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Jesus
is the Divine Physician who modeled how to care for the sick during his
time on earth. Healthcare professionals share in Christ’s healing
mission and are entrusted with the care and protection of human life in
its most vulnerable circumstances. Their goal must always be the service
and safeguarding of human life, and never its destruction. Yet in a
time of scientific and technological developments, there are many
instances in healthcare settings in which God’s design for the human
person is violated, especially as patients approach the end of their
earthly lives.
In 2020, the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith released the letter Samaritanus bonus,
“on the care of persons in the critical and terminal phases of life.”
The letter reaffirms the Church’s teaching on care for those who are
critically ill or dying and offers additional pastoral guidance for
increasingly complex situations at the end of life.
Despite
our best efforts, it can sometimes be difficult to recognize the
profound value of human life when we see its full weakness and
fragility. Yet, the faithful care of human life until its natural end is
entrusted to every person. Death is a decisive moment in our encounter
with God, and the time preceding this encounter holds great
significance.
To
those who care for the sick, the scene of the Cross provides a way of
understanding that even when it seems that there is nothing more to do
there remains much to do, because “remaining” by the side of the sick is
a sign of love and of the hope that it contains. Healed by Jesus, we
become men and women called to proclaim his healing power and provide
care for our neighbors, until the very end.
Reflection adapted from “The Witness of the Good Samaritan: Palliative Care and Hospice.”
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