I am the Way the Truth and the Life: A Reflection on the Condition of Front-liners during the COVID-19 Pandemic
I am the way, the truth, and the life, these are words which has been almost familiar to every Christian. The words resonate with the words of the vision and mission of Jesus Christ in the world. These words have become the guiding principle of many theologians which for ages have rowed the oars for the catholic theological life, guided by the Holy Spirit. Nevertheless, these words also have been casually been used by so many that their most reassuring value in human life has slowly been obscured, that is Jesus is God. So many rejections have been made in this regard and sometimes have even lead to the deaths of many. Today the world faces the covid-19 that has disturbed and even claimed lives. One is lead to question where is Jesus? Why does he not show that he is the way to the cure, the truth of its origin, and the life to those who are in the last stages of the virus?
People have so many questions yet so few of them have taken time to stop, look and listen to the answers around them. The front-liners, the persons who are directly engaged in management and order of the society while the world is deeply afflicted shouts to be looked into, not merely glanced at. The doctors, the nurses, police, the food producers, the medicine companies, the researchers, and policymakers lead us to see Jesus in them. They lead us to see them as Jesus showing the way, they lead us not only to the truth of the Covid-19 but of our society at large, they give us life while so many people have lost theirs and showed us life’s immense value.
The Way
One could not go to his or her destination without encountering a front-liner. Without the proper permission, one could not go any further. Safety is the priority of all front-liners; compromise is never in their vocabulary. Many front-liners have been ridiculed for their firm belief in their duty, in standing by the precepts which their profession binds them. Look in the social media, look into the news, look around you and you will see people being uneasy and restless but these people do not merely shrug their shoulders, they carry the weight and burden of the people and still respond with a smile.
In the same way, the front-liners attitude and actions did in this pandemic so does Jesus as the way invites us. The front-liners attitudes and actions were the very teachings Jesus wanted us to emulate. The generous self-giving of the front-liners was at the very core of the training of his disciples. He always leads them towards service to the needy. He reprimanded and taught them whenever their course of actions shows leaning towards self-gain, or is selfishly motivated. He taught his disciples patience, which we see in the lives of our front-liners. How many times has Jesus averted his gaze on the inequality done to him aside from those he suffered when he was on the cross. Remember the scene when Jesus reproached his apostles when they sought to bring down fire from heaven to destroy the unwelcoming city, Jesus is also an exemplar of patience. Jesus found time in dealing with people of different social standing. He took time to listen to their concern and attend to them as much as he could! Also, Jesus as a Jew understood firmly the value of his belief and held unto to it summarizing in the most sublime manner that even the scribes and the Pharisees are unable to refute him! He lived the law even if he is already its fulfillment he gave a concrete example of it in his life which made his authority all the more valuable and credible. He was not easily swayed by the prompting of the devil nor did he fall for the trap of the ill intent!
Jesus is the way and his example is greatly manifested in our hard-working front-liners. Some do reflect the acts disposition these person woes to them, not because of their negligence of imitating human examples, but by disregarding a sublime and heavenly gift which has been offered as a way for life, Jesus.
The Truth
Flatten the Curve! This has been a prevalent government and NGOs have shouted as COVID-19 ravage the country and as the number of victims rises. Many have made efforts to raise funds and secure major provisions for the medical experts and those who put their lives on the line during the pandemic. Sadly as the nation and the world watched how these unsung heroes gave a portion of their lifeline, a scare had slowly crept into the system. Various illegal groups have taken the opportunity of the scenario and stole large sums of money people which was supposed to be for our front-liners! Where is the truth! Why is the truth so late these days! Why not give once and for all an answer to all the questions which plague the medical experts?! These are some of the questions which pervaded my thought these past few months in lockdown.
The truth is with the capital is always bigger than man. In so far as the truth is bigger than the man he could not grasp it in its entirety. But it does not follow that the Truth is ungraspable that we cannot gleam and reality in it, rather it is through its ungraspableness that we can see rays of truth. These truths become stepping stones for leading us and living towards the Truth Eternal. No matter how much fake news ravage society some truths remain: man is always inclined to the truth; doubt easily brews; we as creatures a good at fault finding.
When we say that we are inclined to the truth it does not necessarily start with doubt rather, there is a part in us that says that “I want some verification.” Verification, from the Latin, veritas, we turn to people who to some degree carry with them through their field of expertise great knowledge, like medical doctors, pharmacists, scientists, and psychologists. As much as possible we continue to search for various sources of truth before we eventually are comfortable that what we hold onto is true.
I remember once in our class in Modern Philosophy the saying, doubito ergo sum. I doubt therefore I am. It is a good starting point since one of the reasons fake news is rampant is sloth for research. Thus the saying could also be transmuted into saying, “I doubt therefore I am a true citizen.” Man does not merely take what is set before rather he takes time to look into its content and examine it. When we doubt we do not only invite the person before us to lay done some proofs rather we also invite them to dialogue with us.
Though the thought bears a negative connotation it is nevertheless true of us creatures that we are good at fault finding, in the scriptures we see the Pharisees great in these, there are some instances that the apostles also are like these. Thus we cannot but say yes we are great at fault finding but in this respect, we also turn to fault finding in a positive and constructive sense building upon what St. Augustine once said, “Identifying the problems is half of the solution.” Likewise, the truth of the problem must always be laid bare, in the front-liners, in the government’s structure, in the ecclesiastical sphere (social action) where does the problem lie? Why are we not effective? We move forward in asking these questions. And should we find the problems and directly be able to trace it to a person or group of persons than “Si fallor sum” says St. Augustine, we must help them understand they err and has to give way for others to resolve the issue or wake up from their lofty dreams and work out a solution for the Truth.
In the end of all the truth that compose society point out to one single Truth. This Truth is ever present, we only have to move towards it. When we move towards it we may experience pain from its blinding light but we must remember this, that by the very light which blinds us comes purification of all our impurities so that we may be face to face with the Truth.
The Life
Life would never be the same again. This is certain, paradigms have changed, social structures have changed, almost everything has changed. A psychology professor once said we are not yet in the new normal. What he said was indicative that the society is still adjusting and is indeed still developing amidst the pandemic. Back at home, I am truly afraid whenever the news comes on the new updates on the pandemic. I was afraid that there may come a time that our small community would be inundated by the pandemic. I was very much tempted to merely stay at some since it is warranted by the government. But at the back of my mind, I feel a sense of discomfort. I know, I cannot simply stay at home while many families starve. We are secure, we eat three times a day, we have a steady wage since our work is at home, but something was lacking. Staying at home when I know I could do something was weighing down on me. Thus I went to the parish and I volunteered for its relief programs. There is very little which I can contribute materially but that was not the point. To a front-liner is to be able to see the suffering of the people in a community and be able to do something about it, it is not a question of how big or how small but were you able to touch the life of a person.
This pandemic touched my life, it changed it and continuously changes it, but it is not merely the pandemic, rather it is Christ that changes us. Front-liners even if after this pandemic is over will retain in them the mark of being a front-liner, that is of laying down one’s life for another, just like Jesus did. In the end, should God ask the front-liners what good were able to do on earth? Then they could simply and plainly say, “God, I have loved my neighbor to the point of laying down my life for them.” It could not be said out of hypocrisy of popularity since not all front liners have vlogs or television programs to advertise but all have an end to which they are bound. The front-liners actions and decisions will echo for eternity, should they be disheartened of its truthfulness for lack of recognition we need only to remember that, “He calls us each by name.”
