Ibeto Benita, a student in SS 2D at St. Francis Catholic Secondary School Idimu, Lagos in Nigeria shares the reflection «God in Covid 19».

Africans often make much mention of God. For us, God is everything. We expect God to solve our problems. Sometimes that seems too infantalistic. Instead of acting to solve a problem, we at times do nothing but rely on him.

The Corona Virus pandemic has prompted almost two – thirds of American believers to feel that God is telling humanity to change how it lives. In the USA, the virus has claimed more than 490,000 souls. People may also be searching for deeper meaning in this devastating outbreak. Even some who do not affiliate with organized religion, such as Lance Dejesus of Dallastown, Pennsylvania saw a possible bigger message in the virus.

There are many Christians believed that they could not be infected with the virus because of their faith in God. This is laughable. First, God will not protect Christians from the virus more than non-Christians. Our physical health is not a commentary on our faith. Just ask those faithful Christians who are living with cancer or chronic pain or any other illness. God spared the three friends, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego from the blazing furnace, but in Acts of the Apostle, Stephen was stoned to death without heaven’s intervention. To the man born blind, Jesus firmly stated “neither this man nor his parents sinned” (John 9). When eighteen people died after the tower in Siloam fell and accusers attributed this tragedy to the sins of their people, Jesus responded: “Do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem? No!” (Luke 13). Whether a Christian is spared of the virus and a non-Christian is not, does not reflect faith in God or lack of it.

Secondly, God does not use death, illness of COVID-19 to teach us lessons. God does not kill others for me or for you to pay attention. The pandemic therefore is not a method God is using to evangelize the world. To think this way shows how little we think of God. If some people are brought to repentance and faith because of the threat which this virus elicits, then that is a celebration. Many have not seriously considered their own mortality, and Christians certainly have a hopeful answer for those who do. Repentance however does not constitute a reason for the virus. In fact, there may be no reason for it at all.

Third, God’s gift of science and the exercise of human common sense are mutually compatible ways to respond in faith to this pandemic. Jesus quoted and revised Deuteronomy 6 when he was asked about the greatest commandment: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and might.” To this biblical text he added: “And with all your mind.” Medical professionals and disease control scientists may be our best prophets during this pandemic. If that is the case, let us listen to these “prophets”. Let us hand sanitize, use the mask properly and maintain social distancing, and by so doing, we would be saving lives.