PURITY OF INTENTION AND OF HEART

OCTOBER 28, 2007

(This week’s column is the first part of the Homily delivered at the White Mass for the health care community on Oct. 16 at Our Lady of Sorrows Parish in McAllen.)

At the time of Christ, the Pharisees were the most self-righteous and strict observers of the Law. They were often referred to as the Chasidim which means loyal to God or beloved of God. And yet, ironically, they were the most critical of the message of Jesus, and his most bitter opponents. They, nonetheless, recognized his public prestige and influence as a young itinerant rabbi. Some would invite him to dine in their homes even for appearance sake, merely to satisfy their vanity and to look good in front of others. We really do not know why this particular Pharisee invited Jesus to dine at his home; we do know that, like his peers, he scrupulously observed the smallest religious rituals of the Jewish Law. He was, therefore, scandalized when he saw Jesus skip the prescribed washing prior to eating. Jesus pointed out to him and his guests that religion is not about rituals and routines; it is about a loving response to God who has loved me first and thus deserves all of my love.
Jesus pointed out to the Pharisee – and to his colleagues who were present, as well as to all of us – that there is something much more important than washing before eating: purity of intention and sincerity of heart in the practice of our religion.
A fundamental tenet of our faith is the fact that life is a precious gift from God. He gives us life and only he can take it from us. The respect for human life from conception to natural death has always been a prime concern for all Catholics. There is no question or doubt about our position in regard to abortion. On the other hand, the relatively recent case of Terri Schiavo brought to the fore the need to clearly understand our responsibility to respect life and provide for its sustenance until the moment that natural death occurs.
Pope John Paul II, in March 2004, made some of the most uplifting statements ever written concerning the provision of nutrition and hydration to those in a "persistent vegetative state" and the value and dignity of life even in those with cognitive impairments. He said, "I feel the duty to reaffirm strongly that the intrinsic value and personal dignity of every human being do not change, no matter what the concrete circumstances of his or her life. A man, even if seriously ill or disabled in the exercise of his highest functions, is and always will be a man, and he will never become a ‘vegetable’ or an ‘animal.’ Even our brothers and sisters who find themselves in the clinical condition of a ‘vegetative state’ retain their human dignity in all its fullness. The loving gaze of God the Father continues to fall upon them, acknowledging them as his sons and daughters, especially in need of help."
Because we are all sons and daughters of God, these suffering members of God’s family are our brothers and sisters. We cannot deny them their very basic needs. The Holy Father continued, "The sick person in a vegetative state, awaiting recovery or a natural end, still has the right to basic health care (nutrition, hydration, cleanliness, warmth, etc.), and to the prevention of complications related to his confinement to bed. He also has the right to appropriate rehabilitative care and to be monitored for clinical signs of eventual recovery."
Some will argue that the cost of sustenance for the sick person may be prohibitive and beyond the means of the family to maintain; others will say that the deterioration of the quality of life the person enjoys warrants the termination of life. Pope John Paul said, “First of all, no evaluation of costs can outweigh the value of the fundamental good which we are trying to protect, that of human life. Moreover, to admit that decisions regarding man's life can be based on the external acknowledgment of its quality, is the same as acknowledging that increasing and decreasing levels of quality of life, and therefore of human dignity, can be attributed from an external perspective to any subject, thus introducing into social relations a discriminatory and eugenic principle."
The whole faith community of the Church must be dedicated to healing and compassion. Those who have received a special vocation to the healing professions must realize that the care they offer is not to be limited to the treatment of a disease or bodily ailment, but must also embrace the physical, psychological, social, and spiritual dimensions of the human person. Medical expertise must be joined to other forms of care to foster health and relieve human suffering. Specifically, Catholic doctors, nurses and health care providers, recognizing the spiritual nature of the person, will do well to call upon the Chaplain to provide for the spiritual needs of the patient. If the human spirit is broken, what good is high technology focused exclusively on the physical body?
Pastoral care includes a full range of spiritual services, such as a listening presence; support in coping with debility, pain, and loss of independence; and help in enabling the patient to peacefully join personal suffering to the cross of Christ. Since the heart of the spiritual dimension of Catholic health care is to make Christ present to those who suffer, it goes without saying that the sacraments are an essential element for the healing process.

Next week we will consider how the advances in medical technology continually challenge the Church to balance the sacredness of human life with the desire to provide dignity in natural death.

+Bishop Raymundo J. Peña

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