BALANGA CITY — Bishop Ruperto Santos of the Diocese of Balanga on Tuesday said the coronavirus disease that led to the imposition of the enhanced community quarantine has brought people to what he called the “new normal.”
He said Covid–19 proved to be a leveler that respects no gender, race, age, social status, position or fame for in a matter of weeks, people’s lives around the globe drastically changed.
“Holy Masses and other church services are online, people are working from home, business meetings are conducted via Skype or Zoom, and families are confined and nestled in their houses with no visitors allowed. This has become the ‘new normal’,” the Bataan bishop said.
He said that many found the adjustment a bit challenging for routines changed and many were not quite ready to give up their liberty to go out as they please.
“The period of ECQ, however, allowed us to be free from worldly distractions and variables that have long pervaded our materialistic society,” Santos said.
With the new normal, people, he said, tread on the path of rediscovering one’s self, gaining a new sense of purpose and spending more time with the family.
“Dining together in one table has become the norm. Parents-children interaction improved. Those who reduced God to the background started to foster a deeper relationship with Him, making God top priority once again. The Covid–19 outbreak led tens of thousands to hear and witness about Jesus online,” the prelate said.
He shared the view that as the world spirals into pandemic chaos, the new normal points us to the fact that man is not in control: “As followers of Jesus, our blessed hope is not in this world but it is in Christ alone. We can point our family, friends, and neighbors to look beyond Covid–19 for our assurance comes from the Lord.” “Let us therefore embrace our new normal and not go back to the old one by prioritizing God, spending more quality time with our family and loving others in the best of times or in crisis. This will be very pleasing to God,” Santos said.
He composed this prayer of gratitude in time of Covid–19:
“O Almighty God, our merciful Father, we are grateful that we can cast all of our burdens and weaknesses upon Your feet. You move in mysterious ways in accomplishing Your plans and purposes. We are thankful that as we release our faith in You, You caused us to rise above the challenges from this pandemic time.
We pray that You continue to reign over our lives and the entire nations. We give You thanks that You came to restore us right where we are. Because of Your abundant grace, You have opened our eyes to find sufficiency in You alone.
We rejoice in knowing that even in the midst of crisis, You O Lord can turn our human frailties into reasons for worship. As we respond to renew our lives, refresh our hearts along with our commitment to You and to others.
We recognize the wonder of what has been accomplished to us and through us. Regardless of our situations, the real basis for thanksgiving is in knowing You O Lord is our God, and we belong to You. We bow in reverence as we give You praise and glory, in Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Virgen Milagrosa del Rosario del Pueblo de Orani, pray for us. St. Joseph, pray for us.”
