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.
Death and Dying
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.
Posted inArts & Culture, Film
‘A Still Small Voice’: New documentary explores the intimate, messy work of hospital chaplains
“A Still Small Voice” provides clear-eyed glimpses into the thorny work and religious versatility required of chaplaincy.
Posted inFaith, Faith in Focus
Why I love going to funerals
Death and remembrance show us a profound interconnectedness between individuals, bridging diverse lives through shared memories.
Posted inFaith, Short Take
Friends and colleagues remember Richard Gaillardetz, theologian, mentor and witness
Friends and colleagues remembered Richard Gaillardetz, who died on Tuesday, as a perceptive theologian, mining in his talks, articles and books the ecclesiology of Vatican II and Pope Francis’ vision for the church. They also noted the powerful witness of his reflections on his final months of life.
Posted inArts & Culture, Television
Matthew Perry: a friend who gave even as he suffered
What do you do when literally the entire world loves you, but not you?
Posted inArts & Culture, Catholic Movie Club
Catholic Movie Club: ‘Coco’ builds a bridge between the living and the dead
In “Coco,” memory doesn’t just summon up phantoms from the past, it reunites us with those we’ve lost.
Posted inFaith, Faith and Reason
Memories can be the way we show the dead our love on All Souls’ Day
Many Catholics today fail to appreciate the meaning and moral value of remembrance on All Souls’ Day—though praying for the dead was central to early Christian practice.
Posted inFaith, Short Take
Tim Wakefield’s death reminds us how (not) to accompany the dying
The baseball world recently mourned the loss of former Red Sox ace Tim Wakefield, but news of his grave illness was shared in an inherently anti-Christian way.
Posted inArts & Culture, Catholic Movie Club
Catholic Movie Club: ‘Wit’ is a film that stares death squarely in the eyes
In ‘Wit,‘ Dr. Vivian Bearing uses her formidable intellect as a shield against her existential terror.