My Experience of the Lockdown by Fr Francis Andrew

I had three programmes lined up for the parish, one on Catechetics, one on the passion, death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus, the last one is to begin the Alpha programme. We were awaiting the proposed dates anxiously when the priest who was to present the programme arrived. It was the 14^th of March when we were told public gatherings were not permitted. As we could not proceed, we decided to take a drive to visit priests in other states. We arrived in Tanjong Malim to visit Fr. Vincent Paul who was pleased to accommodate us. After two days of exchanging views and news we bade him farewell and drove up to visit Fr. Michael Dass in Tapah at the parish of St. Mary’s. We received a warm welcome. The next day, Fr. Mark Michael, my travelling companion, decided to return to his parish in Sungei Siput. As for myself, I purchased a train ticket to Butterworth. I went to the police station asking for permission to leave but was advised to go to the hospital and obtain an approval letter from a doctor. Due to the number of patients they had to attend to, my request was not successful, and I decided to settle for a week’s break in Tapah.

This did not last long as I longed for my parish. Nothing compares to the freedom and comfort you get from being in your own ‘home’. During my stay, I met several really generous individuals providing us daily meals and believe me, the food was good. Not having to worry about food, I realised that over the duration of the MCO and its extensions, I was being prepared and led into a retreat programme… a silent one.

I would be woken up by nature’s alarm – some of the sweetest melodies of birds of different kinds ‘singing’ throughout the day. To my surprise, I also had visits from hornbills, which I thought were only seen in Sarawak. Interesting creatures began to appear – monitor lizards, squirrels, beautiful butterflies, beetles, ants of different kinds, cats and their litter, monkeys from the nearby jungle, the list is endless.

We shared the same fence with the Tapah General Hospital, the sound of ambulance sirens gave me the chills as this is the most depressing sound during the late nights and early mornings. There was also the blaring of the police car sirens that makes me wonder who was in trouble. On a positive note, all these happenings helped me be more focused in my daily prayer life. It was also during these times I realised how short can one’s life be and how sudden it could end.

We need God’s mercy and it was during these times that I took a serious look at the Divine Mercy Chaplet which I took on as part of my daily prayers at 3.00pm. I am happy I made that decision. The new walk into my daily routine also included social distancing, sanitising, face masks, which really put me off, but I had no choice but to take all these seriously. I could be in handcuffs or in a lockup, but here I find myself with a face lock, (hands locked – no touching), self lock (the inability to move freely) and it feels like imprisonment of a different kind. I realised the plight of my own parishioners and how they are coping. The very many questions that passed through my mind with no answers in sight. As if this was not bad enough, I get news of a parishioner who has passed away due to old age and I was unable to be with the family to offer my sympathies and support. This haunts me as a Shepherd when I am not around to offer solace. I then volunteered to offer my time and comfort to those in need of someone to chat with. It was after this inclusion in my daily itinerary that I realise the plight of people out there – loneliness, desperation, fear, anxiety, anger, sorrow, unforgiveness, lack of love, the list goes on. I then took time to schedule calls to my parishioners to understand their situations. Feeling the need of more of God’s mercy, I appealed to my parishioners to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet. I realised that at the end of our lives if we are in favour of our Lord’s mercy, we will be in good hands. I am blessed as I was able to keep calm amidst the storm. I realised the need of God in my life to hang on to.

Six weeks later, I managed to obtain police permission to travel to Butterworth where I had the opportunity to witness and experience the hospitality of Fr. Dominic and his team in action as they reached out to those needing assistance. After four days in Butterworth, I was able to travel to Kelantan. All flights from Penang to Kelantan had been cancelled but I managed to borrow a car from the diocese office. After a six-hour drive through six police check points, I reached my parish. Upon reaching home, it was a delight to know that both my dwellings and the Church had been spotlessly cleaned. I was grateful to my parishioners for that act of kindness. Needless to say, this experience of the lockdown and being away from the parish helped me in a big way to connect to the thousands of travellers who have been stranded from their homes, the migrants and immigrants staying in clusters, small dwellings, flats amongst other precarious dwellings, those who have lost family members and friends in this pandemic, those with family members still struggling in the hospitals, those who have lost their homes or cars due to financial constraints, those who are not sure of where their next meal is coming from.

All these remind me of the sermon on the mount where Jesus had preached,

“When hungry … did I give them food?”

“When thirsty … did I give them drink?”

“When naked … did I clothe them?”

“When sad … did I bring them joy?”

The long journey back to Kota Bharu continues in prayer, solicitude, and efforts to reach out to the sick, poor and the needy. To all those who are helping and reaching out in one way or another the medical, civil, municipal workers, police personnel, the teachers and the parents, priests and religious, may God bless you all as you experience Christ in your lives.

Rev Fr Francis Andrew is the Parish Priest of the Church of our Lady of Fatima of the Holy Rosary, Kota Bharu, Kelantan.

Tags: COVID-19