LAST July 27, a good soul offered to give Rapid Antibody Test for Covid to the staff and personnel of Sto Nino Parish in Tondo. I got myself tested even though I was in the pink of health since the quarantine period. I exercised regularly, took my fruits and vitamins, did shibashi exercise under the sun almost every day, and slept 7 to 8 hours every night. The result was unexpected. I tested IGG positive. I already have the anti-bodies. So I am, or was, infected with the covid virus. I called up the priest in charge of the Health Care Ministry of the Archdiocese of Manila as our protocol dictates. He said that if the result were true, I am beyond the stage of infecting others, but just to be sure if I still have the covid virus I should get the PCR test. I did, and the result was that I was still Covid positive. As per protocol, I should isolate myself. I already did that when the first indication came from the Rapid Test and even while waiting for the result of the swab test. All the while, though, I did not feel any symptom at all.
With my position as the temporary head of the archdiocese and with my visibility in public, I consulted the board of consultors what we should do. It was decided that to avoid any speculation I should make a public statement declaring the state of my health to the priests, which surely will seep through to the general public. Thus it became public that I was infected with Covid 19 and I was in isolation.
What was the experience for me? Honestly, except for the fact that the tests say that I was Covid positive, I had no indication about being sick. I checked my temperature every day and it was normal. My appetite was normal, and I had no symptoms at all. I thank the Lord God for this. I was deluged with messages of sympathy and promises of prayer. I truly believe that these prayers really helped. They did not only boost my spirit, but I am sure God heard them.
Fortunately, there is a seemingly good internet connection in my room so I was able to continue to do many zoom meetings and able to follow up the activities in the archdiocese by email, viber communication and online meetings. I also had more time to pray. So I took time to pray and celebrate my daily private mass in my room. The period also gave me time to read and to reflect. I confess that I never felt bored at all. I did not even have the time to watch TV or to see movies. (Anyway I had no TV connection in my room nor did I ever subscribe to Netflix). I was able to prepare some talks and even write down my homilies. The time was well spent.
In my reflection, I stumbled on the idea of the similarity of being infected with Covid 19 and leprosy at the time of Jesus. Both are infectious diseases; although, while leprosy can be easily seen externally, the covid virus is invisible to the human eye. However, they both have the same effect on people. Both keep the infected away from other people. They are avoided by others, even by people close to them. There is the strong fear of infection in both cases, largely because of the unknown nature of the disease. At the time of Jesus, people did not know then what caused leprosy; and in our time, in spite of the advances of medicine and of science, even experts are in the dark about the corona virus. Unable to fully understand the nature of the disease, in both leprosy and the Corona virus, the blame falls on the infected person. People in biblical times looked at the leper as a sinner because they saw illness as a punishment from God. So the question in the minds of the people was: who sinned, he or his parents? With the corona infection there is also the blame – pasaway kasi o pabaya o pagala-gala kasi. You got this because of your carelessness. So in both diseases there is a stigma attached.
What did Jesus do to the lepers? He did not shy away from them. In fact, in healing some of them he touched them. He helped the lepers; he healed them and he respected the protocols of his time. He asked those whom he healed to present themselves to the priests to be examined by them and to offer the required sacrifices before they are integrated back to the community. Should not this also be the way we deal with those sick with the corona virus? Yes, we follow the medical protocols but we should not shy away from those infected, but in creative ways make them feel that they are not stigmatized by the church community. This can be done by texting them and sending them messages that we care for them and pray for them. Sending them food, vitamins and reading materials would also be concrete signs that they are not forgotten.
In a way, I am thankful to the Lord for this experience. For me it was very mild but I can better identify now with people who are infected and those who are healed. It also makes me more cognizant of the reality of the virus. It can come to anyone. So while we follow the necessary protocols, we should also build up our natural immune system so that our body can ward off this infection, and if it does come, the body can fight it off. We also should not discount the proper moral outlook and the spiritual help that our faith gives us. In all this, God loves us and our life is in his hands.
Broderick Pabillo
August 15, 2020
