A GIFT FROM MY ETERNAL  FATHER By Michael D'silva Back

A GIFT FROM MY ETERNAL  FATHER

Our parents’ 62nd wedding anniversary was on the 25th of April,2021. As this day was a Sunday and the weekend curfew was on, we decided to celebrate this day with my sister’s family on the 26th of April.

 We had planned a small family dinner and my duty was to pick up all the essentials from the market for the same. So, on 26th (Monday), which was indeed a pleasant day, I woke up early and did all the purchase. Once I was back, I joined my wife and mum who were busy in the kitchen preparing for the evening. Some time during the noon I began feeling feverish and slowly started developing a body ache. I have never visited doctors for such small ailments in the past and so like always I decided to treat myself by taking a paracetamol. But at the back of my mind I was also wondering if these symptoms could be of covid since one of my architect friend was down with the virus and another site engineer’s brother who tested positive at the same time had similar symptoms. I took a paracetamol, but something prompted me to call my doctor friend and inform him about my symptoms. This doctor friend who is otherwise a calm person told me in a stern voice to get myself tested.

I took the PCR test and once I was back I decided to isolate myself till the results came “NEGATIVE”. While I waited for the results in my room, everybody else was busy preparing for the Anniversary Dinner. I was under the impression that the results would take 24 hours to arrive but the test results came by 5.30 PM i.e. within three hours of testing. I was declared “POSITIVE” for Covid 19. I was shattered as I never expected this to happen.

My mind began to run its race. I was thinking of the people I had met in the last few days and about informing them about my results as I was responsible for their safety too. I did not want to contribute in creating a chain of infected persons. Hence, I had to inform them all and request them to isolate themselves. Prayers have the miraculous power of giving you strength in times when you need it the most. I prayed and asked the Lord for strength because I knew I needed my Lord the most now.

The party got cancelled, but it was at the nick of time. If there was a delay of half an hour in getting my test results, my sister’s family would have landed home. My brother-in-law who is immunocompromised would have been at a greater risk. 

During the First Wave of the Pandemic, I was very active. I would go out to the market, buy groceries and help out in the parish. But this time, out of the blue I was struck. I grew anxious because I had my elderly parents living with me in the same house.

I was in total isolation ever since I took the test. Support from all near and dear ones in the form of prayers, calls and messages over flowed. I had a lot of time on my hands. I prayed, I pleaded to God to take care of my family. Despite the medication, my fever was on the rise. By the sixth day my oxygen level had dropped to 90 and I was advised hospitalization. I had no control over anything, but I had surrendered and asked the Lord to take control over the situation. 

In the hospital, I was very comfortable. My body was responding well to the treatment and gradually my fever subsided. On the day I was hospitalized I was informed that my son had fever. The next news that I received was that my mom and wife too tested positive. But as they had taken the first dose of the vaccine, they were doing ok and did not have many symptoms. That left only my dad who is 95 years old. He was unaware of the situation and used to get agitated looking at his wife wearing a mask and gloves. He had stopped taking food. We had to test him too, but it was an impossible task to achieve as he wouldn’t cooperate to take the test. It was indeed God’s grace that I recovered and was discharged within five days. So, once I was back home, I took charge and got my dad tested. The saddest thing to happen was that he too tested positive. 

This was indeed the most challenging phase that we had ever faced as a family. Our faith was put to test. We had a situation where in my dad who is 95 years, very frail was refusing to take any pills or food. His fever was at 102. He stopped communicating and we did not know how to tackle this problem. While stories of deaths and suffering at hospitals continued to flood the media, we knew that we did not want to hospitalize him and let him spend this difficult phase alone within the four walls of the Covid ward, amidst people he didn’t know. What defines the bonding of a family is not just our participation in celebrations together, but also facing difficult moments together. Our only hope was to rely on the Divine Providence and healing touch of Jesus. We as a family had many rounds of discussion, consulted many doctors and decided that we would put him on minimum medication and surrender him to God to work a miracle.

As I had opened the doors of our home to Covid, I mentally had to take the responsibility for all the risk that I had put my family at. I was not able to pray during the initial days of my sickness. I couldn’t read the Word of God. I had a friend who volunteered to send me the recording of all the Bible verses with God’s promises of healing when you surrender to His will. I listened to these words of assurance again and again. This was my only strength during the isolation period.

Claiming the promises of God in the Bible, I took my decisions and decided the course of action for my dad. As he had refused to take any medication, we had no other recourse except relying on God’s mercy. As a family we constantly prayed. We surrendered our dad in the hands of our Almighty Father. I was asking our Heavenly Father to restore my father’s health. God was definitely working wonders for us.

After 15 days of dad testing positive, all of us at home took the test again. The results were notified on Whatsapp. We had to open the reports one by one. I wanted to know only dad’s result. It was a moment of utmost joy to know that all of us were negative and to top it all my dad was NEGATIVE. I was filled with joy like our nation winning the world cup…. In my heart I uttered these words slowly and very meaningfully “PRAISE GOD”. 

Romans 10:13 says “For everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.” The Lord saved us from covid 19.

But what I miss most is good cooked food that was delivered to our doorstep by my sister, neighbours and friends.

Today I can confidently say along with my whole family, we saw a miracle unfolding in front of us .It was the power of prayer that kept us positive through out as we prayed to be declared negative. 

On Father’s Day today, I want to remind everyone that we have a very strong and Almighty Father… Our Eternal Father… Our God. 

Happy Fathers Day

By Michael D'silva | Kottara ward