Woman, 29, Will End Her Life In Nov. 1

[Guest]

We are all so lucky though we have a loving,merciful God who forgives the worst. Even wretched,horrible sinners like Brittany who panic and give in when faced with terminal brain cancer. I don't support Euthanasia because I submit myself to all the teachings of the Church. Every single one. I should clarify that although I believe them and accept their truth I do a lousy job at following them though (surprise surprise). As Catherine said if I ever found myself in her situation hopefully I would find a different strength. But the reality is I'm a weak p.o.s. so chances are I would let God down ONCE AGAIN (as usual) and be praying and hoping for the only thing He has ever seemed to give me....Unconditional love and Mercy...Even though I don't deserve a single drop of it. What a Good God.

Edited November 16, 2014 by Guest

[Semper Catholic]

Whoever started trying to use 9/11 jumpers in their argument is both incredibly disrespectful and definitely delirious.

What does it matter what they were thinking? Is Brittany Maynard really he'll bound because of the decisions she mad in the face of extreme mental and physical anguish?

Situations like this is a good opportunity to invoke only God can judge me. Because unless you've been in her situation and faced what she faced you have no right to levy such judgement. I don't care how many bible verses you quote or how righteous you feel you are.

[Guest]

I originally posted the article. Thought it was convincing at first but the counter arguments to it here have been convincing as well.

[Guest]

“To play with life is a sin against the Creator,” and doctors must make the “brave choice,” even up to the point of civil disobedience, never to commit abortion or euthanasia, Pope Francis said in an address on Saturday. “There is no human life more sacred than another: all human life is sacred!” the pope said.

The “conventional wisdom,” he said, suggests a “false compassion” in promoting abortion, or calling euthanasia “an act of dignity” or in considering a child a “product” and “a right,” rather than accepting the child “as a gift.”  

The pope also referred to the use of embryos in medical research, which, he said, allows scientists to “use human lives as guinea pigs, presumably to save others.”

“Fidelity to the Gospel of life and respect for it as a gift from God, sometimes takes a brave choice that, in particular circumstances, may come to conscientious objection,” Pope Francis said, adding that there are “many social consequences that entails this loyalty.” 

Scientists, he said, in this “time of experimentation” with human life, are “making children rather than accepting them as a gift,” they are “playing with life.”

“Be careful, because this is a sin against the Creator, against God the Creator.”

The pope was speaking to a conference in Rome of the Association of Italian Catholic Doctors, and warned that in many cases, the discussion around abortion and euthanasia has been centered on the notion of “quality of life” based on materialistic or “economic” concerns. But this calculation has to take into account the “more profound dimensions - interpersonal, spiritual and religious - of existence.” 

“In fact, the light of faith and right reason, human life is always sacred and always ‘quality,’” he said.

Rejecting the demand of the secular medical establishment that the Church have no say in medical ethics, Pope Francis said, “Attention to human life, especially that in greatest difficulty, that is, the sick, the elderly, the children, deeply involves the mission of the Church.”

The work of Catholic doctors, he said, “is to witness by word and by example that human life is always sacred, valuable and inviolable, and as such must be loved, defended and treated.” 

“Your professionalism, enriched with the spirit of faith, is one more reason to work with those - even from different religious perspectives or thought - who recognize the dignity of the human person as a criterion of their business.” 

[BarbTherese]

I love Pope Francis and may he live long and talk and act loud.  I love Pope Benedict too who is undergoing at times his own persecution because of choosing retirement.  I think that the pair of them are great friends indeed.  Now friendship, in an ideal sense, does not mean at all that friends always see eye to eye of necessity.  To me it does mean that friends do see the virtue and goodness in each other and appreciate and value it.

 

Increasingly, Catholics are asked and need through circumstances to swim against the tide of general secular culture.  This can and will very possibly make us very unpopular perhaps with some to many and undoubtedly there will be name calling and accusations and may even see us drift to the fringes of society as fringe dwellers - outsiders - and especially if secularism can strengthen its hold on society.  This is a type of persecution about which Jesus spoke "They have persecuted Me and they will persecute you".  It is to be expected as potential.  I think that persecution of some kind can be a 'badge of discipleship' and it has happened in the past in our history and may well happen again.  Sometimes all types of persecution, major or not major at all, are quite overt and other times present but not at all obvious - rather it is hidden to other than to the individual persecuted.

 

I know a couple of people who have absolutely no time for me simply because I remain a faithful Catholic after all the scandals in The Church.  I know I am not at all alone.  It is illogical, but some paint Catholicism in the image of the worst among us, choosing to overlook the great people that most often have become heralded saints raised to the altars and all through our history. Such people choose to completely overlook all the many very good Catholics who continue to do much selfless work in the interests of others - and without seeking, asking or needing recognition.  This reminds me of another thing Jesus had to say:

Matthew 6:1
Take heed that you do not your justice before men, to be seen by them: otherwise you shall not have a reward of your Father who is in heaven.

Luke 6:35
But love ye your enemies: do good, and lend, hoping for nothing thereby: and your reward shall be great, and you shall be the sons of the Highest; for he is kind to the unthankful, and to the evil.

 

That last quote can beg that question: "What exactly is love?".........to often it can get tangled up with "like".

An excellent article from Catholic Culture Library "What is Love?" and worth reading in full

 

http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?recnum=9375

Excerpt: "Jesus had different feelings toward different people. But he loved them all equally and absolutely.

But how can we love someone if .we don't like him? Easy — we do it to ourselves all the time. We don't always have tender, sweet, comfortable feelings about ourselves; sometimes we feel foolish, stupid, asinine, or wicked. But we always love ourselves: we always seek our own good. Indeed, the only reason why we feel dislike toward ourselves and berate ourselves is precisely because we do love ourselves! We care about our good, so we are impatient with our bad.

We fall in love but we do not fall in agape. We rise in agape.

Since God is agape and agape is not feeling, God is not feeling. That does not make Him (or agape) cold. Coldness is a feeling just as much as heat (passion) is. That also does not make Him abstract: a principle or an ideal rather than a Three-Person. Agape is not a feeling, not because it is less than a feeling but because it is so much more. God is agape itself, the essence of love, while feeling is only the little dribbles of love, little echoes of love, received into the medium of our emotions, our passions, our passivity. Love "overcomes" us or "comes over us," but nothing can overcome or come over God. God cannot fall in love for the same reason water cannot get wet: it is wet. It is wetness itself"

 

 

 

 

[CatherineM]

When we originally signed up to take care of mentally disabled adults, it went very smoothly. We were approved quickly, and James was picked for us and we spent a couple of months getting to know him and having weekend visits. Right before he was to move in, he got a new social worker. She threw a wrench into everything. She made our lives miserable.

She still does. We've moved in to a new agency with him since he's over 22 now, but she still caused us to have a major inspection by saying we had drug dealers living with us. All because she's gay and thinks that all Catholics are haters and incapable of doing proper charity work.