Euthanasia - Abortion

I do not understand why society believes abortion and euthanasia is such a dichotomy. Both, involve taking a life.  One is taking your own life and the other is taking the life of another. It seems to me that abortion (taking the life of another) is far worse than voluntary euthanasia, the ending of your own life, when you no longer want to contend with constant physical suffering and your life quality is zero.  Yet, people vote to make abortion legal, the Supreme Court of the United States upholds abortion laws making it legal and society will flock to the streets in masses if legal abortion is ever in danger of being overturned. 

Abortion is taking the life of an innocent person that has no say in the matter.  Voluntary euthanasia is taking your own life and you make the choice.  Yes, I concede non-voluntary euthanasia is wrong just as I believe abortion is wrong.   

People argue voluntary euthanasia will lead to non-voluntary euthanasia.  Abortion of babies in the mother’s womb has not led to killing children outside the womb.  So, how can one argue on that basis one is wrong and the other is okay.  If one is morally or ethically wrong then both are.  I do not hold that it is an issue of morality or ethics when speaking of voluntary euthanasia. 

People who are "pro-life" are generally opposed to anyone taking any life - even their own - for any reason.

But, what is life without quality?  I have diabetes, in the final stage of heart failure, kidney failure, and COPD (lungs failing).  I am in constant pain, I cannot walk five steps without breathing spasms and basically confined to sitting.  To me that is not life!   I have been told by all my doctors my condition cannot be cured, it will never get better, it will get worse and all they can to is try to SLOW the progression.  That is not very comforting to me and I do not know anyone in their right mind that would applaud a doctors effort to prolong their suffering.  Now, I can stop the seventeen plus medications and suffer even more to achieve a solution – I guess.  If it is God’s will I believe I would live with or without the medication. 

Am I a coward, of course I am.  I want to end my life quickly and not have it drag on for days, weeks, months or even years before it happens by removing medication.  I really see no honor in being afraid to die and choosing to be a burden on those around me.  I have cared for two people that suffered for years, my mother and my uncle.  I could not have possibly loved my mother more than I did and I have no regrets for taking care of her, but was it extremely difficult – yes it was!  Did I ever have thoughts that I wished her suffering would end – yes I did and then I would feel guilt for weeks for having such a thought.

I believe before any act of euthanasia may be committed the suffering person must make some kind of assessment of the value of their life with the assistance of medical professionals, mental professionals and legal professionals.  There should be a waiting period involved to guarantee that someone does not wake up one day and decide this is a good day to die.

 The practice of euthanasia is Biblically wrong because it violates the principle that life is given by God. God does not approve of “hands that shed innocent blood” (Proverbs 6:16-17). Life comes from God. It is God’s decision to give life and to take it away (Ecclesiastes 12:7; Job 1:21). In the Bible, shedding innocent blood is called murder (1 John 3:15; Genesis 9:6).  I do not need ten thousand replies telling me what the Bible says about the subject. 

The death of King Saul an example of euthanasia or suicide? (1 Samuel 31:1-6). Saul did not want the Philistines to find him alive, because he knew they would torture him. He asked his armor bearer to kill him. When the armor bearer refused, Saul fell on his own sword and died. Saul committed suicide, but he did it in order to avoid suffering at the hands of his enemy. He murdered himself to prevent suffering prior to it happening and therefore was guilty of sin in my eyes. (Exodus 20:13). 

I have a difficult time relating killing yourself because you do not want to be taken by your enemy and suffering from a physical disease without any hope of ever getting better.  You may say that I am greedy, but I have worked and saved all my life and I have no desire to give all my money to doctors and hospitals and pharmaceutical companies when before I die I could give it to the poor. 

My father worked hard all his life and saved for his retirement and my education .  The last eleven days of his life he beg my mother and I to let him die and stop giving everything he had planned on my mother and I having to doctors when we all knew it was hopeless.  Of course we could not or would not end treatment and in the end we went from being a high middle class family to poverty.  His final hospital bill was 275,000 dollars, a lot of money in 1958.  The experiments like inserting a pigs valve in his heart did not help him and it has not help me now that I suffer as he did.

I know some Christians are thinking not all suffering is bad.  Even though we may not always understand why we suffer, some good can come from it.  The apostle Paul understood this (2 Corinthians 12:7-10). He had a “thorn in the flesh” which he asked God to remove, but he was made to realize it was for his good. Job is also an excellent example of this point (James 5:11).  I would be lying if I said I have not learned from my suffering for I have.  That does not mean I want to continue to suffer.

Do not tell me I do not respect human life.  I have been told when people understand and respect the sanctity of human life, they will not vote to end it.  You want to end it if you respect the life of your loved ones that are also suffering because of you.

I view euthanasia as the end of suffering when there is no hope of ever recovering from the illness and you are in need of life support (mechanical or medicinal) in order to barely hang on to life, it would be beneficial for both the patient and his/her family members to just let them go.  By allowing them to die peacefully, painlessly and quickly.  They will die on their own terms, rather than forcing them to live and let the disease slowly kill them.

I recognize the negatives of euthanasia and that is it could be abused by physicians and others who have the power to use this method of ending life. And more importantly, though the chances of recovery from certain diseases may be minimal, it is a known fact that some overcome this mountainous feat.  That is why I feel strongly only the suffering victim should be able to make the choice.  My niece was advised to remove all life support from my sister because she only had days to live, but my niece refused.  She continued to live three years most of it spent in a hospital and suffering.

Don’t insult me as one person did by saying a teenager that flunks a test or fails to make the football team may be suffering as much as I am and ask me would I say he has the right to end his life because he is suffering.  I will tell you as I told the person who said that to me – “You are a fool”.

I feel obligated to tell Catholic what our church says about euthanasia - So-called “mercy killing” and the efforts of the Hemlock Society and the late Dr. Jack Kevorkian to make euthanasia socially acceptable are condemned by the Church.

God alone should decide when someone leaves this earth — not the patient, doctor, or caretaker. Keeping the dying patient pain-free, comfortable, clean, nourished, and hydrated — and just allowing the natural death process to take its course — is how human beings die with dignity.  In other words if you die a miserable death you die with dignity and God is well pleased – I guess that is how they feel.  Our church always thought it was good for people to suffer. 

When death is thought imminent; the ordinary care owed to a sick person cannot be legitimately interrupted. The use of painkillers to alleviate the sufferings of the dying, even at the risk of shortening their days, can be morally in conformity with human dignity if death is not willed as either an end or a means, but only foreseen and tolerated as inevitable.

In closing, It is always unfair to directly kill an unborn child; the unborn have no say in what happens to them, and whatever interests are placed above theirs are done so in a biased and self-serving way. But this is not true in most cases of physician assisted suicide and voluntary euthanasia: in some cases death really is what the patients desire and what they ask for.  This does not mean that they are right in desiring and asking, nor that it would be right to comply; but it does indicate that the wrongness of euthanasia cannot exclusively be the wrong of unfairness to the person killed. This is a decision I should be able to make for myself – not you make for me.

The Bible states - God will not put more on you than you can stand - NOT TRUE!

The Bible states, “God will not put more on you than you can stand” – NOT TRUE!

If you believe me wrong read 1 Corinthians 10:6-13 and Matthew 11:28-30 again it does not say what you may have thought it said or some sentimental Christian or religious leader told you it said.

People are surprised to find that at no time in the movie Casablanca does Rick ever say, “Play it again, Sam.”  It is also surprising to know that in over 79 Star Trek episodes and 6 movies, no one ever actually says, “Beam me up, Scotty.” But people all assume that those clichés and many others are from the films and movies they attribute them, too.

It works the same with the Bible.  There are all kinds of things that people assume the Bible says but it actually doesn’t.  At the top of that list is “The Lord helps those who help themselves” with something like 80% of Christians believing that quote is from the Bible. It’s actually from the Ancient Greeks by way of Benjamin Franklin’s Poor Richard’s Almanac.

But in a close second is the statement: “God never gives you more than you can bear.”  It is frequently “quoted” to people in times of distress with great certainty.  Everything will be alright—the suffering one is told—God wouldn’t have given you this trial if you couldn’t get through it. It is quite comforting to those suffering until they find out it is not true and then they begin to doubt God because of you ‘YOUR’ biblical untruth.

There is a quote like it; but there is nothing that says “God will never give you more than you can bear.”  The quote that is frequently used to back up the idea, from 1 Corinthians, doesn’t really say what people think it does. It actually says, “No temptation has seized you that isn’t common for people … God is faithful. He won’t allow you to be tempted beyond your abilities ...”

Paul is reminding his readers that God will not allow people to be tempted beyond their abilities.  That is, there is no temptation that you should feel you are powerless against, because God would not allow you to be tempted by something you couldn’t resist. If you’re being tempted, in Paul’s thinking, it’s something you are strong enough to resist. That is a far different thing from claiming that nothing bad will happen to you or that you will not have to bear a burden that you cannot bear alone, without God.

Paul even states they suffered burdens they could not bear in their own strength, “We were weighed down with a load of suffering that was so far beyond our strength that we were afraid we might not survive.” (2 Corinthians 1:8). We are also told in Psalm 38:8, “I’m worn out, completely crushed; I groan because of my miserable heart” and in Psalm 38:4, “My wrongdoings are stacked higher than my head; they are a weight that’s way too heavy for me.” Elijah was told by an angel:  “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” (1 Kings 19:7). Let us not forget Jesus, too, who died in agony on the cross, cried out “My God, My God, why have you left me?”

Not only is it not found in scripture our life experiences do not bear it out. There are all kinds of things that happen that we cannot bear. Sometimes our lives come crashing down around us.

Trite platitudes that are designed to make people feel better are harmful to Christianity. Can you imagine someone saying to an inmate at Auschwitz don’t worry - God never gives you more than you can bear or saying it to a woman whose children are killed by a long buried landmine while they were playing or a refugee who survived the massacre of her entire village or someone who has just been given a diagnosis of a terminal illness?

I am thankful that we Catholic’s have the crucifix and not just a cross for it reminds  us that our faith is driven by the hope and the promise of the Resurrection, but that we still live very much in a world defined by the Crucifixion – pain and suffering.

When you tell suffering people that God never gives them more than they can bear and they are being crushed at the time by problems you are causing them to question what is wrong with them?  What are they doing wrong?  Why isn’t God helping them? You are not bringing them to God you are pushing them away from God. If you do not have more comforting words than that to give them then keep your mouth shut and listen.

If you truly believe no problem comes your way that you cannot bear then you are making it about you and not God. Why do you need God if you alone can bear all your problems? Christ said, “Come to me, all you who are struggling hard and carrying heavy loads and I will give you rest. Put on my yoke, and learn from me. I’m gentle and humble. And you will find rest for yourselves. My yoke is easy to bear, and my burden is light.” Christ did not tell us to go it alone. Our faith is demonstrated by our recognition that we cannot bear the burdens ourselves and trust in the grace of God who bears them with us.

The church should be a place where you can come and say, “I have a burden that I cannot bear” and instead of being judged for having a weak faith, you are surrounded by a network of love and support that will bear that burden with you.  Just as Christ takes upon himself the burdens we cast upon him, unfortunately to many church going Christians and religious leaders have forgotten that.

The Gospel reminds us that our problems do not disappear because we have become followers of Christ, but we are promised that in those sufferings we are not alone. God does not make us suffer alone He is always with us. God will stand beside us in our times of trouble.

“Come to me, all you who are struggling hard and carrying heavy loads and I will give you rest.”

Do not beat yourself up when you fail and give in to temptations that you told God in prayer that you would not do again.  God is happy for all the days that the temptation came up and you did not give in and does not hold against you the days that you did. God will is patient!  Just pick yourself up and try again.  God is a God of more than one chance.

Not everything happens for a reason!

God has given human beings “dominion” on earth.  We have the capacity to make our own decisions. The biblical story is in many ways the story of us misusing our freedom, turning away from God, practicing the very things God has told us not to and then God working to redeem, restore and heal the mess we’ve made of things.

If everything happens for a reason as some Christian leaders teach and a lot of Christians believe then we must assume that God is responsible for Muslim Islamic Terrorism in order to accomplish some purpose.  The terrorist certainly believe they have God’s blessings.  But our attempts to defeat them make it clear that we believe they are evil and must be stopped. We certainly do not believe God has blessed them or is using them for His purpose.

When we make God responsible for every bad decision, every act of wrongdoing, every disease, every inhumane thing we humans do to one another we remove the responsibility from ourselves and put it on God. If you believe everything that happens has a reason then you must believe God is responsible for every bad thing that happens on earth. You have removed the possibility of our ‘free will’ which scripture makes clear God gave us.

I have not only heard Christians tell others, but I have had them tell me, God must have a reason for inflicting suffering on you. I did not find that very comforting and I am sure other suffering people did either. If that is true then how are we supposed to pray to a God for help if you believe the same God caused your problem?

I do not think God is the originator of pain and problems. I really think God is saddened by the wrong decision we make and when we choose to hurt others.

On April 15, 2013, James Costello was cheering on a friend near the finish line at the Boston Marathon when the bombs exploded, severely burning his arms and legs and sending shrapnel into his flesh. During the months of surgery and rehabilitation that followed, Mr. Costello developed a relationship with one of his nurses, Krista D’Agostino, and they soon became engaged. Mr. Costello posted a picture of the ring on Facebook. “I now realize why I was involved in the tragedy,” he wrote. “It was to meet my best friend, and the love of my life.” What about those that lost their lives and their families that only felt grieve after? I think they would have a hard time accepting God had a reason for inflicting such pain on them and their loved one. The only reason for the Boston bombing was evil men made evil decisions. It is wonderful if something great came as the result of it to some people, but God did not have a hand in the bombing.

I guess we associate God having a purpose for all things because we believe in a God that plans for us, sends us messages, rewards the good and punishes the bad. Christians may be surprised that atheists also believe things happen for a reason because they believe in ‘fate’.  They believe there is an order to life that determines how events turn out.

I think people in general have a need to find meaning in life, particular bad things that happen to them. Some people find it reassuring to think that there really are no accidents to the things that happen to us, including the most terrible of events.  We have a need to make sense of events and situations. It helps us figure out why people behave as they do and respond appropriately. But it can lead us into error when we try to find purpose to everything that happens to us. Things on earth just don’t naturally work out so that all people get what they deserve. Some things just happen. There’s no rhyme or reason to them. They just happen.

But, wait a minute somethings do happen for a reason! When you got that new job you were hoping for, that happened for a reason — you applied for it, you interviewed well, and the company thought you were the best candidate for the job. When you failed that test you needed to pass in order to maintain your G.P.A. and keep your scholarship, that too happened for a reason — you spent too much time on Facebook, going out with friends and catching up on your favorite shows when you should have been studying. The time that house on the news got hit by lightning and burned to the ground that happened for a reason — the roof of the house was the closest contact point for the bolt of lightning, and the massive charge of electricity caused the wood the house was built with to catch on fire. When that young mother and her child were hit by a drunk driver and died tragically in a car accident, that also happened for a reason — someone had too much to drink, and without concern for anyone else’s well-being, they got behind the wheel of their car, wherein their impaired judgment and slowed response time resulted in them running a red light and taking the life of a mother and her child. They happened, and there was a reason but that reason was not God.

If you think everything happens for a reason and it is divine then you must believe God delights in causing our suffering. You are saying that God is the sort of god who sends drunk drivers to kill, who burns down people’s homes and afflicts random people with horrendous diseases, like cancer. If God had a hand in intentionally causing these things to occur, then God is not the God of the Gospels.

God does enact judgment, but God is not to be blame for every terrible thing that happens in life. The truth is we live in a broken world and terrible, meaningless things happen. Not because God wants them to happen, but because our decisions have consequences and because nature cannot be tamed. God is not a villain.

Stop putting your friends through hell every time they suffer by tormenting them with the words “Everything happens for a reason.” there will come a day when every tear will be wiped away and there will be no more death or crying or mourning or pain. But it is not going to happen on this earth before Christ comes again.

But until that day comes, our testimony to that future reality is not found in trying to attach meaning to the meaningless. Our testimony, and our gift of grace to those to suffer, will be found in our willingness to suffer with them, to walk with them through the valley of the shadow of death so that they know they are not alone. 

Teachings of Pope Francis - Part III

Every Christian is called to be a bearer of hope that gives serenity and joy. We first must experience the joy of being consoled by God then we can bring joy to others. This is important if our mission is to be fruitful: we must feel God's consolation and pass it on to others!

Today no one in our world feels responsible - we have lost a sense of responsibility for our brothers and sisters. The culture of comfort, which makes us think only of ourselves, makes us insensitive to the cries of other people. It even leads to the globalization of indifference. We have become used to the suffering of others: it doesn't affect me, it doesn't concern me, it is none of my business! We are a society which has forgotten how to experience compassion.

Young people are the window through which the future enters the world. We must give them space. We have to create the material and spiritual conditions for their full development. We have to pass on to them lasting values that make life worth living.

The young have the strength and they do the carrying and the elderly are the ones who give life's wisdom. We do the elderly an injustice when we set them aside as if they have nothing to offer us. We need them both.

Anyone who is a man or a woman of hope - the type of hope which faith gives - knows that even in the midst of difficulties God acts.

Christians should be joyful, they should not be gloomy. Christians cannot be pessimists! They do not look like someone in constant mourning. If we are truly in love with Christ and if we sense how much He loves us, our hearts will "light up" with a joy that spreads to everyone around us.

Regardless of our difficulties. Regardless how great they may seem, God never allows us to be overwhelmed by them. Always know in your heart that God is by your side. He never abandons you! God is our hope! Les us maintain a positive outlook on reality.

If we want life to have real meaning and fulfilment "Put on faith." "Put on faith," Put on hope," "Put on love."

Do not water down your faith in Jesus Christ. Take care of the two ends of the population: the elderly and the young. Read the Beatitudes and read Matthew Chapter 25 it is the standard by which we will be judged.

Where does Jesus send us? He sends us to everyone. The Gospel is for everyone. Do not be afraid to go and to bring Christ into every area of your life. He wants everyone to feel the warmth of His mercy and love.

Young people, Jesus Christ is counting on you! The Church is counting on you! The Pope is counting on you!

I ask you is your heart filled with desire or is it a closed heart, a sleeping heart, a heart numb to the things of life? Where is your treasure, what are you longing for? Jesus told us: where your treasure is, there will be your heart. Do you wish to do good to others, to live for the Lord and for your brothers and sisters?

We are to go forward in life with love, with the love the Lord has sown in our hearts. God's love has a name and a face: Jesus Christ. Love for God is manifest in Jesus. It is a love that gives value and beauty to everything else. God in Jesus always opens us to hope.

If there is no hope, we are not Christian.

Following Jesus means being involved.

Following Jesus entails giving up evil and selfishness and choosing good, truth and justice, even when this demands we sacrifice.

Becoming acquainted with other people and other cultures is always good for us, it makes us grow. If we isolate ourselves we cannot develop culturally. If we seek out other people, other cultures, other ways of thinking, other religions, we go out of ourselves and start that most beautiful adventure which is called "dialogue". Dialogue is very important for our own maturity, because in confronting another person, confronting other cultures and confronting other religions in the right way, we grow, we develop and mature. It is impossible for peace to exist without dialogue.

In our day we pass in front of so many doors that invite us to come in, promising a happiness which later we realize lasts only an instant. Let's not be afraid to cross the threshold of faith in Jesus. Enter through Jesus's door.

Are you Christians by label or by the truth? Being Christian is living and witnessing to faith in prayer, in works of charity, in promoting justice, in doing good.

Don't waste a tragedy - use it to help others!

In the mid-80’s I had my first heart attack.  I was not sick and I certainly was not aware that anything was wrong with my heart.  It was a beautiful morning and I decided to go on a bike ride with my nephew who was about ten at the time.  When we got a few blocks from our home I noticed that I was un-usually tired.

I kept pushing myself because my nephew was excited about going on a ride with his Uncle Tommy.  I told him as we approached a bridge that when we got to the other side to take the side road and stop.  As we reached the spot where I had instructed him to stop I fell from the bike and I knew I was going to pass out.  I felt NO pain!  I told him to go to a payphone and call Jesus Martinez an employee to come immediately.  When I came to I was at the Methodist’s Hospital in Houston, Texas being prepped for surgery.

At that time heart surgery was much different than it is today.  The time in I.C.U. and in a hospital room before being released was much longer.  It took months to recuperate and return to work.

I recuperated at a small farm I had in Highland, Texas.  One Sunday morning before church I got up before the others and walked down to the pond to pray and read my Bible.  When I began to return to the house I noticed this large pile of logs that had been cut about two years earlier and had never been burned because it was so large I was afraid the fire might not be manageable.  Then the switch went off in my brain that today was the time to burn that eyesore.

I went to the barn to get a five gallon can of diesel fuel and discovered there was none, but there was a five gallon can of gasoline.  I took the gasoline climbed up on the pile and poured it out over the logs.  I went to the house and got a newspaper and made it into the shape of a basketball. I intended to throw it upon the fire from a distance. 

As I struck the match to light the newspaper there was instantly a rush of fire from the pile of logs to me.  My clothes were made of nylon and they melted to my body. All my hair was burned off.  I first began to run and then I fell to the ground and rolled to put the fire out. 

I went to the house and got in the shower and called to a family member to come to my room where I was showering in cold water.  I told him what had happened and that I needed to go to the hospital.  He opened the shower door and yelled, “My God, I have to get an ambulance.”  I told him I did not want to wake anyone else up and just drive me to the hospital. 

At the time I guess I was in shock and did not realize how bad it was.  On the way to the hospital the pain began and it was like no pain I had ever experienced. 

Infection is the enemy of a burn and there is a process called debriding of the skin that must be done.  The process requires that the skin be scrubbed to get rid of the dead skin and needless to say it is painful.  There are exercises that must be done to stretch the skin so you can eventually move as normal as possible.

The doctors advised me that I would most likely have scars and it was possible that plastic surgery could not repair all the damage.  There were no mirrors in the room because they do not want you to see the damage until they think you are mentally prepared to deal with it..

As a young minister I was assigned to the call on patients at the burn center and I often said, “I know it hurts” or even more stupid, “I know how you feel.”  I realized when I actually experienced the same thing how foolish those words were.  I had no idea at the time I spoke them what they were going through or how much pain they were in.

Many times I said, “Why me God!”  I could not imagine anything good coming out of this experience.  I certainly did not see how it benefited God in anyway.  It would be months before I could return to my ministry.

Years later I got a call late one Saturday night from a man in our church.  He said, “Father I do not think we have enough wine for services in the morning.  I got up and dressed and went to a twenty-four hour Wal-Mart.  As I stood in line to check out I noticed a young boy bandaged as I had been sitting with his mother.  When I checked out I went to him and began talking to him and his mother said, “Father, he will not talk to you.  He has not spoken to anyone in three months.” 

I continued to talk to the boy and I told him I really did know what he was going through because I had been through the same.  After a while he said, “If you were burned where are the scars?”

I told him the doctors had told me I would be scared, but I prayed and I did everything the doctors told me to regardless of how painful it was. 

My recovery was so remarkable they video the process and the video was used in teachings medical students and doctors on treating burn patients.  

I continued to visit the boy at the Shriner’s Burn Center in Galveston, Texas until he returned to Argentina.  Unfortunately he did have some scaring, but when he left he was optimistic and anxious to see his friends and family back home.

All those years I wondered “why” and then I realized God had given me an opportunity to minister to and help a young boy that was going through the same tragedy I experienced.  No one can comfort someone like a person that has experienced the same pain they are going through. Christ needed to experience the same suffering and pain humans do to understand what we go thorough and to be truly human.

One other miracle in the story is that when burned people normal take a deep breath and it damages the lungs.  As a matter of fact the doctors said they had never seen anyone burned as I was that did not have lung damage.  The only explanation they could give was I mush not have gasp because I had no lung damage.

Please, don’t waste a tragedy.  Learn from it and find a way to use it to benefit others. I do not always understand why bad things happen, but I am convinced God can use any tragedy for His good and for the good of others.