By Bishop Stephen Chow Sau Yan, SJ
It was a warm morning in Rome when I reached the venue of the Seminar for the newly appointed bishops organized by the Dicastery for Evangelisation. About 80 newly appointed unmasked bishops from around the world gathered on the evening of September 4 to mark the beginning of the seminar. I had a positive feeling that this would be an eye-opening experience with a promising networking potential. Little did I know that it would be a totally different ‘positive’ experience for me.
All started reasonably well until I felt a bit unwell with my throat on September 8. After testing myself with antigen test kits every other day, I tested myself again and saw the appearance of a light T line in front of my unbelieving eyes. Father Rector asked me to isolate myself in my room right away. And that was the end of my networking efforts. For the missed lectures, I read and reflected on whatever printed materials were available to me during my isolation.
Unlike in Hong Kong, no doctor or anti-viral medication is available if the patient does not have severe symptoms. Meals and plenty of water were brought to me regularly. Wow, I never knew I could ingest so much water in a day! It was also my first Mid-Autumn Festival being alone with nothing to celebrate except the beautiful moon outside my window at 2.00am! Nevertheless, I felt connected with my family and friends by exchanging photos of the gorgeous moon as well as their cheerful faces. Thank God for the social media available to connect us in our joys and sorrows.
Social media in themselves are neutral. How we use them is a matter of our choice. “The dictatorship of the clicks,” a phrase used by a veteran journalist when we had a chat recently. The “clicks” can include like, dislike, love, anger, etc. Their reports are judged mostly at the mercy of the quantity and types of clicks they receive. Many of us have the habit of clicking right after we have read the titles of the articles, but without actually reading the content. So, ironically, we have unknowingly nurtured sensational journalism’s bad practice in the media industry with our reactive clicks! Next time, when we want to click, think twice and thrice, please.
Like most Covid-19 patients, I was hoping to test negative after a few days. I did not want to miss the inputs of the seminar and conversations with my brother bishops. Listening to their amazing but sometimes heart-wrenching stories made me feel so blessed to be in Hong Kong. It is good to pull back and listen to others so that we do not get stuck in our self-pitying space. My experience tells me that whenever we can count our blessings, we can have the confidence to make improvements.
However, my burning desire to turn negative was soon dashed. Then I had to face the distinct possibility that I would not be able to take my scheduled return flights. What about my commitments in Hong Kong? Some of which have had much preparatory efforts invested in them. Anxiety connected to this was unsettling my interiority. It was not difficult to develop a sense of helplessness and catastrophe in myself. I earnestly prayed for God’s deliverance from the virus. But the idea of “God has a different plan for me” started to surface in my prayers and reflections. By God’s grace, the idea gave me inner freedom and peace, especially after accepting that it would be wise to postpone my return trip.
With the few more days, I can make up the meetings which I have missed in my isolation. God has a different plan for me through these meetings and what I have not anticipated or planned for. This is not easy for many of us who like to have detailed plans and control over our lives. But sometimes, God will remind us who is actually in command. Therefore, what is important to me is my willingness to be open to possibilities and to allow the Spirit to guide me. God of many surprises. And I can see this is already happening.
+ Stephen Chow, SJ
