Aien Aier
HIV / AIDS has become vast and a complex phenomenon in the world today. The society of our time has fragmented and has affected the system of our time and society from its normal functioning. It destabilizes society because it brings fear, blame and stigma into families, neighborhoods, workplace, places of worship etc. We know that with AIDS, avoidance, denial, scapegoat and moralizing kill just effectively as the disease itself. The story of AIDS is telling us about social, ethical, legal, economic, psychological and spiritual as well. Needless to say that HIV exploited Churches weaknesses.
Given the extreme urgency of the situation and the pandemic, what is needed is a rethinking of our mission and the transformation of our structure and ways of working. AIDS reminds us that we are all mortal creatures living limited lives in an imperfect world. Many opportunities exist to witness to God’s love in the AIDS epidemic. It is an opportunity to serve all of God’s people without distinction and also an opportunity to bring healing in the midst brokenness. Christians historically and in the present are called to be the proclaimer of life in the face of the awesomeness of death and seek to offer healing, comfort and life itself in a broken world. Henceforth, the challenge to the Church is felt at a deeper level. As the pandemic has unfolded, it has fault lines that reach to the heart of our theology, to out ethics and our practices of ministry. It has been difficult for the Churches to initiate to those infected or affected by HIV/AIDS due to gross ignorance about the virus, regarding as a punishment, a lack of specific understanding of sexuality or simply not knowing how to undertake such a ministry. It is a known fact that it is not only the infected who suffers, but similarly the whole family and the dear ones who are undergoing the same turmoil. So, every care, concern and support is needed even for them.
Some of the Churches and NGO’s have done much and is making an effort to provide many people with HIV/AIDS and their families with valuable information, care and material support. Perhaps even more importantly, it has helped people with HIV regain their self respect through planning socially useful lives within their families and communities. But despite the effort there are still many who do not fully accept people with HIV. Yet we also cannot deny the fact that the Churches have failed in many ways to witness God’s unconditional love in the moment of need. For so long, the Church has been too isolated from the suffering masses. AIDS bring home new lessons about the role of the Church in bringing back the healing touch of Christ to these souls. A Church truly alive to its calling as the salt of the earth cannot ignore this important part; it has to play on the prevention and arrest of this disease. As Churches they should fully take up the responsibility to overcome stigma and discrimination and condemning acts that stigmatize. Our tendencies to exclude others, our interpretation of the Scripture and our theology of sin have all combined to promote stigmatization, exclusion and suffering of people with HIV/AIDS. This has undermined the effectiveness of care, education and preventive efforts and inflicts additional suffering to those already affected by HIV.
In the plague of AIDS, we as followers of Jesus Christ are to reflect on His Godly compassion for sufferers, as true Christians have done in every kind of suffering and woe. Church historians teaches that one of the ways the early Church expanded so very rapidly in the Roman Empire in the third century of this era was by the observable compassion of the Christ. For example the believers in Rome in the early years of the church organized squads to pick up unwanted babies who were abandoned each night under the bridges of the Tiber, to be eaten by dogs. They brought up babies in their homes. Now the time has come for us also to have that kind of costly compassion towards victims of the AIDS epidemic. If the Church will rise to its responsibilities in this regard and will follow its savior and His early followers, only then tan we make a massive impact for good of our lost society.
The Churches have strength, they have credibility, and they are grounded in communities. This offers them the opportunity to make a real difference in combating HIV/AIDS. Today we all are at a personal and collective threshold. To recognize with realism, the danger ahead is not to yield in despair. For we know in our hearts that we can control AIDS, and we can care for all those who are affected. We should realize that our challenges and our responsibilities are greater than this disease. In order to move ahead against AIDS, we must literally transform our understanding and approach to AIDS.
All human life is sacred and therefore we should reject all forms of prejudices. Instead the epidemic challenges followers of Jesus to express courage and compassion to walk with those who are suffering. People with HIV are also encouraged to continue leading productive lives. They are also reminded of their grave responsibilities not to expose to others to the virus. It is the Church, which is influential and powerful institution, with the potential to bring about change. It is time to speak the truth. It is time to act only out of love. It is time to overcome fatigue and denial. And it is time to live in hope. As Churches we must now take up the responsibility to overcome stigma and discrimination within our own structure while being a voice of moral strength demanding that our communities and wider society respect the rights and dignity of people living with HIV / AIDS and condemn act that stigmatize.
Every individual should have a message of hope and life to the world, our message of our confidence despite the danger. This may be the most precious contribution we make-a vision of health, solidarity, rights and peace. Let it become a vision strong enough, wise enough and human enough to protect and ensure our future.
