MADISON — The […]
Tag: pain
Protect pain-capable unborn children
Our society today seems to be obsessed with controlling pain. Most people experiencing pain of any kind run for the nearest bottle of pain-relieving pills to stop their discomfort.
There are also people who protest the supposed pain felt by animals in scientific research (there is disagreement over how much pain animals actually feel during experiments). And there are those who don’t like farm animals to be raised in environments which cause them pain and distress.
Unborn babies’ pain
But where is the outcry about the pain experienced by unborn babies during an abortion procedure? We don’t hear much about their pain.
Yet, there is growing medical evidence that unborn children do feel pain at 20 weeks or more of gestation. It’s not surprising that a child dismembered in the womb would feel pain.
What is VSED and why should it matter?
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More than 20 years ago, Dr. David Eddy, writing in the Journal of the American Medical Association, described how his mother, though not suffering from a terminal illness, chose to end her life through VSED (voluntarily stopping eating and drinking).
Reflections on the dignity of the human person
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| Morgan Smith |
As I drove home from my friend Andrew’s funeral, I noticed in myself a deep sadness. This sadness was and is a tension that is related to a huge question: Why?
I was so moved. When I stood in line to enter the church, I was looking at all the faces — these faces from my past that I now only see at funerals. A sea of shock, dismay, and disbelief.
Andrew committed suicide recently. This was the furthest thing that anyone would have ever expected him to do, and it feels so strange to type those words.
Retreats help heal pain of abortion
Jessica* was a sophomore in college. Naïve about sex, she thought she was in love.
But when Jessica became pregnant, her boyfriend coerced her into having an abortion. Jessica went along with a “choice” that seemed largely out of her control.
Shelly’s* pregnancy was unplanned and unwelcome. After her abortion, her immediate reaction was relief — she just wanted to move on.
Living the paschal mystery with hope
Easter is the celebration of the resurrection of Christ and is the most important feast of the Church.
At Easter we renew our faith and welcome new members into the Church.
It is the Triduum (Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Easter Vigil) that is the high point of the Church year.
Paschal mystery
Easter is the fulfillment of the paschal mystery — the suffering, death, and rising of Jesus. This mystery is not a one-time historical event. As members of the body of Christ, we live this mystery throughout our lives.
We entered the paschal mystery at baptism. We were baptized into the death and resurrection of Jesus. This means that we share in Christ’s suffering, death, and rising throughout our lives.
The paschal mystery assures us that the “pain and dying” we experience in our daily lives ultimately leads to resurrection.
It is our Christian belief that God can and does bring good out of evil and suffering.
Jesus’ life is the greatest example of this. God did not leave Jesus in his pain. God raised him from the dead. Death had no power over him.
Hiding information from a parent: good or bad?
Q I come from a family of five — three boys and two girls. Mom is still living, dad passed away several years ago. We have always been “worriers” — with my mom setting the standard.
One of my sisters has just been diagnosed with a serious disease and does not want mom to know because she will worry. I think she should know what is going on but I am the only one. Is it a good idea to hide this information from mom to “protect” her? (A son in Portage)
I want to see Him suffer
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Stop me if you’ve heard this one already. On one unfortunate day, the art teacher, the science teacher, and the development director of a prestigious Catholic high school all died and found themselves standing before the gates of heaven in front of a less than pleased St. Peter.
The frowning apostle said to them, “It is no secret up here that the three of you never got along on earth and constantly quarreled amongst yourselves. So, in order to get into heaven, you must complete one final test. You must all agree which moment in the life of Christ you would like to see first-hand, and it will be granted to you.”
Widows contribute much to the Church and family
Losing a beloved spouse to death is one of the most painful human experiences. I saw this pain in my mother, two sisters, and other married women when their spouses died. I have also listened to men, whose wives died, pour out their grief.
The word “widow” comes from a Sanskrit word meaning empty. When a woman loses the husband whom she loves, she often experiences pain, emptiness, and even temporary anger. So does a widower. A good marriage joins the couple as two in one flesh, physically, spiritually, and emotionally. To marry is to open oneself to love and joy, but also to pain.
Facing terminal illness realistically
In modern times, dying is more and more often portrayed as a cold, clinical reality to be kept at arm’s length, relegated to the closed doors of a hospital, almost hermetically sealed from the rest of our lives.
When it comes to the event itself, we diligently work to avoid confronting it, addressing it, or acknowledging it. Because of this cultural backdrop, patients receiving a diagnosis of a terminal illness can be tempted to indulge in unrealistic expectations about what lies ahead, clinging to unreasonable treatment options and hoping for highly improbable outcomes.