God is my Father and does not deprive me of Communion
Let’s imagine a child catches the coronavirus. What happens?
He is taken from his parents, admitted to hospital and put in quarantine, and his parents are not allowed near him. Maybe there is a glass window they can see him through, maybe not.
The child is under treatment: loneliness, injections, medicines, confinement. He thinks his parents have left him alone and don’t care. That is physical pain and emotional pain.
The parents see and know that their son is suffering; they hear his cries but cannot hold him or comfort him, even with a word, a hug, a kiss.
In this situation, who suffers more: the parents or the child?
The Lord says, “If you, then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven!” (Matthew 7:11)
If we humans suffer when our children suffer, how much more our heavenly Father!
If God is our Father, how could he send us the coronavirus?
How can God be overflowing love and give evil things?
How could he accept depriving himself of meeting his children and being united with them in Communion?
No, never!
For our God is a God who suffers:
he suffers when his children are far away, and waits for them to return;
he suffers when his children suffer, because he is a tender Father.
He created us out of the overflow of his love and sent his only Son to save us, not to punish us.
Can God stop the coronavirus?
Yes, of course he can.
But God created human beings free and gave them this opportunity: life on earth in which to use their freedom.
If people misuse their freedom, that is their fault, and they are the ones who must bear the consequences.
If God stepped into human life and corrected people’s mistakes, it would violate human freedom and diminish their humanity, because it would make a human being a puppet in God’s hand rather than his child.
So instead of laying blame and accusations on God, who is innocent of wrong,
let us hold ourselves to account for the mistakes we have made and make every day. Let repentance be the theme of this time, and let us draw closer to God so that he can hear our voices; he is always waiting for his children, as in the parable of the prodigal son, or the merciful father.
God never abandons his children, whatever happens, and the doors of his mercy are always open to those who fear him.
Layal El Richane, Sawt El Rab
