I COULDNT SHAKE CO WORSHIPERS AT THE HOLY TRINITY CATHOLIC CATHEDRAL,INDEPENDENCE LAYOUT ENUGU TODAY BECAUSE OF EBOLA SCARE. I attended the 6 am mass today in Enugu but I didnt shake any body when the reverend father announced that WORSHIPERS should show each other signs of peace by shaking hands. I didnt even look at any body, how much more shaking anyone. A young nan touched my shoulder from behind to draw my attention to shake him, I only clapped my two palms together and gave a sign of greeting. He understood immidietly and smiled back at me In many churches, there is the almost impossible to break tradition of bodily contact. So far, two people have been lost to Ebola, a few others quarantined, with many more still on the watch list. According to findings by Tribune Church, Christians in certain areas in Lagos State are devising various means, from the ambiguous to the downright elusive, of preventing the spread of the virus, especially with activities involving body contact which are a vital part of church activities. The Catholic and Anglican ‘sign of peace’, the Pentecostal ‘hold somebody, tell him that you love him’, the CAC’s ‘let us join hands together in prayer’, etc, are just few of the examples of Christian activities involving body contact. “If you want God to save you, you have to save yourself first” According to Mrs Chinyere Ulunne Chukwudi-Okeh, a Catholic, “they say Ebola is transferred via direct contact. If you want God to save you, you have to save yourself first. I do not shake hands anymore in church. Even in buses, I make sure no part of my skin touches the skin of the other passenger. The only contact I have is that my cloth touches the other person’s cloth. Even at the office, I reduce body contact to the barest minimum. We expose ourselves to a lot of stress and this reduces our immunity. Fruits already peeled, I now avoid. And to think the disease is not limited to any social class. The cycle is endless. Everybody is a suspect.” “Shake hands with people, wash hands later” Deoye Falade, in an interview with Sunday Tribune, observes that although he has very few close people who he has contact with, he is being extra careful now. According to him, “on Tuesday, I attended a fellowship at Daystar church, and people were asked to hold hands during prayer. They did. But the moment they finished, one lady just brought out her hand sanitiser. Thus I’m pretty sure it’s almost the same reaction for other people. For me, I try as much as possible to keep my distance but then, I’ll shake people, then wash my hands immediately.” “People should be enlightened, especially spiritually” On whether churches may need to adjust parts of services to prevent further spread of the disease, Venerable Ebenezer Adewole, an archdeacon of the Anglican Communion, in his reaction, stated that “there are two sides to the issue. People have to be enlightened on preventive measures. We also have to ensure that body contact is reduced as much as possible. But the most important aspect is the spiritual; believing God for a cure.” A Catholic deacon, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, stated that “We have not noticed that people are no longer enacting the sign of peace during mass. The sign of peace is usually done through handshakes and hugs. But irrespective of the fear of the virus, the tradition cannot be broken.”
Posted on: Sun, 10 Aug 2014 07:48:02 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015