Gulf Pine Catholic

Gulf Pine Catholic • October 19, 2018 18 This supplement sponsored by these Knights of Columbus councils: Fred L. Westbrook Council 5654 Ocean Springs James D. Hart Council 9673 Woolmarket The Gulf Pine Catholic staff & the people of the Diocese of Biloxi applaud the Knights of Columbus’ educational efforts to promote the respect & dignity of the human person. Oscar J. Gelpi Council 6872 Picayune Fr. Michael A. Leane Assembly 2227 Picayune Deacon Curba Merrill Council 11904 Lucedale Fr. Harry Wade Council 7910 Paul R. Depew Assembly 2347 Gulfport Sacred Heart Council 12166 Pascagoula St. Vincent de Paul Council 4898 Long Beach Pere Le Duc Council 1522 Bay Saint Louis Knights of Columbus Council 1244 Biloxi Knights of Columbus Council 7211 Lumberton St. Mary Council 9124 Gautier Assisted suicide does not enhance medicine. As noted by a doctor specializing in palliative and hospice care in the Netherlands, killing “becomes a substitute for learning how to relieve the suffering of dying patients.” 7 True Love and Mercy Do we see people as the problem, such that our responsibility begins and ends with helping patients kill themselves? Or, do we see seriously ill patients as fellow human beings who deserve our love and solutions for their problems? Will we succumb to the “false mercy” of assisted suicide, or will we endorse what Pope St. John Paul II called “the way of love and true mercy”? 8 Will we dedicate ourselves to providing genuinely compassionate care, as a society and for our own loved ones? Our answer today determines the care available now and for years to come. Killing the Pain, Not the Patient From page 14 9. Show Tenderness Those who are dying remain in need of the tenderness of personal human contact. Ask if you might gently brush your loved one’s hair, apply lotion to her hands or feet, or simply hold his hand. Tell stories, laugh, and share memories to reassure the person he or she is a cherished gift, not a burden in any way. 10. Bear Their Transition Patiently Transition, the time immediately preceding death, may bring rapid physical changes, such as in breathing patterns, as well as changes in mental or emotional states. Try to be patient, and allow the “how” and “when” of death to be between God and your loved one. Ask God for the wisdom to know what final words to say -- if any -- and when. As you are able, give your loved one permission to make the transition. For example, you might say, “I love you. It’s okay to go home now.” Accompanying a loved one in his or her last days is enormously important, Caring For Loved One’s at Life’s End From page 15 but we do not need to fear our own limitations. Pope Francis tells us, “[God] comes to assist us in our weakness. And his help consists in helping us accept his presence and closeness to us. Day after day, touched by his compassion, we also can become compassionate towards others.” *As our bishops teach, “Respect for life does not demand that we attempt to prolong life by using medical treatments that are ineffective or unduly burdensome.” 7 At the same time, intentionally hastening death -- whether through drugs or deliberate neglect of basic care -- offends our God-given dignity and is never morally permissible. More information: www.usccb.org/ ToLiveEachDay **References do not indicate endorsement. What Does Our Catholic Faith Offer? God’s love is generous, sacrificial, life-giving, and forever. As humans made in God’s image, we are called to imitate the eternal giving and receiving of love that is the Holy Trinity. We can do this in a unique way through marriage -- a vowed communion of a man and a woman who enter a “one flesh” union open to bringing forth a new human life. “The whole meaning of marriage is present and signified” 9 in each act of marital sex, so the love-giving and life-giving purposes of sex should not be separated. At the same time, for serious reasons, in exercising responsible parenthood, a couple may “decide not to have additional children for either a certain or an indefinite period of time.” 10 In these cases, “the Church teaches that married people may then take advantage of the natural cycles immanent in the reproductive system and engage in marital intercourse only during those times that are infertile.” 11 Thanks to the research of countless doctors and scientists, modern, fertility awareness-based methods of natural family planning rival and even surpass 12 the effectiveness of contraceptives while posing no risks to mothers or unborn children. In fact, couples using such methods report better sex, improved communication, and the ability to identify underlying causes of infertility. (To learn more, visit www.foryourmarriage.org/family-planning. ) In short, through the Church’s teaching, God invites us to a fuller, richer, deeper way of life and love. Another Look at Contraception From page 16 Msgr. Leech Council 4472 Pass Christian