WHAT began abruptly in March of last year, and was hoped would last a month has now entered its 54th week. A movement control order (MCO) aimed at curbing the spread of the deadly Covid-19 in Malaysia, various iterations – conditional, recovery, enhanced – have altered the way we go about our daily lives.
Face masks which were initially recommended, are now mandated by law. Going to the shop is no longer as simple as strolling in and out as standard operating procedures dictate we add steps to our routines.
Ranging from the taking of temperature to taking out your phone only after you’ve reached the QR code when there are 10 people in the queue behind you, we observe these added steps with the hope of protecting ourselves and others from the virus.
Even though some see these added steps as major inconveniences and many disagree with the implementation and enforcement, most acknowledge that the SOPs are necessary to alleviate the virus’ burden on Malaysia’s healthcare system.
This sense of collective responsibility, where many disparate peoples take steps to alter their behaviour for the “common good” is best exemplified by the hashtag #KitaJagaKita, which went viral on social media at the start of the MCO.
Malay for “we care for each other”, #KitaJagaKita, seemed – albeit for a little while – to embody a shared experience that transcended politics, race, religion, and class: we’re all at risk, we’re all afraid, and we must all take drastic action to fight the virus. Although one may argue that the double standards exhibited by political figures and enforcement agencies seem to throw these ideals out the window, that is a topic for another day.
In a time of desperation and uncertainty, #KitaJagaKita and its concomitant narratives provided Malaysian society with an avenue to express empathy, concern, and most importantly compassion, something which is all the more apt in the period known to Christians as Holy Week.
Chronicling the final days of Jesus’ earthly life and culminating in His resurrection on Easter Sunday, Holy Week is marked by Christians across the globe with prayer, meditation, and service. It is considered by many to be the most important period in the church calendar – even more important than Christmas.
Good Friday, the most solemn day of Holy Week, commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and is considered to be the purest manifestation of God’s compassion for humanity.
“They seized Jesus and arrested him, draped a scarlet robe on his body, twisted a crown of thorns around his head and mocked him “Hail, king of the Jews!”. They spit on him and struck him on the head - then forced him to carry the cross upon which he would die.
They led him to Golgotha - the Place of the Skull - and crucified him.”
- Excerpts from the Gospel of Matthew
Where, if any, is there ‘Good’ in the torture, humiliation, and execution of an innocent man?
The ‘Good’ is in the sacrifice He made for humanity.
Attributed to Adam and Eve’s defiance of God in the Garden of Eden, Christian doctrine believes that we are all born with the burden of original sin. A flawed spiritual condition that separates us from a perfect, all-powerful, and omniscient God, the only way to atone for these sins, according to Romans 6:23, is death.
Thus, as a sign of His compassion, and to prevent humanity from being condemned to eternal suffering, God sent his only begotten son to die for us.
Although the pandemic and the SOPs aimed at curbing it have prevented many from partaking in the indescribable solemnity experienced in a live service, it serves as an opportunity for us to emulate God and reify his compassion. It requires us to sacrifice something of utmost importance: the ritual of church.
Just as we see the world suffering, with 129 million cases of Covid-19 worldwide and over 3 million dead, we too must sacrifice our spiritual desires for the physical needs of others.
That part of our soul includes the ritual of church. Communion, community, the Cross. We keep away from it for now, so that more of us can come to it tomorrow. – The Vibes, April 4, 2021
