My Medical Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
As medical professionals, we all find ourselves directly caught in the Corona virus pandemic. All of us are involved in one way or another in the care of these patients and the management of this disease. We are all experiencing stressful days and sleepless nights. We may even find ourselves asking “What is this all about?” And “Where is God in all of this?”
Below are the reflections of Stanley Czarnecki, MD. Stan is doubly boarded in Internal Medicine and Emergency Medicine and was a St. Luke’s Award recipient in 2019 in the Diocese of Camden, New Jersey for embodying the highest Catholic Ideals in his practice of medicine. He currently works in an Urgent Care in our community. In addition to confronting the COVID-19 virus in the office, he is also currently involved in the treatment of his wife, Leonor, who is hospitalized with the virus, and his 24-year old son, Jonathan, who has recently returned home from the hospital. Below are his deepest reflections in the heat of this personal crisis. All who have read his reflections are moved by the impact of his words. I invite you to share them as well.
Gerry.
Gerald V. Burke, MD., Esq.
President, South Jersey Catholic Medical Guild of the Diocese of Camden
SPIRITUAL WAREFARE AGAINST A VIRUS
Reflections of Dr. Stan Czarnecki
I sit at home much of my household afflicted with coronavirus with much time on my hands. My usual daily life currently held in suspended animation. My son is quarantined but is returned home from the hospital and I thank God for his mercy as he is feeling well. My wife is currently similarly afflicted with pneumonia. Grateful to God as well that she is not in very much distress except when she has fever. Yet I suspect that we have not yet seen the worst of her illness. The storm clouds clearly visible on today’s horizon are towering and menacing. It is all a mere matter of which direction they choose to travel in. Myself, I await the result of my own test having had it done at the drive through test center yesterday, gratefully I am asymptomatic.
Initially my 24-year-old son had a cough. It did not seem like a big deal, he gets this cough every year with allergy season. Allergy season began early this year. Then he began to ask questions, questions that indicated that he thought there was something different about this cough, questions which drew my interest intently.
Things still remained unclear. Then his temperature began to rise, but he did not yet have a fever. Next day 100 degrees was reached, the magic number for this illness, and with that he became short of breath for the first time. The fever was intermittent and never all that high. The difficulty breathing was relentless, progressive and eventually, after 3 days, severe. It was time to go.
At the hospital I found myself persona non grata, politely dismissed at the front door like a guest unable to afford the accommodations. Seated in my car I should have just turned on the radio or made a call. Instead I remained alone with my thoughts. I prayed and my thoughts wandered. I returned to prayer and then again reverted to my thoughts.
This cycle established and persisted for a while. Then in my thoughts, I was led to question why and to Who it is that I pray. After all, was in not He who led me into my current predicament? My son was removed from me, unable to share with me or the rest of the family. It is quite possible that the last time I had seen his face will be the memory of him placing the surgical mask about his mouth and nose as he entered the building behind me!
Here I had reverted to my young self. My simple understanding led me to believe that all actions which I cannot control are the work of God. Not all events in my life have been positive and when I was young it was very easy for me to get angry at God.
It was through nothing other than experience that I began to realize that all of those difficult situations eventually were demonstrated to have a suitable exit or silver lining. As I aged I began to realize that my anger was misplaced. I began to build a relationship there, a relationship with God. Along the way I also determined not to be angry, first at God, later at any circumstance. I have had better success with the former until that night.
My son was released for the hospital with a diagnosis of pneumonia. They explained that he was not ill enough to benefit from a stay as inpatient. The next day, as he declined further, the lab report indicated that he was testing positive for corona virus. Time would prove that his decline was not yet over. Eventually, that very next night, he would meet criteria, and be admitted.
As all of this was evolving so too were my thoughts. For some reason I felt it was important to identify the perpetrator of this assault against my family and all of mankind. I remained true to my commitment that God was not the answer to that question and not the focus of my anger. This commitment was bolstered by the realization of His perfection. While it is impossible for me to understand His perfection, it was all too easy for me to understand this pandemic did not originate, in any way, from He WHO IS perfect!
Looking around me I could see the fallout everywhere. Unprecedented events; Synagogues closed at Passover; Churches closed at Easter. People were appearing in public for the first time not in makeup but instead in masks. Humans were panicked into avoiding contact with other humans. The dying were being left alone, isolated from the kindness and compassion of other humans, especially their loved ones, and the comfort of their humanity in their words and touch.
Who could have perpetrated this evil? God would never separate Himself from His people, ever! With that question answered, the image of the actual perpetrator stood out clearly, lurking everywhere in the shadows of this chaos which he had inflicted, laughing, aloud. It is the devil himself. It is his fingerprints which are all over this mess! Undeniably!
I thought again about my family. Again I boiled over in anger toward the spearhead of this assault which had been aimed squarely at them, and at myself, and I determined to FIGHT BACK!
But how?
The devil is a powerful spirit! He has the ability to take from this planet, and, indeed, he seems to be taking in record numbers. He even has the ability not just to take but to win! Just as it seems he is both taking and winning in large numbers as well right now. To be fearful in his presence does seem natural, but may not be wise. What is there, I wondered, that I could do to act on my fury and protect my family?
The first key in becoming victorious is to realize what the prize which one is fighting for actually is… the answer to this question is all of us, our souls, as individuals, and in alarming numbers.
Having established this, one has to examine what weapons one has with which to fight. Among our natural gifts with which we have been blessed, there are intellect and free will. The same gifts given to Lucifer with which he attacks us now.
With regard to our adversary there is no shortage of intelligence. This is no more evident than in his ability to promote this viral infection.
Throughout history he has disguised his own presence while remaining directly in our midst. Partly this is accomplished through the spiritual nature of his being. Present to our astute physical senses only when he desires, he chooses to remain predominantly undetectable to these senses most of the time.
He denies our intellect the desire to explore the possibility of his existence with an extremely clever trick. He plants doubts in our minds as to the reality of his adversary, God. Lucifer knows with certainty, that it is supremely logical for us to reason, that if God himself does not exist, then the possibility of a devil becomes an ABSOULTE absurdity. All of this done with intellectual smoke and mirrors and all of this is a marker of a higher intellectual being! Consider the turn away from the Church which society has recently experienced as a result.
This battle is a test of wills, Lucifer’s against our own, free wills… faith. The devil is trying to convince us of God’s neglect, even of His abuse, and tempting us all to do what I had begun to do so readily, get angry at God. Thereby, the demon expects us to turn away from God and toward despair and anger, leaving us with nothing. The one who is the real perpetrator has the audacity to try to use what is his folly to change our will away from what is truly our only salvation in this as in all crisis in our life, God.
There is no real reason for fear. The devil is useless without one important assistant, us. He has need for our intellect to be blinded, blinded as to what is the truth. He also must have the participation of our free will, and he counts on us all to fall into his trap and to turn our backs on God in the very moment when he need Him most!
I asked myself “What could I do? How could I stand against a fallen angel? Me? Who am I? What can I do against him? How can I fight?”
The answer followed quickly. I can expose the devil! I can enlighten as many people as I come into contact with the knowledge of this masquerade!
I began with my family. I pointed out, as if they did not know, that we were in quite the fix right now, and that the outcome for any of us is quite uncertain as well! I explained the situation. As I explained the reasoning behind my conclusion, that the devil was the perpetrator of this most amazing deception, I received attention! They followed along and they listened!
I went on and explained that the devil might even succeed in taking one or more of us from this world. Unquestionably, he has the power to do so. I went further and noted that this would be a tremendous loss to us as a family if that should happen. I also explained that even at that dark moment we would not have lost. The ultimate loss could only occur in the event the person who had passed, or any of those left behind, became angry at God and then turned their back on Him! The loss of their soul would be the ultimate tragedy.
No, now more than ever it is time to turn toward God! It is time to learn to trust in His plan, even as it grossly disturbs our own plans. It is His help which is most needed at this time. It is His love toward which we must turn. It is the time to ally with each other and to become faithful!
So good luck, stay well, and most of all KEEP THE FAITH!
Stan Czarnecki, MD.
