EVERYTHING IS GRACE

Pandemic Development

Mr. Kong once again bulls eyed all what are being seen in the life amidst the
pandemic. This pandemic development are acceleration of innovation, resistance
around change weakens, leaders learned and showed empathy and generosity, the
pandemic has ushered in healthier habits, and lastly there is a higher appreciation of the
simple things in life. Mr. Kong comprehensively highlights all fundamentals to human
survival which means from the concept of physical, emotional, spiritual and even
intellectual. Physical in the sense of looking for ways to reshape bodies or the
motivation to choose healthy exercise and habits to physically fit in the pandemic in
which the essential factor to be prioritize! When it comes to emotional, Mr. Kong wanted
to change our direction to the path of resiliency. The effect of pandemic damages our
morals and weaken our psychological stability. Many people committed suicide because
of the effect of pandemic and that many webinars about our mental health is being
secondary to the physical sense. When it comes to spiritual, at the end of his article he
mentioned the goodness of God in spite the pandemic and continue to bless us.
Furthermore, the higher appreciation of the simple things in life which Mr. Kong
discussed about is also a higher consciousness of God who is the healer and Greatest
of all that we are nothing and the faith which we hold now suffice our courage to face
the pandemic. Intellectually however in relation to the article is the concept of the mind
in which the change which is only constant propel the basic survival and to critically
adept and adapt to what is risking us. The leaders of course must geared their
intellectual capacity to encourage people to do the same. This falls unto us and not only
the government.

Kenosis – emptying of oneself

In my personal note, the pandemic challenge my inner and outer life deeply. The
body, mind and spirit all in one were totally in constant weary and conflict. I thought I am
going to lose my job at Liceo. I am in constantly checking my ailing father. My spirituality
becomes weaker in weaker. The news distresses me especially my mom abroad. With
this wave of tribulations and seemingly mortifications, my only way, truth and life is God.
The deeper my worries, the deeper I need God. Although not to rank up this body-spirit-
mind-soul but what swirls me is my spiritual life. Yes I am the sole campus minister at
Liceo but in the lockdown I am nothing. The lack-ness and emptiness twirling my being
to the hands of God, the constant on this twirling is the love of God. So I started to go
back in my desert place (what I mean is my inner prayer life). I created my own chapel
on the other room and this is where I nurse my wound in prayer. I remember my
professor in theology on spirituality he said that, "it is only in kenosis (emptying oneself),
we can be filled." and true enough, in the desert, the only companions are the heat of
the sun, the dryness of the sand and the faith to the Lord of desert, God.

Unrestricted drive to hope, believe (faith) and love

If I may add to Mr. Kong's pandemic development one will be, the unrestrictive
drive to hope, believe (faith), and love God. For those who don't believe in God still the
same, perhaps God for them is their family, job, or others. However, Mr. Kong highlights
development, for me on the spiritual side, it is a reawakening, or an infused grace. We
human beings has this innate drive to believe. According to Fowler the developmental
stage of faith begins in the infant in the presence of their parents and Aristotle would
concurred that faith as part of the soul. It is our nature to assent our soul it is our nature
to respond to the faith as well. In this pandemic, everything is grace simple because it
assent our human condition into the original call of our being which is the embodied
spirit, therefore it is a grace of elevation where our soul elevates to God's presence.

Darryl Louie P. Labial