, perhaps the world will be purified, people will seek true peace, men and women will return to church, abortions will decline, we recover the good old values, etc. We sometimes learn the hard way.

Beyond social distancing and hand washing, the pandemic has deeper lessons for us: we're vulnerable, humans are equal, science is limited and life is precious yet short.

It must have been very painful too for Jesus’ mother and His friends to see Him suffer, innocent as He was. He could have avoided the tragedy of Calvary by a sheer act of His Will. But He let the “drama” happened, because the trade-off was priceless – our salvation.

No. The Lord has not abandoned us. The pandemic is a TEST of PATIENCE and an INVITATION to FAITH. We do not see the bigger picture, but we catch a glimpse of it when we trust God! In time we shall see the fruits of the crisis and detect traces of God's footprints as the world begins to heal. So stop questioning, accept the trial, keep safe, stay put, be humble, kneel down and pray!

ROSARY till the end......