As we begin the Christmas season and celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, we are faced with a surge in the coronavirus around the country. We are facing an exceedingly difficult time.
What makes it even worse is the projection that the virus will be more severe in the near future. In fact, the projection by Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, and other health officials, is that there could be more than 700,000 deaths by April.
Further, they predict that our hospitals could be overwhelmed with Covid-19 patients unless we follow health professional’s recommendations.
This reminds me of an article I wrote years ago for the old St. Louis Suburban Journal Newspaper about the unstable social relations, economic conditions, and the personal sufferings of many during that Christmas season.
It is quite a coincidence that I happened to come across it at this time. The information included in it was about the difficult time many of us have in dealing with the Christmas season.
It was relevant then and even more relevant today. I would like to share some of those thoughts with you now.
In addition to the pandemic causing restrictions upon our behavior and gatherings, many of us are also faced with severe financial hardships, unemployment, mental anguish, feelings of loneliness, and personal suffering.
This is even true for those of us who are Christians and believe in God and his son Jesus as our Savior.
As people of faith, we are faced with a dilemma. On the one hand, when life and things are going well, we tend to find it easier to maintain our faith.
On the other hand, when life and things are not going well, it can be difficult to maintain our beliefs and faith. That is, it becomes exceedingly difficult to believe that God is still with us, will take care of us, and will work things out for our good.
It is quite easy to say that we believe these, but when we are faced with severe hardships or illnesses within ourselves or within our loved ones, they become problematic.
This is especially true today because we are facing a surge in the virus. What makes this even more difficult is that health officials are predicting that this situation will get much worse and could even get out of control with more of us becoming infected and losing our lives or the lives of our loved ones.
This is the case because of the action of many of us during Thanksgiving celebrations and the behavior of many that will take place during the Christmas season. As we have seen, millions did not follow the advice of health professionals to stay home during Thanksgiving. They also gathered with others from different households. Further, many people did not wear masks — or wear them properly — and maintain at a distance from others.
It is extremely difficult for many to accept and abide by the recommendations during the holidays when they are used to gathering with family and friends.
All people of faith need to comply with the recommendations of the health officials, and cling even more strongly to their faith and belief that God is still with them, will never forsake them, and will do what is best for them in the long run.
We should also remember that we are commanded to love our neighbor as ourselves. This means that we are expected to do what we can for the common good.
Christians also need to remember that we are told that we will face troubles and difficulties during our lives. That is, rain falls on everyone the same way, no matter what they believe. As a result, many Christians have contracted the virus and some have died.
However, if we continue to have faith, we will still be taken care of, no matter what happens, whether we live or whether we die. This is the promise of God through his son, Jesus Christ, whose birth we celebrate.
The hope for all of us, regardless of our beliefs, is that the vaccines will be effective and available for all very soon.
We must remember that God loves everyone, and he sent his son, Jesus Christ into the world to save all of us. This is truly the meaning of Christmas and our hope for a safe and prosperous future.