我不要成為死亡人數中的一個 I Refused to be Counted Among the Dead

Fr John Kyebasuuta

Fr. John Kyebasuuta 是洛杉磯蒙特利公園市聖湯瑪斯天主堂的本堂神父。他在東非的烏干達出 生和成長，但現在把生活所在地美國稱為「我的家鄉」。

Author: Fr. John Kyebasuuta is the pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church in Monterey Park. He was born in Uganda, East Africa, but now calls the United States his home.

 

王海瀛 翻譯

2020年十二月四日，我買好了回家的飛機票，從美國的洛杉磯到烏干達的恩特比 (Entebbe)。想到一月三日上飛機，第二天就可以看到家人，我非常興奮。按照當時的旅 遊規定，在飛機起飛前24小時內，我做了新冠肺炎的測驗。接著，在飛機起飛前的那個 傍晚，我的電話響了，是通知我檢驗結果 - 陽性，所以我不能搭飛機。就在那天晚上，我 開始感覺到了新冠肺炎的症狀，最先是發燒，然後頭痛、接著全身痛。兩天之內，新冠肺 炎的症狀全部出籠了。

幾天之後，我失去了味覺，然後嗅覺也失去作用了，最後，我對吃東⻄失去胃口，沒有進

食。因此我變得衰弱無力，身體從內部開始發冷。有教友帶給我食物、飲料、及藥，但我

完全沒有吃的慾望。他們每天來看望我，並鼓勵我。我在新聞中看到染病人數不斷增加，

心想我也成為全球統計數字的一部分了。眼看死亡人數每天上升，但我絕對不想變成那死

亡人數中的一個。我仍然懷著正面思考，一切都會好起來的。雖然全身沒有力氣，我還是

繼續奮鬥，兩星期後，才開始感覺好一點了，但病去如抽絲，恢復得很慢，身體仍然非常

虛弱。

當我在美國看新聞時，也同時注意烏干達的疫情。其實我還沒有告訴我在烏干達的家人，

自己已經感染了病毒，因為那時美國的病患及死亡人數在全球名列前茅。如果我的家人知

道我感染了新冠肺炎，一定會非常地擔心。

我發現一個有趣的現象。雖然我們都收到因應新冠肺炎的指導方針，但它其實是因地而 異。例如，在美國，在聖湯瑪斯堂，教堂和學校很快地就改變溝通方式，轉用Zoom與大 家聯絡。學生都留在家中，老師改為用zoom教學，連家庭作業都可以在網上完成，如果 有必要，學生也可以用電子郵件與老師聯絡，學校的運作並沒有受到疫情阻礙。學業學習 不但沒有停頓，反而因此找到了一種新的教育方式。在信仰方面，彌撒藉著zoom完成， 教友和教友之間、以及和堂區之間都繼續保持聯絡，連讀經班都繼續進行。所以教堂提供 的聖事生活，雖然步調變慢了一些，卻沒有完全停止。

在地球另一邊的烏干達，人⺠所經歷到的新冠肺炎疫情和在美國完全不同。當我的新冠肺 炎症狀消失了後，一星期內做了兩次測驗，結果都是陰性。於是我便重新定飛機票，在二 月初回烏干達的家。乘坐這趟飛機很辛苦，因我必須在長達22小時的飛行時間中，全程 戴著口罩。到了烏干達以後，無論我去哪裡，即使是和家人朋友見面，也要戴著口罩。我的家鄉是在維多利亞湖中的布武瑪(Buvuma)島上，那裏沒有電力供應，也沒有互聯網可 用。當時因為疫情，教堂和學校都關閉了，以致人們生活中，與教育和信仰有關的部分都 停頓了。人們在家中自己祈禱;學生都自由了，既沒有老師、也沒有家庭作業!許多人在 家中的庭院裡工作，那些家中沒有院子的人就無事可做，變得無聊，於是有些人就惹了麻 煩。他們不把新冠肺炎的預防工作當回事，不戴口罩，於是新冠肺炎的病毒在人群中快速 傳播，使很多人感染，病況嚴重，甚至死亡。我在當地就有兩個朋友因新冠肺炎而病亡。 布武瑪島上到處都可見到像這樣的混亂又悲傷的情況。

當我再次回到美國時，發現經過疫情中所需的調整後，人們在這裡繼續生活，有些地方甚 至慢慢地回到疫情前的狀況。對聖湯瑪斯堂而言，雖然有些教友家庭害怕病毒，沒有回 來，但大部分教友都已經回到堂中，我們只需稍加留心，不要增加病毒傳染機會即可。我 們也讓那些對參加大眾活動不太放心的老人家，可以繼續藉由 zoom 參與彌撒。

在烏干達，人們雖已完全回到疫情之前的生活方式，但疫情的痕跡卻是歷歷可見。在布武

瑪島上的學生失去了兩年的學校教育時間，很多人因此退學。許多老師放棄了他們的教職

而開始了自己的小生意;有很多十多歲年輕人懷孕，可悲的是許多新生兒的父母自己都還

是孩子，這也造成了一些新的問題，大家都還不知該如何解決呢。那裡的教堂已重開了。

但因為疫情期間，教堂和教友之間沒有聯絡，許多教友已斷了聯繫，不再回來。何況當人

們在疫情中最需要幫忙時，沒有教堂，疫情過後，他們還會需要教堂嗎?

經歷了這些困難後，在布武瑪島上我還是發現了一件讓我感動的事:人與人間的關心並沒 有消失。瑪竇福音二五:31-45中「凡你們對我這些最小兄弟中的一個所做的，就是對我 做的。」島上的居⺠仍然關心鄰近的老人、病人、年輕人、窮人。他們也接受了那些已經 當了父母的孩子們，給他們食物，幫助他們照顧新生兒。換一個角度來看，人們的信仰， 從以前的「到教堂參與主日彌撒」改變成現時的「在家愛鄰居了」。疫情前這種人對人的 關心不是很明顯，現在，人們把關心變成行動，福音中的教導卻是顯而易見了。

天主讓我在經歷了可怕的病毒感染後還有再生機會，我覺得非常幸運。我相信自己能度過

難關，是靠著信仰以及教友和朋友的支持。他們每天的鼓勵讓我覺得明天會更好，他們的

關心使我能保持正面思考，也給了我力量度過一天又一天。他們既給了我身體所需，也給

了我靈魂的食糧。我要感謝他們，回應了天主的召叫，願意當天主的工具，當我生病時、

饑餓時、衰弱時、獨自一人時，他們在我身旁。他們不僅是聽從了福音的教導，也藉著愛

心和憐憫心，活出了基督福音。

(以下為英文原文)

It was the 4 th of December 2020 when I bought my airline ticket to go home to Uganda. I was very excited to see my family and my flight was set for January 3 rd  2021. I took the then required Covid test 24 hours before the flight. Then, a phone call the evening before my fright telling me that I was Covid 19 positive prevented me to travel. That very night the symptoms came to life and I started feeling the fever. Headache and body aches followed. Within two days I was totally in the middle of Covid symptoms.

A few days later, I lost my sense of taste, then my sense of smell also disappeared. Consequently, I lost my appetite and could not eat. Due to lack of food, I became weaker and my body got cold from within. Parishioners brought me food, medicine, and drinks but my desire to eat was basically down to zero. They checked on me on a daily basis to give me encouragement. I watched the news and the numbers of those infected

was rising, so I became part of the global statistics. The number of the dead also rose. But I refused to be counted among the dead. I had positive thinking that all would be fine. I soldiered on and slowly started feeling better after two weeks of really feeling weak.

As I was watching the news here in the United States, I was also keeping an eye on the phone from Uganda. I have to confess that I never told my family in Uganda that I was suffering from Covid because the news about the United States infections and deaths was overwhelming. If my family knew I was infected they would be very worried. What I found interesting was that the Covid 19 guidelines were in place but their application depended on where you were located in the world. For example, here in the United States, the St. Thomas Aquinas church and school quickly turned to Zoom communication. Students went home and their teachers taught them via zoom. Homework was accessible on line and when possible, the students could send electronic communications to their teachers and education continued with little disruption. The academic life did not die out, it took on new meaning. On the faith side, Masses were offered via Zoom. Parishioners were in touch with their priests and with each other. Even bible studies continued. In a way, the sacramental life of the church slowed down but did not totally go away.

On the other side of the world, Uganda experienced the pandemic very differently. After my Covid symptoms disappeared and I tested negative twice in one week, I rebooked my flight and was able to fly home to Uganda at the beginning of February 2021. The flight was difficult because I had to keep my mask on for 22 hours. Once I arrived in Uganda, I had to keep the mask on everywhere I went, even among my friends and family. I discovered that the Covid situation was handled differently there.

In the Buvuma Island community, where to this day there is no electricity and no internet, churches and schools closed, and those aspects of life came to a standstill. People prayed at home. Students just turned into free spirits with no homework and no teachers. Many turned to work in home gardens. Those without gardens became bored. A few got into trouble.

There was no wearing of masks, and the preventative measures such as wearing masks were not taken seriously. The virus took a big toll on the community and some lost their lives or got seriously sick. Two of my local friends died of Covid. It was chaos and sadness everywhere on the Island.

Upon my return to US, it seemed to me, here, life continued and adjustments were made accordingly. Now that things are starting to return to the pre-pandemic era, St. Thomas Aquinas community has returned to in person gathering and life continues with caution. Not everyone has returned to church. Some families are still afraid. Some of the elderlies are still not feeling comfortable enough to return to social gatherings. Masses are still offered with a zoom option.

In Uganda, even though life has gone back to 100 percent pre-pandemic, there are visible social scars that seem to stay for a long time. Students on Buvuma Island totally lost two years of education and a good number dropped out of school. Many teachers abandoned their teaching profession and started their own small businesses. There is a very high percentage of teen pregnancy. Sadly, in many cases both the mother and father of the new children are children themselves. This has created a set of new problems whose solution even the culture does not know yet.

 

The Churches there have reopened, but because there was no church connection during the pandemic, many people got used to staying away from public areas like churches, have not returned to church. Many who lost the church connection now question the need for church attendance.

But despite this reality, there is one interesting fact in the Buvuma island community. The sense of caring for others has not gone away. The gospel passage that has not died out is Matthew 25: 31 to 45, "Whatever you did for each other you did it for me". The island community continues to care for the elderly, the sick, the young and the poor. Even the reality of children raising children has been accepted and the community is reaching out to assist these young parents with food and childcare. In a way the faith aspect has shifted a bit from Sunday Mass attendance to the love of the neighbor at home. The gospel message is more visible in the way people are living out their lives, with a sense of care that was not very clearly defined before the pandemic.

I feel fortunate that God gave me another chance in life after experiencing this awful virus. I believe that my ability to survive depended on my faith and the support of my parishioners and friends. It was their daily encouragement that made me feel that tomorrow would be a better day. It was their care that influenced my positive thinking and gave me the will to live another day. They gave me food for the body and soul. To them I give thanks for responding to God’s calling and becoming God’s instrument, and when I was sick, hungry, weak, alone, they were there.

They did not just hear the gospel message; they brought it to life by their love and compassion.