We are not even a week into the swine flu panic-demic, and nothing but fear has gripped the better part of the world, with the help of political mouthpieces such as the World Health Organization and that egregious extension of the US federal government known as the Department of Health and Human Services (which oversees the FDA and the CDC). Kathleen Sebelius is, in fact, beginning her post to head up the HHS after being confirmed by the Senate. All eyes and ears are on her as she is expected, with the divine aid of the president, to search and destroy the swine flu and to stop the spread of this terrible adversary - even though she predicted today that more deaths would be coming (that kind of sounds like when the government says their spending policies will save the economy, but more job losses are coming).
Up until now, the government has been controlling the swine flu outbreak, of course, with the scientific expertise of Janet Napolitano. She doesn't head up any biological or scientific organization, though, she is the Secretary of Homeland Security - but the people in government are so smart that they can handle any crisis - economic or biological. Mrs. Napolitano can organize the security of the homeland and provide for the health needs of the country. But she doesn't have to now - she has passed that job along to Mrs. Sebelius, who, after her confirmation, was briefed on the whole issue by White House counterterrorism adviser John Brennan (yet another expert in health and science?). Meantime, the world is in a panic and are all turning to the saving power of the US government. What about the scientists? Why are we turning to government officials for aid in a health crisis? (or an economic one, for that matter?)
Scientists in the US, whose voice is muffled by the yelling governments and health organizations of the world sending us into hysteria, are quietly reminding us that every single year 36,000 people die from the regular flu. The swine flu has infected only a fraction of the number of people who get the regular flu every year. Yet, Egypt is slaughtering all their pigs. China is refusing to import US pork. The Vice President is warning us not to take public transportation (is public transportation ever healthy to take?). Mexico decided to cancel the whole day. Flight crews in France refuse to board planes going to Mexico.
But the scientists warn that we need to keep things in perspective (check out the LA Times article http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-sci-swine-reality30-2009apr30,0,3606923.story).
The threat of an influenza virus depends upon its ability to mutate. "This virus doesn't have anywhere near the capacity to kill like the 1918 virus," said Richard Webby, a leading influenza virologist at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn (see article). Other scientists are concurring. What any of us can do at this point should involve doing more to prevent the regular flu, since it killed hundreds of thousands of people around the world last year. And how is that not a pandemic? The regular flu kills hundreds of thousands of people every year and there is no panic, but the swine flew kills 8 and the world erupts?
Putting all the politics aside - let me turn to a spiritual perspective on the whole issue. To me, what this swine flu pandemonium reveals is that humanity's greatest fear is still suffering and death. When will it cease to shock us? You will die. Each of us will die! Many of us will suffer! Is this cause for fear? Is this cause for panic when we are reminded by some sick pigs that "we are dust and unto dust we shall return?" The Church reminds us of this every Ash Wednesday.
Of course, to a world without hope, the fact of suffering and death is too much to bear. And it certainly causes panic, fear, and a vain search for saviors. Unfortunately, the saviors of choice for many these days are governments and statesmen who, for all their talk of separation of church and state, have become spiritual leaders. But they have not the power to save. So who does?
Our Catholic faith puts at the center of the answer to that question the person of Jesus Christ - who saves not just through his teaching and preaching, but as a matter of doctrine - through his suffering and death. Christ's suffering and Christ's death are what brings salvation to the world. He teaches us not to be afraid and certainly not to panic in the face of any foe - biological or otherwise! We all will die - that should not shock us any more. What is shocking, though, is that we will resurrect. A body destroyed by the swine flu, had he hoped in Christ, will resurrect. There is no place for fear and panic. If the flu comes, it comes (do not forget the common sense measures to protect against disease - we are not inviting death - we merely do not fear it). Hope in Christ means that we live our lives in perfect contentment that nothing, not even death, will be able to separate us from the love of Christ (Romans 8:39).
The true disease is not swine flu but man-flu - it is the fear that leads to panic and despair - and even to insanity. Jesus dealt with a man like that once...and ironically he remedied it by sending the man-flu into the swine:
"When [Jesus] got out of the boat, at once a man from the tombs who had an unclean spirit met him. The man had been dwelling among the tombs, and no one could restrain him any longer, even with a chain. In fact, he had frequently been bound with shackles and chains, but the chains had been pulled apart by him and the shackles smashed, and no one was strong enough to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and on the hillsides he was always crying out and bruising himself with stones. Catching sight of Jesus from a distance, he ran up and prostrated himself before him, crying out in a loud voice, "What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me!" (He had been saying to him, "Unclean spirit, come out of the man!") He asked him, "What is your name?" He replied, "Legion is my name. There are many of us." And he pleaded earnestly with him not to drive them away from that territory. Now a large herd of swine was feeding there on the hillside. And they pleaded with him, "Send us into the swine. Let us enter them." And he let them, and the unclean spirits came out and entered the swine. The herd of about two thousand rushed down a steep bank into the sea, where they were drowned. The swineherds ran away and reported the incident in the town and throughout the countryside. And people came out to see what had happened. As they approached Jesus, they caught sight of the man who had been possessed by Legion, sitting there clothed and in his right mind. And they were seized with fear. Those who witnessed the incident explained to them what had happened to the possessed man and to the swine. Then they began to beg him to leave their district. As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed pleaded to remain with him. But he would not permit him but told him instead, "Go home to your family and announce to them all that the Lord in his pity has done for you." Then the man went off and began to proclaim in the Decapolis what Jesus had done for him; and all were amazed."
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