President Obama declared the H1N1 Swine Flu outbreak a national emergency recently. The emergency declaration, signed by the president late Friday, purportedly increases the ability of medical treatment facilities to handle a jump in influenza A (H1N1) patients by allowing medical officials to temporarily bypass certain federal requirements.  Swine flu has shut down schools and businesses; but is it really as serious as people are making it out to be? Since April this year we have seen thousands of schools temporarily closed, and thousands of sick workers told to stay away from the office to prevent the pandemic spread of the virus, but how catastrophic has this outbreak really been in terms of the loss of human life to date? Well, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 1,000 people have died from swine flu-related complications in the United States since April. Globally, the World Health Organization claims about 5,000 deaths were linked to the disease. Sound like a pandemic to you? One thousand deaths from swine flu out of a total U.S. population figure of 300 million people. I think I’ll take my chances. Don’t get me wrong, I believe that life is sacred, but on average of seven people die every day in the United States. That’s something to ponder. And here’s something else to think about: The annual death toll from the regular flu is estimated to be between 250,000 and 500,000. Yet, we do not announce national emergencies every year during flu season. We make sure that the at risk groups are vaccinated and the rest of us continue to go with our daily lives at school or at work; it may cost us a few days in bed with a fever, headache and a runny nose, but nothing more. We have been dealing with the consequences of the regular flu for many years and have developed a healthy perspective on what the risks versus rewards are of going on with life as normal as against locking ourselves away in our homes for fear of catching the flu. Unfortunately, this sense of perspective hasn’t taken hold yet when people think of swine flu. Ignorance, emotion and panic have led the response to this ‘global pandemic’ at every turn. Nobody is taking a moment to calmly examine the evidence of the effects of the virus especially those in authority, who people are relying on to know all the answers. Well, if those in secular authority cannot be relied upon to provide a “reality check” in perilous times, surely we can depend on the church to be a shining light. Right? Not quite, the Valley Bible Fellowship Church in Las Vegas went so far as to check the temperatures of children before they allowed them to enter their Sunday school recently as part of their effort to protect its flock from catching the virus.  Valley Bible Fellowship Church in Las Vegas checked the temperatures of children before they allowed them to enter their Sunday school recently to protect its flock from catching Swine Flu. Any family with a child with a temperature of over 99 degrees was asked to leave and the church would send them a copy of the Sunday service on DVD. Did you know that the symptoms of H1N1 swine flu are just like regular flu symptoms? The usual fever, cough, sore throat, runny nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. Only lab tests can definitively show whether you’ve got swine flu. So that means we have Christians turning people away from the house of God because they may have symptoms of a virus that is less dangerous than the regular flu? Hardly, the response we would expect from God’s elect. What can a Christian do then when we cannot rely on the church to set the example? Go to the Bible and see what our creator, the author of truth, says about sickness and the correct response to it. As we read through Genesis, we see that sin, sickness, suffering and death came into the world when Adam & Eve rebelled against God. Since then sickness has been a part of our lives here on earth. It afflicts saint and sinner alike. The Catholic Catechism says, “Illness and suffering have always been among the gravest problems confronted in human life. In illness, man experiences his powerlessness, his limitations, and his finitude. Every illness can make us glimpse death. Illness can lead to anguish, self-absorption, sometimes even despair and revolt against God.” Sickness can be very destructive. It can cause mental depression and feelings of isolation, discouragement, despair, self-absorption and, worst of all, a sense of feeling of abandonment by God. We only have to look to the Book of Job to see the devastating effects of sickness on the human condition On the other hand, an encounter with sickness can be the beginning of a great spiritual awakening. Charles Spurgeon suffered from sickness through his life but he believed it helped him see in his life what is not essential so that he could turn toward that which is. Very often illness leads to a search for God and a return to Him. After coming close to death, many people also decide to live a life more focused on God and in service of others We must never forget that God does not want us to be sick. Jesus’ care for the sick is illustrated throughout the four gospels. In his ministry, Jesus sought to free people from anything that would hinder them from receiving the abundant life that he wanted to share with them. Jesus came to save our souls but also to save, heal, and free the whole person. He healed those with evil spirits and those in slavery to sin. He also cured those whose bodies were lame, blind, and diseased. Jesus never told the ill to endure sickness as a cross to be carried throughout life. God wants to cleanse us of our physical or mental illness. God also expects Christians to have love and compassion for the sick and to pray for their healing “Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him” (James 5:14-15). The Church has a responsibility to be concerned and helpful to the sick. All of us can pray regularly for the sick and for their caregivers. We can also support families with a sick member by cooking meals for them and offering to sit and spend time with the sick person. Our concern for ourselves and our health must never come before the wellbeing of others. God doesn’t want us to recklessly put ourselves in harm’s way, but oftentimes the work of God will lead to situations where there is risk. The important thing is how we live our life, not how long we live. We must realize that we are all ultimately to die once and then face the judgment. This is not our home. God has invited us to live with Him where “…God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” (Revelation 21:4) |
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