E3E Group 2

Escueta
Austria
Nieva
Pangilinan
Torres, Gilbert
Tan
Rempillo
Zorilla

If GOD is sovereign and real, why isn’t he victorious over Covid-19?

We all know that in today’s world, we are all affected and scared of the
pandemic brought about by the Corona virus. People more prone to the
said virus are the ones with disabilities and medically fragile, and those
who are too young or old. Nevertheless, we are all vulnerable.

As Christians, our faith is being tested. We may ask, why does God allow
this to happen to his people, especially those who already lost the fight. Are
we being punished? Is God really just allowing us to suffer? Why isn’t he
victorious over Covid? Is this gonna be another ‘Noah’s Ark’ kind of
moment?

Some may ask, especially those families who lost a loved one over the
virus, where is God in this time of need? Why can’t he just heal everyone?

Yes, we have so many questions that we may never know the answers to,
but one thing I know is for sure – God is always there for us.

According to the Vatican, this pandemic is not God’s judgement on us but

rather a call upon us to think and evaluate what’s really important in our
lives – our faith.

The pope said, “It is not the time of judgement, but of our judgement: a time
to choose what matters and what passes away, a time to separate what is
necessary from what is not. It is a time to get our lives back on track with
regard to you, Lord, and to others.”
It is true, though, what our pope is saying. In the past decades, or even
century, people are so focused on material things: money, technology,
property, material possession, etc., to the point that we forget to strengthen
our faith.

Don’t get me wrong. I am not saying that Covid is brought by God to us. I
don’t think he did. I know God would never want his people to suffer, but
maybe this is a blessing in disguise. What I mean is, this is the perfect
timing to widen and strengthen our faith.

As a Christian, myself, I can say that this pandemic brought me closer to

God. Before the virus hit, I was too busy with work and studies that I even
forget to pray, but during this difficult time, I found my way back into praying
and even doing the rosary everyday.

My point here is, we shouldn’t ask why God isn’t victorious against Covid.
What we should focus more is how we can win over Covid by deepening
our connection to God.

Just what Pope Francis said, “Let us invite Jesus into the boats of ourlives.
Let is hand over our fears to him so that he can conquer them.”

As a leader, how would you encourage your members – members of

your community, to share vulnerably about and how they’re coping
spiritually during this pandemic season?

It is difficult to open up how you are feeling and to help those who are
suffering mentally, spiritually, and emotionally during this pandemic, cause
honestly, we all are suffering.

We can no longer do most things we do before the pandemic. A lot of

people lost their lives, work, business, loved ones, and source of living
because of this pandemic. How do you tell a person who lost everything
that it is going to be okay? It is really hard.
I guess, personally, the way I can help someone is just be there for them
and pray for them. Jesus died in the cross to save all of us, so for sure he
will do everything to help us get over this huge bump in our lives. In this
time of need, the only thing we can do is hold on tight to our faith.

To me, the way I cope is through prayer. Whenever I pray and talk to Him, I
feel his warm comfort over me, and that’s how I will help and encourage my
community members – show them God’s love.