We mourn the passing of Br. Valentine Thong, C.S.Sp., a Spiritan in formation in Manila who died on August 19, 2021 from COVID-19 complications. In 2020, he wrote a reflection on the pandemic: 

During the Pandemic, I Found Myself

By Valentino Nguyễn Phước Thông, C.S.Sp., RIP

Anxiety, fear, and conviction are my moods in these days when the COVID pandemic has been raging all over the world and affecting the lives of many people, including me. Actually, I feel that my life is affected quite a lot during this time of pandemic. And above all, I had moments of stillness in my heart to seek God’s will for me, to ponder and reflect on my life and what is going on around me.

This is the first time for me in my life that I have witnessed such a terrible pandemic that turned upside down all human activities around the world so that we cannot be sure of anything for our life. Because of that, I couldn’t go to school or communicate with people like usual, and especially I couldn’t go to church on Sunday. At first, I was very worried and scared because this virus could enter my body and take away my life at any time. Negative thoughts that kept appearing in my mind and made me unable to have peace of mind just because I’m afraid to die while I am still young and there are many plans that I have not done yet.

However, I think that this is also the time when God is honing my faith, love, and faithfulness to Him, so that I may discover my own truth in the mystery of God. I have more time to pray and to meditate what God has done for man, especially for me. Although many people complain where is God in the sufferings of mankind, especially in this pandemic? But I believe that God is still with each of us. He never and will never leave His children alone. He is still with me through the sufferings of life in search of the joy of Resurrection. There are also times when He is alone trying to save us from suffering, but you and I don’t feel it.

I suddenly remembered the moment when Pope Francis gave the blessing of Urbi et Orbi for an end to  the coronavirus pandemic, I was heartbroken and shed tears! In front of me was the image of Pope Francis, who is always loved and welcomed whenever he appears everywhere, standing alone in the rain in the middle of the square which can accommodate over thirty thousand people, but now empty, to pray for the world through the Covid-19 epidemic. In the midst of this scene, I saw the appearance of a Holy Cross and a vision of Mary - the salvation of the people of Rome. These are just two strong fulcrums for us to join together in prayer with the Pope; and through Mary’s intercession, the merciful God who will free the world from this great tribulation. With these thoughts, my soul no longer wavered but firmly believed, knowing that without God and the help of Mary, I would surely be immersed in sin and evil! Therefore, I trust in God and Mary with my fears, so that they may bring peace and grace to me and to everyone.

We cannot deny the damage this pandemic has done to all humanity. But in a way, I find that, through this time of epidemic, family members have time to get closer and have the opportunity to take care of each other more. And this is also the moment where we can see that the mutual friendship between people is clearly shown when gifts are given to the poor, those who are directly or indirectly affected by the pandemic. Even myself, I have more time to care about my community members. And in those moments, I have rediscovered myself, my Christian identity and my vocation to realize what God wants to tell me and what He wants me to do.

Corona virus is still raging everywhere making people panic because of its rapid spread. This virus is very dangerous because it can cause humanity to die but it only makes people physically dead. There are many inner viruses that can destroy the human soul. It makes our souls closed, emotionless with God, insensitive to others and the universe. I must eliminate these harmful viruses immediately by letting Jesus be the perfect doctor to heal all wounds, so that my heart can be opened to empathize with God, with myself and with everyone. 

I, along with you, let us be open to the patients in the pandemic, pray for them so that they are always at peace; pray for national leaders to have policies and methods to protect people; pray for the doctors, nurses, staff in hospitals to be healthy to serve the patients; pray for medical experts to always rely on God’s wisdom and power to find a vaccine against this dangerous disease soon; and pray for those who have died prematurely to enjoy happiness in the kingdom of God.