2020 03 27
作者 Article by: Margaret Loo (In Chinese and English)
人眼看不見 Covid 19病毒，正在靜悄悄地入侵我們的世界，不但對我們的健康和生命構成了巨大威脅，並對我們的日常生活造成了前所未有的影響。現在我們大多數人都留在家中，無論是自願的， 還是根據法律， 過著自我隔離的生活，更且，我們不能返教會崇拜， 也不能在教會內與弟兄姊妹相會和互相支持。
我剛剛聽完英國聖經學者尼古拉斯·湯姆·賴特（Nicholas Tom Wright）的錄音，這是3月25日從他在牛津的家中錄製的，他正在家裡與妻子一起自我隔離，並談論冠狀病毒大流行這題目。
其中一個主題是『基督徒如何在自我隔離時保持屬靈生命的健康？』湯姆正在自我隔離，與我們分享了由於疫症流行引起的人們生活的快速變化而引起的感覺，事實上， 大家都害怕，對前景的不明朗感覺不安，可以說 ，『我們都在同一條船上』。他指出，在這困難時期，教徒繼續靈修特別重要。湯姆要求大家繼續每天的祈禱和研讀聖經的習慣，可能的話，考慮延長靈修時間。對於尚未養成每日靈修習慣的人，現在是這樣做的好時機。在祈禱中，他要求我們放低自我，去記念那些受到疫症流行打擊的國家的人民。他提出的一個建議：『當我們用詩篇的一首哀歌祈禱時，讓我們用眼望著，用心想著那些在疫境中真正陷入極度困境的人們，與他們一同哀哭。』
湯姆告訴我們，早期教會的歷史資料顯示，當疫症流行時， 許多基督教徒認為這是一個呼召他們去照顧那些染了疫症的人。當時的基督教醫生, 效法耶穌的榜樣,會盡一切可能，甚至冒生命危險給病人治病。結果，許多被治癒的人成為基督徒。
今天， 當我們在自我隔離中，通過疫中情分享我們的故事時，希望我們認真考慮接納湯姆的建議，保持我們屬靈生命的健康。我也希望， 我們能回應『放下自我』的呼籲，回應『照顧他人』的呼籲，實行主耶穌『你們要彼此相愛』的教導。
The Covid 19 virus, invisible to the human eye, is quietly invading our world, posing a great threat to our health and lives and creating an unprecedented impact on our daily living. Most of us are now living in isolation, whether voluntarily or doing so under the law. And we are unable to gather physically as a community for church and mutual support.
I just listened to a podcast by the British Bible Scholar Nicholas Tom Wright, specially recorded on March 25 from his home in Oxford where he is self-isolating with his wife, and talking about the Coronavirus pandemic.
One topic covered is “How Christians can maintain spiritual health during isolation?” With firsthand experience in living in isolation, Tom shared with us his feelings of fear and uncertainty resulted from the recent rapid changes on people’s life caused by the pandemic. He affirmed that “we are all in the same boat”. He pointed out that it is especially important for people to keep themselves spiritually engaged during such difficult times. Tom asked people to continue their daily habit of prayer and Bible study or to extend the time if possible. And for people who have not yet set up such a habit, it is a good time to do so. And in praying, he asked us to look beyond ourselves to think of the people from countries hard hit by the pandemic. One suggestion he gave was that “when we read a Psalm of lament, have our eyes and hearts on the people in real trouble and share the lament with them.”
History of the early church, according to Tom, showed that many Christians considered an epidemic a call to look after other people. Early Christian doctors, following Jesus’ example and teachings, would go to heal the sick despite all the risks posed to themselves. And many of the healed became Christians as a result.
Today, as we are sharing our stories through the “Love in pandemic” endeavor, it is hoped that we take seriously Tom’s advice to maintain our spiritual health while in isolation. It is also hoped that we learn to answer the call to look beyond ourselves and the call to look after other people, putting into practice Jesus’ teaching that we should “Love one another.”