Days of Silence and Prayer
History of Covid-19: “We stay healthy, we stay safe, we stay home”, days of isolation that changed our world and our lives.
I don’t think it’s important to mention again the features of this pandemic virus. After all, they have bombarded us and we have read so much information all this time.
But it is worth insisting more on the difficult times that we all experienced locked up at home for all this time.
The vast majority of Greeks have clearly demonstrated the maturity, prudence, empathy and solidarity that characterizes them. They fully respected the restrictions, depriving themselves of basic human rights such as a warm embrace of children, parents, relatives, friends. The visit of the holy temples, the hearing of the divine liturgy, the communion of the Body and Blood of Christ. It’s the first time through the centuries, that churches did not open for the Orthodox religious traditions. Even more, this never happened before in our history, even under conditions of war.
Moreover, in times of serious infectious diseases and pandemics, we lived the desired miracle by invoking the Holy Fathers and saints of our Church and also the help of our Blessed Virgin Mary. In fact, it happened with the total participation of all prayers through divine liturgies.
Nevertheless, miracles have happened in the past because of the fact that the souls of people were pure. Miracles happen also today, but we do not have the purity of the soul and the mental ability to experience and feel them.
Today, after two and a half months of home restriction, we are trying to get our lives back and our activities, which we were deprived of for so long time. But now, nothing is the same as before. The next day, as I believe, was for me and for many other people, traumatic. In the streets, in public services, in shops, everywhere … suspicion, fear, terror, stress. Tragic images that recall memories of lack of freedom and terrorism.
Covid-19 is here and to some point will fade away. Μay return, may not. New infectious diseases may come that can test our lives again , our relationships, our mental and physical balance.
What we all have to keep in mind and realize in this difficult universal crisis, is the “perishability” of our nature. That from one day to another, our lives can change dramatically and we have to be ready to make important decisions that require mature judgment, emotional intelligence, solidarity, collectivity, brotherhood, and humanity.
I think it is the right time to change our way of thinking and living, both in relation to ourselves and other human beings, but also for the environment, nature, our family. Moreover, we have to think over apologizing to our God for our disrespect, passions, and selfishness, in order to have the safe hope that we’ll reach the desired redemption, resurrection, ascension, and the peace of our souls.
As the famous Greek writer Nikos Kazantzakis (1883-1957) very characteristically said,
“Greece still survives, I think it survives through successive miracles”
Sofia Skleida,
Writer,
Athens, Greece
