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Life is a just a heart beat away from death.
Thursday, August 23, 2012 11:20
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Life is a just a heart beat away from death.
Pope John Paul the second writes:
“In bringing about the Redemption through suffering, Christ raised human suffering to the level of the Redemption. Thus each man, in his sufferings, can also become a sharer in the redemptive suffering of Christ” (Salvifici Doloris).
Life is entwined with mystery, it has a fair degree of suffering attached to it, it can be short and it is only one heart beat away from death. Life is precious or so we would expect, there is a sanctity about life that understands the unique nature of every life. Each person matters, to borrow a line of jargon from the schools policy makers, who say that every child matters and this is quite right.
Life is to be protected, thou shall not kill is a fundamental human instinct. The quality of life that we have, can involve the element of suffering and yet the human spirit strives to adapt, to overcome, to rise to new heights of achievement. The Paralympics, for example, celebrates that life is not cheap, dispensable, or a barrier to achieving happiness, well being or success.
Life is struggling at this moment in our history to achieve full status, in a culture geared towards death.
Why do we as Catholics protest abortion, euthanasia, mercy killing? Because we understand life to be a gift from God that is wrapped up in an eternal mystery, that strives to see suffering in the light of the redemption of humanity. We understand too that where would they stop, those who would cut short life because of choice, how much choice would you get in the end? Where do all these notions of the dispensability of life lead? All life is sacred but if it becomes a burden then there are some who would not hesitate to eradicate it. Protecting life means to have a love for the vulnerable, the weak, the infirm, the unborn, the voiceless who would love life despite it’s suffering inflicted upon them.
There is always hope which may not be fully realised in this world of shadows and mystery. Hope may not become a reality until we have taken our last breath. But hope is eternal, therefore life is not to be dismissed easily.
Fr Paul Duffner, O.P. In an article on Redemptive Suffering: Says:
“By the sufferings in His human nature during the Passion by which mankind was redeemed, Christ gave to all suffering experienced in the members of His Mystical Body a redeeming power when accepted and offered up in union with His Passion.”
“Speaking on one occasion to a group of infirm persons suffering from various illnesses and handicaps, the Holy Father (Pope John Paul) recalled the great mercy of Christ in the many times He miraculously cured the lame, the blind, the deaf, the leprous, etc.; and how to save the newly-weds embarrassment, He miraculously changed water into wine. But, he said, there is here an even greater miracle, a greater mercy – when He gives to human suffering a supernatural value. All the miracles mentioned were changes on the purely natural level; that is, the gift given in each miracle was some benefit of the natural order. But when He transforms human suffering giving it a supernatural value, a supernatural power, that is a far greater gift, a far greater miracle. But it is a gift so little appreciated, for it is known only in the light of faith; and the faith of many is weak. How many opportunities for spiritual growth and for helping others are wasted in complaining about the crosses of life.” (Source: Fr Paul Duffner O.P)
Suffering is a tragic aspect of the human condition. It breaks the heart to see suffering, there is a natural empathy to reach out and do something to help ease the burden. This can never turn into killing for mercies sake but understood in the light of the passion of Christ on the Cross there is a dignity to humanity. Faith proclaims that this short life is not the be all and end of life. Life here and now on earth, is a preparation for life to come.
Suffering is unwelcome but how we understand it is crucial to our vision for life itself. It is such an emotive subject, the right to choose, we are custodians of God’s creation and that involves the sanctity of life and the value of hope.
I read a quote once when doing a course of bereavement it sums up how I feel:
We need to teach the next generation of children from day one that they are responsible for their lives. Mankind’s greatest gift, also its greatest curse, is that we have free choice. We can make our choices built from love or from fear.
Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
2012-08-23 09:58:15
Source: http://humblepiety.blogspot.com/2012/08/life-is-just-heart-beat-away-from-death.html
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