Today, I had an FDA-approved Antibody or Serology Test to find out if I have antibodies in my blood so that I could donate plasma in order to help cure those who are still sick from the coronavirus.  This promising treatment is already being done in the hospital near us on an experimental basis, and I wouldn't mind being a part of the cure, while hoping for the CDC to come up with a vaccine ASAP; while our Diocese of Las Vegas is still mulling over how and when to do the reopening of Catholic Churches here, because frankly, I'm sick and tired of seeing our Parish Church closed, while we'd been receiving the Holy Eucharist at St. Sharbel Maronite Catholic Church on the eastern side of Las Vegas since three months ago, or after Nevada Governor Sisolak put us on  lockdown, and started attending Holy Mass in St. Sharbel again last Sunday, while definitely attending also this coming Pentecost Sunday Liturgy. 

               Whereas, President Trump already declared last weekend that houses of worship were essential, and must be allowed to open, or he would override Governors, Mayors, or County Officials if they said otherwise, and yet there are many Democrat leaders who keep sowing panic among the people, who are still afraid to go to their churches, or even bishops who want to keep their diocese closed until a safe vaccine against the coronavirus is approved by CDC.  I think that the Liberal media and Democrats are using the coronavirus as an excuse to keep people, priests, and bishops afraid to reopen their churches; while abortion clinics are considered safe and essential to women's rights, and must be kept open, that I'm beginning to agree with that person who posted perceptively and succinctly on Facebook recently that: The word "Pandemic" is just "Dem" surrounded by "Panic!"  

               I think that the Democrats are the ones panicking during this presidential election year, which is happening in less than 6 months, after their narratives on Russia collusion, Trump impeachment, or blaming Trump for inefficiency, instead of China and the WHO, for this pandemic, did not pan out, because now they're using racial inequality due to the senseless and brutal killing of a black guy, George Floyd, by a white police officer (who I believe is guilty of manslaughter, if not murder because they had a history of animosity against each other, when they worked together)  in Minneapolis, in order to shore up Black support for their lackluster and very forgetful candidate Biden, who was castigated recently by the Blacks for making racial slurs against them-- meaning they're not Black enough, if they vote for Trump.

               Anyway, Jesus Christ could have dismissed His impending Crucifixion and Death with a flick of His Fingers because He is the Son of God, and is God Himself; and yet He gathered His disciples & Mary in the Upper Room, instituted His Sacrament of Holy Eucharist, and founded His Catholic Church on the Day of the Pentecost, 1,990 years ago, on the eve of His Passion and Death; while we make excuses for keeping His Churches closed, instead of celebrating the birthday of His Church, and receive His Body, Soul, and Divinity through the Blessed Sacrament next Sunday, on the Feast of the Pentecost, inside our Parish Churches, because we are afraid of fellow Catholics who will not be social distancing,  and thereby getting infected from the coronavirus  by them.

               In other words, we, who believe in Life after Death here on earth, in the "Resurrection of the Body, and Life Everlasting" in Heaven, where pain or suffering is neither felt nor remembered, but love, peace and joy are in abundance with fellow believers, or while contemplating on the Perfect Happiness or Perfect Being of the Trinity-- Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit, while in the presence of all the Angels & Saints in Heaven, including Mama Mary, are afraid of dying.   What a travesty!

               Here are some of the things that I observed, learned, or took to heart during this Age of the Coronavirus:

               1. First and foremost, Jesus I trust in You.  I praise and thank You Lord  for healing me, and saving my life for fourth time, after contracting the coronavirus in Singapore, and for testing negative from the virus with Gie, after exhibiting again the symptoms of the disease last month;

​               2. Nothing can separate us from the Love and Divine Mercy of God, not even love ones; not sin or death, if we repent to God--  Who is full of Compassion and Grace; and neither Satan and his legions of devils and antichrists, who run away at the sight of the Mother of God;

               3. Life is short; so let's be nicer, kinder, and more loving to one another, including our enemies, by doing good even to those who hate us, or put us down by gossiping about us, and despise us because of greed, envy, and pride.

​(TO BE CONCLUDED DURING PENTECOST...)
​

           The Wuhan corononavirus has sealed the fate of the Catholic Church, but not its Faith.  Marred by scandal since the Middle Ages, not because of married popes and priests who were many, and with children, but welcomed in the Cenacle or first Christian churches, like St. Peter the Apostle who is considered the first pope, (because celibacy was never a dogma even to this day, and became a Catholic church doctrine later,) but rather due to lascivious popes and priests (some of them were practicing gay lords,) or those who abused their powers as Absolute Monarchs, which brought about the Reformation.

               Gone were the days when the pope just had to draw a line on the map,  and divide it into two hemispheres in order to give the monarchs of Spain and Portugal their fair share to explore, who were both subservient to his wishes, just like the rest of the Christian world, for being the Vicar of Christ, or the representative on earth of Jesus Christ (God the Son in the Holy Trinity of One God,) who was both revered as an Absolute Monarch, and cannot make any mistakes, or was infallible while speaking ex cathedra when it came to Faith and Morals.

               But why would Pope Francis give up on this title, which is where the pope derived its power through the Ages?  Granted that the Office does not have the same power today compared to the Middle Ages, and revived only temporarily during the reign and zeal of St. John Paul II the Great, who was the real person, or power, behind President Reagan in bringing the Soviet Union, and Berlin Wall down, with the collapse of Communism in Eastern Europe, but wouldn't the disregard for the title of the Vicar of Christ do more harm than good to the papacy, which has lost its illustrious grandeur, after Pope Francis got sued for Vatican's cover up of clergy child sexual abuse, and (like his previous predecessors) cuddled up, or put Cardinal McCarrick on a pedestal, who turned out to be not only a sexual abuser of seminarians, but also a pedophile? 

               I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the United States of America is the most  litigious country in the world; and its lawyers will not stop suing the pope and the Vatican no matter how much the State of the Vatican and its Head of State & Government, or the Pope, denies that it has committed any cover up because of the autonomous status of every Diocese and its Bishop or Cardinal all over the US, as long as the tiny Vatican City-State is still worth $19 billion dollars in assets, after having paid already billions of dollars to credible victims of clergy sexual abuse.

               These lawyers neither did care about the biggest provider of free food and services to the poor around the world through the the prestigious Catholic Charities, which is the most transparent, honest, and biggest charitable organization in the world run effectibly by the Catholic Church; nor were bothered by the fact that the Vatican's income, properties, and investments were nothing compared to Mormon or Evangelical Christian organizations, other countries, companies, and religions such as Muslims and Scientologists, as long as the Catholic Church is weakened, first and foremost, by the biggest scandal or sexual abuse of children by priests, bishops & cardinals that rocked the whole world, and now by this coronavirus pandemic; while the Bishop of Rome, is more interested in climate change, politics, and appeasing other world religions, including paganism.

               Maybe Pope Francis is more attuned to his role as Head of State and Government as a political figure, rather than as Vicar of Christ; hence, he defended China's religious policy by establishing diplomatic relations with them, and agreed with the Chinese Communist Party to appoint the bishops and priests in the Catholic Churches in China based on who they liked, and not the ones ordained by bishops who were obedient to the Catholic Church in Rome, based on the teaching of the Catholic Church and Gospel of Jesus Christ, which by the way, were lacking in Pope Francis's pronouncements and propagation, compared to his political and environmental views. No wonder the Chinese authorities didn't have any qualms in removing the Crosses on top of Christian churches, while the real underground Catholic Chinese bishops protested, and went to the Vatican, who couldn't do anything either.  And, I'm sure that Pope Francis was aware even before hooking up with Communist China, that some of those priests who celebrated Mass were fake and being politicized or chosen by China,  and that the largest country in the world according to population has more atheists, or people who didn't believe in God, all 90% of them, and almost 1.3 billion people.

               Is it possible that this pandemic which closed our churches up to now, came about because most of us, including some priests, don't believe anymore in the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist, and the intercession of Blessed  Virgin Mary, who are the two anchors or pillars of the Catholic Church; and that this coronavirus is a wake-up call from Jesus Christ Himself, because we have lost or doubted our Faith?

               Anyway,  a survey of people around the world showed that most of us believe in aliens, social justice, and the Green Party, than in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, the Good News of the Gospels, or an afterlife of Heaven or Hell.  And throughout this lockdown, which is still ongoing for many people, especially in the Catholic Church, where a number of priests died from this pandemic, did you notice how grim were the faces of the Holy Mass celebrants, no matter where they were, but most especially Pope Francis?

​               Are we not supposed to be thankful and joyous in every Mass because we're Easter people, and Jesus  Christ is risen from the dead?  What do you think? 

(TO BE CONCLUDED...)         

                   The good news is: I finally got a haircut last night!

               And, just like in other states in the US, Governor Sisolak of Nevada has lifted the lockdown on restaurants, casinos, salons, barber shops, retail stores, etc., as long as they follow the guidelines the State has set forth with regard to social distancing, or by appointments only in some cases, so that only 50% of customers are allowed at a time inside the business establishments; people must wear masks at all times except when eating and drinking, of course; plus other guidelines that are necessary, or had been mandated by the State of Nevada in order to avoid getting infected from the coronavirus.

               But what happened to Churches, or other Houses of Worship, especially today, on Mother's Day?  Why are they still on lockdown  (maybe until the end of May, according to our pastor and friend Fr. Nadim of St. Sharbel Maronite Catholic Church of Las Vegas, who was kind enough to give us Holy Communion on Saturdays or Sundays, albeit surreptitiously on the road, and outside the hidden church gates and parking lot; otherwise he, or we could get warned, or fined by the police if they see us violating Sisolaks's orders?)

                On top of that, we still have to stream the Sunday Mass online, or watch it on EWTN by matching its Eastern Standard Time live broadcast, and learn some form of catechesis by listening to the Celebrant's readings from the Sacred Scriptures and his Homily, in order to have a semblance of the unabridged or complete Mass, which consists of the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist.

               And yet, no matter how devoted you are in taking risk and time into receiving Jesus Christ as Your Lord and Savior in the Holy Eucharist, by eschewing lockdown and venturing outside your home, instead of mere spiritual communion in the comforts of your family room in front of the TV or computer screen, there was still that feeling of something missing, by the end of that effort.

              Anyway, I find the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Sacred Eucharist, and not just simply bread or wine representing His Body & Blood during the Last Supper, like the Protestant Christians believe, or consider the Holy Eucharist as one of the two pillars (the other is the Mother of God, or Blessed Virgin Mary,) that kept the foundation of the Catholic Church withstand the attacks of Satan since he fell from God's grace.  However,  the reception of Jesus Christ after every Holy Communion without the Sacrament of Confession or Reconciliation, and streaming the Sunday Sacred Liturgy online later, was rather inconceivable, incongruous, impersonal, and incomplete for me.

​               Maybe the all too familiar stress that came with this pandemic among the most vulnerable seniors like me, when I saw them stricken and dying like flies online or on TV (especially those in nursing homes, or 1/2 of the total 25,000+ deaths in New York City alone, who were thrown into communal ditches in upstate New York because family members had no recourse to give them proper burial due to social distancing, or in order to avoid getting sick themselves,) has come to haunt me.

               No wonder our son Osbert reminded us to refrain from watching too much news about the coronavirus in order to avoid getting stressed and depressed, particularly those who committed suicide, including doctors, nurses, and first responders by the way, who succumbed to the pressures of their jobs by getting depressed or infected themselves, while being in the forefront of this war against this global infection and disease.

                While I truly believe that these medical staff members are the true heroes of our times, who deserve not just recognition and applause, but additional remunerations for  testing, or taking care of us and our loved ones during this pandemic, they, more than anybody else, deserve a chance to go to Churches or Houses of Worship of their own choosing, because according to a study done on them, 67% of women and 33% of men were able to overcome depression, drugs and alcohol, or even thinking of committing suicide while doing their very stressful jobs, if they regularly attend Church Service, at least once a week.     

               But why are Churches or Houses of Worship on lockdown anyway?  Aren't our eternal or spiritual needs  just as essential, if not more so than Cosco, Walmart or other supermarkets, pharmacies, liquor stores, marijuana dispensaries,  and abortion clinics?  As a human person, don't I have indefeasible rights that cannot be defeated or trampled upon with regard to my eternal need for God in my life in order to survive death, not just the temporal needs of my body as an individual in the hospital or this earthly life, which is temporary, finite, and inevitably mutable anyway, but also to prepare for my resurrection and ascension in the Lord, when the time comes?

               Or, have we become too jaded and doubtful of what's happening in our Church today, which was exacerbated by this pandemic, that we lost the Credo of our Faith that says: I believe in the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting?

(TO BE CONTINUED...)