Earlier this year, Pope Benedict XVI addressed the question of sickness while visiting with the sick in Cameroon. (March 19, 2009). The Holy Father noted that in the presence of illness we often “feel powerless and we cannot find the right words.”
Perhaps that is why so many people are so fearful about the coming H1N1 influenza virus. While most reports seem to indicate that the coming flu is no more virulent than typical seasonal strains, the fact that it will affect children more significantly than adults could cause a widespread panic.
That is why we, as Catholics, must be devoted to a prudent and calm reaction to this latest challenge to our health. We must seek to learn the truth and to share it responsibly with others. Right now, the most important fact seems to be that washing our hands on a regular basis is the most effective way to avoid spreading this new strain of influenza!
While we at the Cathedral will be providing many opportunities for education and the development of responsible and reasonable means to avoid the spread of the H1N1 influenza, right now it is best to develop reliable sources of information.
Few sites are more helpful than the Centers for Disease Control at www.cdc.gov/h1n1/
The U.S. Bishops’ Conference also has a great series of questions and answer at: www.usccb.org/liturgy/swineflu.shtml
Finally, we should join the Holy Father in praying for the doctors, nurses, and researchers who are working so hard to prepare us for the H1N1 influenza. In the Pope’s words, we should pray for “all who, in one way or another, work in the service of the suffering” to whom God will give “a just reward...in heaven.”
