同路人語603- 天災、人禍、懲罰？Natural disaster, human destruction or punishment?

這些日子，不少人心中都帶著極大的不安。引起武漢肺炎的冠狀病毒擴散全球，已是不爭的事實。不管你在疫區中國，還是在與它緊緊相連不能分割的香港，又或是隔著太平洋的澳洲，甚至全球先進國家任何一個角落（非洲及南美洲到執筆時還沒有確診個案），你都會感到這無形的病毒好像就在身旁，一個不小心，我們受到感染的話，就無藥可治。

                武漢來的朋友，大概沒有多少人願意接待。從中國回來的任何人，都不再是安全的。新州政府要求從中國回來的學生及教師等，自我隔離14天，才能回校上課。武漢封城，湖北封省，恐怕中國封國之日也不遠。回中國的留學生或本地居民，恐怕都不能輕易離開中國回來。差不多所有農曆新年的慶祝活動，都被取消了。墨爾本博士山街上及痁舖中沒有多少華人，中餐館沒有多少客人，老闆們都說大概可以到鄉郊度假。有人說這是博士山20多年來，首次西人多過華人出沒。華人都決定留在家中，不去與別人接觸。

                家裏要是有人最近回到中國武漢，或是香港，大家都為他們的健康擔心。現資料說病毒的潛伏期由3天到14天，但可以在沒有病徵時傳播，因此不發病並不表示不是帶箘者。要一直要隔離兩週，才知有沒有在中國受到感染。

                在無形的威嚇下，人會變得不正常。藥房內口罩全沒有了（據說是早個多月給華人全買下寄回中國去），要是疫情真的在澳洲爆發，不知道澳洲的醫療系統是否能應付？

                這一切讓我看到人的無助。不管是個人有多少本領，或是否專家學者擁有豐富的學識，又或是長袖善舞可以賺得全世界，又或是極具影響力的達官貴人，在面對這無形的威嚇之下，我們都無法改變甚麼？

                我想起了120年前的另一個庚子年，義和團導致八國聯軍進入中國，明顯是人禍，改變了中國的命運。不知道這一個庚子年，由中國推至全球的疫症，會不會改變全世界的命運。有基督徒說這疫症是中國人犯罪的結果，是神叫中國人認罪悔改。我無法接受這說法。因為聖經說不單是中國人，是全世界的人都犯了罪，而神卻來到世界為人的罪接受懲罰，表明神有豐富的恩典。

                我相信記得神有豐富的恩典，是今天我們最需要的信息。

周偉文 社長

Natural disaster, human destruction or punishment? 

These days people are terribly saddening as the Wuhan Coronavirus spreads over the globe. No matter you are in China, the very near-by Hong Kong, Australia across the Pacific, any developed countries or remote ones (apart from Africa and South America at the time of this writing), you can feel the threat of getting infected without any mean to cure.

People coming from Wuhan certainly are not welcome; and there is no guarantee for anyone coming from China. NSW government has asked students and teachers coming back from their China holiday to quarantine themselves for 14 days before returning to schools. Wuhan closed the city border, so the Hubei province, sooner or later China will be locked down too. Almost all Chinese New Year celebrations were cancelled. Boxhill in Melbourne is exceptionally quiet including all Chinese restaurant, for the first time in 20 years you can find more Westerners there more than Chinese who all want to hide away.

Anyone with relatives going back to Wuhan and Hong Kong these days would worry. The infection can sleep inside the body from 3-14 days before showing up any symptom, meaning anyone coming back from overseas could be a virus carrier until the 14 days quarantine period is over.

People are getting weird subject to this invisible threat. Facial masks are all sold off in our pharmacy (people saying all the stock had been shipped away to China a month back). It is uncertain how the Australia medical system could cope in case of an epidemic.

We are helpless. Nobody can change or take control of this situation, irrespective of you are experts of skill and knowledge, millionaires, officials in high power or whoever.

I remember the other Geng-zi year happened 120 years ago where the Boxers led the Allied Power into China; that human destruction changed the fate of China. I am not sure in this Geng-zi year an epidemic disease originated from China would change the fate of the world. Some Christians say this pandemic is God’s act to punish China for the wrong-doings. I cannot agree with this as the Bible say all humanity, not just Chinese, sin. But it was God’s abundant grace, by coming to earth for the redemption, which saved humanity from our sin.

Raymond Chow, Publisher