Ivan Illich was a “radically orthodox” monsignor who remained tradition-minded his entire life. With Pope Francis, his hour may have finally arrived.
Death and Dying
Posted inFaith, Short Take
How parishes can help Catholics prepare for death
The parish can be a nexus for sharing hopes and fears about the last stage of life. Clarifying Catholic teaching about medical technologies and care at the end of life would be another helpful step.
Posted inFaith, The Good Word
On Corpus Christi, Jesus tells us: I have met death. I will live forever. I am yours.
A Homily for the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, by Father Terrance Klein
Posted inNews, Politics & Society
Pope Francis: Euthanasia is never a source of ‘genuine concern for the sick and dying’
“Authentic palliative care is radically different from euthanasia, which is never a source of hope or genuine concern for the sick and dying,” the pope said in a message to the first International Interfaith Symposium on Palliative Care in Toronto.
Posted inFaith, Faith in Focus
Living on Scan Time: My life after a cancer diagnosis
What surviving cancer—for now—taught me about life.
Posted inFaith, Faith and Reason
The false promise of keeping a loved one ‘alive’ with A.I. grief bots
With the creation of A.I., anthropomorphized chatbots are one critical example of how the rapidly advancing technology is testing the limits of the human condition.
Posted inFaith, Faith in Focus
I’ve always loved relics. After my cancer diagnosis, they mean even more to me.
Our theology of relics tells us something beautiful and profound not only about God but about what we believe about materiality itself.
Posted inFaith, Faith in Focus
Communion, death and a Last Supper in the NICU on Holy Thursday
For me, Communion is holy and very real, a connection to God and to God’s people. As a hospital chaplain, though, my job is to support the spirituality of patients and families right where they are.
Posted inPolitics & Society, Short Take
Physician-assisted suicide is gaining popularity. But there are better options.
Physician-assisted suicide can seem like an easy fix to a health care system reluctant to deal with end-of-life issues. But there are other options, including hospice care, that patients deserve to know about.
Posted inArts & Culture, Catholic Book Club
Who’s in hell? Hans Urs von Balthasar had thoughts.
Is hell empty? Pope Francis hopes so. Among the thinkers of the past century who speculated it could be so was Hans Urs von Balthasar, a favorite of the past two popes and a prominent theologian of his time.