Editorial

Lockdown, Community Quarantine, Social Distancing. These have become the buzz words after a spike in the number of cases and deaths due to COVID-19, an infectious disease caused by a new strain of coronavirus similar to 2003’s SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome). In just four months, COVID-19 has become a full-blown pandemic, spreading to more than 200 countries with more than 3 million confirmed cases and about 200,000 deaths. Not since the 1918 influenza pandemic has the world experienced such a global health emergency.

We recall the sentiments of Gandalf the Grey and Froddo in Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings: “I wish it need not have happened in my time,” said Froddo. “So do I,” said Gandalf, “and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”

People may not see any meaning in this modern-day plague but even in the dark moments in history, God has a message for humanity. Pope Francis shared this message with us in his homily during the Extraordinary Moment of Prayer preceding the Urbi et Orbi Blessing last March 28, 2020: “You are calling us to seize this time of trial as a time of choosing. It is not a judgment from God but a time for us to judge… to choose what matters and what passes away… 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.”

The Holy Father’s words invite us to pause from our daily grind and make a serious, much-needed reflection. What are the things I value in life? Are they worth giving all my time and effort? Does God and my neighbor figure in my life journey? Whatever the answers, now is the time to make an important decision.

This brings us to the significance of the present moment. Now is the only time we have in our hands. How do we make use of this precious gift? During the lockdown, we began to see and understand many things that we often neglect or overlook. Among others, we have realized the value of cooperation, of working together with others.

Following instructions like proper handwashing and “social distancing” (avoiding mass gatherings and maintaining a certain distance from others) has become a way to protect one another from possible infection, and was our contribution to contain the virus. Conflicts among different groups have generally ceased as health and survival became the concern of all. By breaking free from our individualistic ways, leaving our “comfort zone,” we saw opportunities to freely share our time, talents, skills, and knowledge with others while in quarantine.

Another important insight is interdependence. We realize now, maybe more than ever, that we are all connected. Our personal decisions and actions affect other people. We cannot solve all problems on our own; we need each other to succeed in any undertaking. Having a common goal, we have pooled our resources together to be able to provide for the needs of our healthcare workers and those hardest hit by the enhanced community quarantine: the families of daily wage earners.

We are not out of the woods yet. With a vaccine not yet on the horizon for a year or so, no one knows when this pandemic will end and what life will be post-COVID-19. But this unique experience has marked us profoundly. All this hardship has not been in vain. We know that we will come out of it renewed and revitalized by our hope kept alive by Jesus, the Risen One who has overcome the world. Our perspectives on many things will have changed by the time the outbreak is over. Surely, it will not be “back to normal” after this. True enough, we will never be the same again.

We at New City pay special tribute to our countless frontliners who have given and are giving their lives in the battle against COVID-19. Their sacrifice will be forever remembered and will live on in humanity’s memory. We owe our lives to these unsung heroes. They have risen to the challenge, choosing to do what is noble and true with the time given them. And for us who have survived this ordeal, eternal gratitude for having been given the chance to live our lives the best we can, for others.