New Testament Means of Grace, Christian Orthopraxis1 and the Church’s Response in the Covid-19 Post-Pandemic Era

Abstract

Nature has not left mankind in doubt regarding the relationship between religious beliefs and the facts of diseases and human suffering.  The sacredness of life threatened by the outbreak of the coronavirus has galvanized long-standing debate in the fields of medical  sciences, technology, faith-based theologies, jurisprudence, sociology, anthropology and history. Previous research on the COVID-19 pandemic centred more on the outbreak, development, prevention and treatment of the virus than on the socio-economic, psychological  and spiritual damaging effects of its post-pandemic period. This article investigates the New Testament basis for Christian orthopraxis in consonance with the new means of grace and the role Nigeria‟s Catholic Church should play in addressing socio-economic, health and  spiritual challenges within the COVID-19 post-pandemic era threatened by new and changing patterns. The scope covers the post- pandemic era in Nigeria and the responsibility of the Catholic Church in the care of the sick, deprived, dying, bereaved, and emotionally  unstable victims of the virus. The Bible is the primary source of information while secondary sources include extant published works on  the subject. The research adopted the exegetical, historical and descriptive approaches to analyse data. Investigations revealed that the  COVID-19 pandemic has produced in effect psychosomatic and spiritual tribulations with fatal consequences. However, the Church has  been commissioned to provide the necessities of life as an antidote in post-pandemic Nigeria in line with new means of grace. Major  recommendations summon the Catholic Church to use its orthopraxis to confer on society grace as of Christ to heal the wounds of the  coronavirus pandemic.