Tag: power

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Fr. Joseph Baker

The Power of Attorney for Health Care

Death: Our Birth into Eternal life

Fr. Joseph Baker

The following article is the next installment in a series that will appear in the Catholic Herald to offer catechesis and formation concerning end-of-life decisions, dying, death, funerals, and burial of the dead from the Catholic perspective.

Last week, we began to explore the topic of advance health care planning.

This planning is necessary not only because of modern medical advancements, but most especially because we may find ourselves in a position when we are not able to express our wishes about the use of a particular treatment at the end of life.

That being said, not all forms of advance health care planning are equal.

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Bishop Donald J. Hying

The power of Baptism

This Sunday, we celebrate the Baptism of the Lord, the closing of the Christmas season and an opportune moment to thank God for the remarkable grace of our own Baptism.

Jesus receives the Baptism of repentance from John, not because He needs it, but to sanctify the waters of Baptism and to identify with us in our sinful, fallen state, without ever having sinned Himself.

This compassionate identification with our weakness and death reaches its ultimate saving conclusion in the mystery of the crucifixion and resurrection.

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Bishop Robert Barron

Silence and the meaning of the Mass

Robert Cardinal Sarah’s recent book The Power of Silence: Against the Dictatorship of Noise explores a number of themes both theological and spiritual, all centering around the unhappy role that noise has come to play in our culture and more specifically in the Church.

His observations are most trenchant in regard to the liturgy, which should come as no great surprise, given his role as head of the Vatican Congregation devoted to liturgy and sacraments. As I read the sections of his book dealing with the importance of silence during Mass, I often found myself nodding vigorously.

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Tony Magliano

Pope Francis speaks truth to power

As the first pope in history to address a joint session of Congress, Pope Francis defended the human right of masses of oppressed and poor people to immigrate.

He said “We must not be taken aback by their number, but rather view them as persons, seeing their faces and listening to their stories, trying to respond as best we can to their situation.”

Living by the Golden Rule

The pope said, “We need to avoid a common temptation nowadays: to discard whatever proves troublesome. Let us remember the Golden Rule: ‘Do unto others as you would have them do unto you'” (Mt 7:12).

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Bishop Robert Barron

‘Mad Men’ and the depression of Don Draper

About four years ago, I had to take the long flight to New Zealand to give a retreat to the priests of the Diocese of Christchurch.

In order to pass the time, I brought along an iPad with the entire first season of Mad Men on it. So in one very intense period, I got immersed in the world of Don Draper, a world that I vaguely remember from my own childhood — not the booze and the affairs, of course, but the look, the feel, the colors, the way people moved and talked.

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Bishop Robert Barron

Your life does not belong to you

It was revealed recently that, for the first time in its history, Harvard University, which had been founded for religious purposes and named for a minister of the Gospel, has admitted a freshman class in which atheists and agnostics outnumber professed Christians and Jews.

Also recently, the House and the Senate of California passed a provision that allows for physician-assisted suicide in the Golden State. As I write these words, the governor of California is deliberating whether to sign the bill into law.

Though it might seem strange to suggest as much, I believe that the make-up of the Harvard freshman class and the passing of the suicide law are very really related.

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Jean Mueller

Parental responsibilities of an only child

Ask Jean by Jean Mueller column logo

Q I am an only child with parents who are nearing their mid 70s.

My mother recently pointed out that some of their friends are speaking to their children about power of attorney for health and financial matters in the event of an illness or loss of capacity.

Is it automatic that I, again as an only child, should be responsible for everything? Is that wise? I am not even sure what all of that responsibility would entail.

(From a daughter in Portage).

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Jean Mueller

What does ‘health care power of attorney’ mean?

Q. My father has just asked me to be his health care power of attorney. I am not sure what that entails and what my responsibilities would be. We have a good relationship and I am willing to help him (he is 78 and in fairly good health). In the worst case scenario what would this mean? (From a son in Dodgeville)

A. This is a great question because there is a lot of confusion about health care power of attorney and what that entails.

The power of attorney or “agent” is a person who has the permission to make health care decisions for the “principal” (in your case your father) in the event of incapacitation.

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