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Posted on 12/05/2014 9:27:27 AM PST by wagglebee
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It’s so very sad.
Brittany will soon become the benign face of ‘voluntary’ (at first) assisted suicide, making sound perky and clean and fun.
“Brittany Maynard died completely unaware that she was nothing more than a pawn for euthanazis who didn’t give a damn about her.”
No, I think she knew and didn’t mind because she wanted to die. Her suicide is what happens when a once Christian society sees no point to suffering.
“Her suicide is what happens when a once Christian society sees no point to suffering.”
In an absolutely terminal situation, I’m not sure I see the point of it either.
Life is absolutely terminal to start with.
+1
Well said. Comfort, the modern day idol.
Or, no way to redeem a situation of suffering.
It is not wrong to seek surcease from pain, but while that is not possible, it is wrong not to seek some way to redeem the painful situation.
You’re going to die someday. Why not offer your suffering to Christ in reparation for your sins?
You might be surprised at the outcome.
Dying is as much a part of life as living.
I’ve always viewed suicide as a very selfish act.
Was she in pain? It is my understanding that she was not.
I’m sorry, I have no problem with the woman who got morphine for her father at his request. That was the right thing to do and I hope someone will do the same for me if and when the time comes.
The pro-choice crowd did a similar thing to Norma McCorvey (Jane Roe of Roe V, Wade), but she lived to tell about it.
“In an absolutely terminal situation, I’m not sure I see the point of it either.”
When our society was healthy - decades ago - people believed suffering could be turned toward a purpose. Maynard is an example of a society that has lost all hope. I’m not talking about hope for a cure for a particular disease. I bet Maynard believed there would be a cure for her disease sometime down the road just not in time for her. I’m talking about the kind of hope in which people believe there is a point to everything, God has a plan, providence is at work, etc. Maynard did not kill herself to avoid pain. Maynard killed herself because she saw no point to going on. That’s about purpose and hope, not pain. Despair is a terrible thing.
http://www.catholicbridge.com/catholic/why_catholics_love_suffering.php
http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/dont-waste-your-cancer
Here’s an example of what I’m talking about:
They say that Kansas is so flat that you can see your dog run away for a week. This is only partially true, because in Northeastern Kansas where I grew up there are lots of hills, forests, lakes and rivers. Among the hills of that region, nestled back, far away from the sounds of the city, where only meadow larks and cicadas interrupt the deafening silence of the prairie, there lies a mostly unnoticed cemetery. In the corner of that cemetery, off towards the edge where the woods begin, is the grave of a friend of mine. It reads: “Adveniat Regnum Tuum!” “Declan Brown nLC 1981 - 1995” … Declan had been one of my good friends in grade school who knew from a young age that God was calling him to the priesthood. He had visited the Legionary Apostolic School in New Hampshire where fell in love with Christ and discovered his vocation: to be a Legionary priest and save souls, bringing them to heaven.
It was a normal school morning, with an un-normal detail added to it. The Brown family didn’t show up for classes! That afternoon we found out that when Declan had woken up he couldn’t move his legs. He was rushed to the hospital in Kansas City where the doctors discovered an index finger size tumor on his spine just below the neck. The diagnosis turned out that it was a very malignant type of cancer. What made things worse though is that they couldn’t operate on it for risk that Declan would be permanently paralyzed from spinal cord damage. The doctors did what they could through radiation and chemotherapy. His condition worsened though. He offered his suffering for the souls that would be entrusted to his care as a priest. About a year later the doctors saw that the end was near, so they moved all the hospital equipment out to the Brown’s home in the country so Declan. However, about a month before he died, he asked the Legionary provincial at the time, Fr Anthony Bannon LC, if he could receive his cassock and become a legionary novice. Canonically speaking he was too young though. He was only 14 and it was necessary to be 18 years of age to form part of a religious order. So, Fr Anthony requested a special dispensation from Pope John Paul II, allowing Declan to be admitted to the novitiate. It was granted, and about a week before he died he received his cassock on that hospital bed at his home down that dusty rock road in those rolling prairie hills. He was later buried in his cassock. As his mother sat at his bedside one day, Declan said to her “Mom I’m a priest.” His mother responded “No Declan, you’re not a priest yet.” Declan insisted, “Mom I’m a priest.” She replied again “No Declan, you’re not a priest. You’ve just received the uniform to begin your training for becoming a priest.” Declan explained “Mom, Christ was a priestly victim when he was suffering on the cross. I’m suffering with Christ on cross now, so I am a priest.”
The priesthood never dawned on me at the time. I was 15.
Written by Fr. Michael Patrick Moriarty: http://www.regnumchristi.org/multimedia/interactivos/ordenaciones/eng/articulo.phtml?id=38383&se=365&ca=982&te=931
So, one teenage boy, who saw purpose in his suffering inspired another man to become a priest (by the way, there’s actually many more than just one. Many people were inspired by Declan Brown’s faith).
Now, ask yourself, what did Maynard inspire with her handling of her suffering? Suicide. That’s it. She encouraged more people to kill themselves - and some of those people won’t even be terminally ill. What a waste.
“I’m sorry, I have no problem with the woman who got morphine for her father at his request.”
God does.
“That was the right thing to do and I hope someone will do the same for me if and when the time comes.”
I hope that you won’t despair instead. What you’re describing is despair. We’re all going to suffer no matter what. That’s life. But life without despair is a powerful thing. Death in despair is pathetic and even inhuman let alone inhumane.
“Dying is as much a part of life as living. I’ve always viewed suicide as a very selfish act.”
Me too. And I fully admit that I am relatively healthy and Monday morning quaterbacking from my comfy chair is too easy. Still, I know suicide is just wrong.
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