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Sunday, September 3rd
For all who are in pain,
and tempted by the lies of those who lead to death.
For patience, fortitude, and an ample portion of God's grace;
We pray to the Lord:
Sunday, September 10th
For the littlest of children,
and especially those yet unborn:
that our love for them
may shield them from all harm;
We pray to the Lord:
Sunday, September 17th
For the littlest of children,
and especially those yet unborn:
that our love for them
may shield them from all harm;
We pray to the Lord:
Sunday, September 24th
For those who live on death row,
and all who are condemned to die,
that they may repent of their sins
and receive the mercy of God;
We pray to the Lord:
Bulletin Briefs
The executive director of the Hemlock Society was once asked this question: "Why support assisted suicide only for patients with terminal illness?" She answered: "Because they really have no lives anymore." But that judgment demeans the lives of all these patients, not just the few who may already have suicidal feelings. It is a judgment fiercely denied by elderly and terminally ill citizens themselves, who generally oppose assisted suicide more strongly than others do.
We can make the process of dying easier by expertly controlling an individual's pain and other physical symptoms, while fostering open and honest communication with them and their families. This can transform what may have been a frightening and miserable existence into a time of continuing personal growth and of completion.
"Dying," Morrie suddenly said, "is only one thing to be sad over, Mitch. Living unhappily is something else. So many of the people who come to visit me are unhappy... They're more unhappy than me – even in my current condition. I may be dying, but I am surrounded by loving, caring souls. How many people can say that?"
The deepest ethical principle restraining the physician's power is not the autonomy or freedom of the patient; neither is it his own compassion or good intention. Rather, it is the dignity and mysterious power of human life itself.