This is hopefully going to be a short posting. I really have only one thought, and that is "Be kind." I think it's an appropriate message given the time of year, but that message just continues to resonate with me lately. It's really more than being kind; it's "be compassionate". I don't know if it's because I'm getting older, or our society is getting sicker, or it's just weird timing or luck, or whatever, but it is probably a combination of all those factors. I personally know many people who are suffering. Within this past year, I have known people who have lost their spouses, their great life-long friend, their co-worker, their cousin, their father, their mother, their grandmother, their brother…as well as others who have been diagnosed with various cancers or MS …and yet another whose child was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. Yes, each of us is suffering through our own daily mundane trials and sacrifices, and then there are those who are suffering more than others can even imagine.
When you go about your day, try to make eye contact with everyone you meet and share a smile or a kind greeting. It might be the only bright spot in that person's day. You just do not know what is behind anyone's smile. We all are hiding something. We go about our days trying to hide what ails us, but it is always bubbling within our psyche. For some, the pain is immense. It can be a physical pain, an emotional scar, or financial troubles. In being kind to one another, we Christians have the opportunity to minister to others about Christ's life…simply through our actions.
We, Americans will be celebrating Thanksgiving this week. I do hope each of us takes more than a moment to truly thank God for ALL the blessings in our lives. I do hope that each of carries that gratefulness within our hearts into the Advent season. We must be like Christ and tend to the poor, the widowed, the weak, the sick, the elderly, the abandoned, and the lonely. When we think of Christ tending to those people, do we see ourselves in those stories? It is us he is tending to. Don't you see? WE are the poor, the widowed, the weak, the sick, the elderly, the abandoned, and the lonely. It is each of us. Each of us has a broken heart for one reason or another. Christ is telling us we must tend to EACH OTHER. This Advent season, be compassionate. Be like Christ. He is the light of the world, so go light up your corner of the world with compassion and love for others.
“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest." ~ Matthew 11:28
Etching by Rembrandt: "Christ Healing the Sick" "The print depicts multiple events from Matthew 19, including Christ healing the sick, debating with scholars and calling on children to come to him. The rich young man mentioned in the chapter is leaving through the gateway on the right"
That title is the definition of "dignity". It is a word that is being used now in conjunction with suicide. I had promised myself I would not write about the Brittany Maynard case because I figured everyone and their brother would, but I cannot help but put a few thoughts down here regarding this. I am not writing this for the ardent Catholic who knows euthanasia is wrong or for the pro-euthanasia person who feels Brittany's decision was a "brave" one, but for the Christian who is sitting on the fence regarding Brittany's decision.
It wasn't that long ago that I was "pro-choice", "pro-euthanasia", and "pro-capital punishment". It still seems a little strange to hear myself saying that I am no longer any of these. Is this a radical viewpoint? Am I radical for thinking that humans were made in God's image, that He knew our names before we were born, that He knows every hair on our heads, that we are His children, and thus because of all this, we are supposed to stand for LIFE from conception to natural death? Okay, if society deems saving human lives a radical concept, then I am a radical by today's standards.
In suffering, we are given lessons interwoven into the threads of pain. In death, we learn to succumb to God's will and not our own. We learn to let our loved ones pass back into God's eternal resting place. For those who are dying, they come very close to heaven or hell - staring death down in the face. Some even have the grace given to them to survive death and be cured of their sufferings. Through others' end-of-life experiences, we take a glimpse into God's exponentially wide arms of mercy and His ability to work miracles in our lives. Those of us who have bounced back from the brink of death know what it is like to be held in the palm of His hand and given a second chance. Our lives are not for naught. Each of us has a mission and a God-given purpose to use the gifts He gave us at conception.
Between January of 2013 and May of 2014, I lost three babies all at different stages of life. Each of them was precious, but they were brought back to heaven for reasons beyond my earthly understanding. I suffered immensely, not only emotionally, but physically. The second one landed me close to death passed out on my bedroom floor after hours of pain and blood loss that are beyond description. When the paramedics arrived and revived me, my heart rate was very low and my body was numb. It was a very calm and ethereal few moments as they prepped me for the stretcher. I really couldn't care less about what they were doing. My eyes were on God and thanking Him for my life, my husband, and my four beautiful healthy children. Laying in the hospital for two days with no visitors (outside my immediate family at the onset of my admission), gave me so much time to pray and think. Briefly touching death's door allowed me a very intimate time with God. In a way, I wouldn't take that time back. There were so many lessons of thankfulness, forgiveness, and healing that were learned there.
I would imagine all who suffer, and all who are near death, experience God in this intimate way and feel His love and grace if they allow Him in. As painful as death is, it is a part of our lives and it is a step to life-everlasting with our Creator. We don't know how each of us will go. We don't know if we will suffer. We do know that God has a plan for us and that our pains and struggles here on earth are temporary. We know that through our sufferings, we are united to Christ on the cross and His sufferings. We get a glimpse of God's immense love for us through the pain on the cross and through our own crosses.
Brittany and her family do not know what graces would have been given to them through her death from cancer. They will never know that nor will they know if a miracle would have occurred. Miracles can and do happen; they are not fairy tales. What I do know is that we are not allowed to play God. It is not our role here to determine who gets to live, who doesn't, and for how long. Our society tells us that it is merciful to kill and calls it "death with dignity", yet God tells us in no uncertain terms that murder is a sin and "thou shalt not". We must pray for our world that we see murder in all its forms and reject it. Suicide is never the "brave" option. It is far braver to stare down your death sentence and grow through it moving ever nearer to God. It is far braver to teach those around you about death, suffering, strength, forgiveness, healing, prayer, God's graces, and God's miracles.
Simply, each life in its entirety has meaning and should be cherished and protected from conception to natural death. We must trust in God's plan for our lives ...and not plan our lives and deaths and play God.
Here are three pro-life messages from a very brave teenager, a a very brave thirty year old seminarian, and a very brave middle aged woman all diagnosed with terminal brain cancer…
A letter from Philip Johnson, a North Carolina seminarian, who has terminal brain cancer: Letter to Brittany
…and a story about Lauren Hill, the nineteen year old college freshman basketball player, diagnosed with terminal brain cancer: ESPN reports Lauren Hill Fulfills Dreams
…and a video message from Maggie Karner, a Connecticut woman, also diagnosed with glioblastoma like Brittany was:
