End-of-life decisions

The National Catholic Bioethics Center offers guidance and resources on some of the most important — and often misunderstood — Catholic teachings on end-of-life decisions. You can download or request a copy of its End-of-Life Guide, which is brief but covers what matters. Especially beautiful, and alien to modern sensibilities, is the Guide’s discussion of “The Redemptive Nature of Suffering.” Here’s an excerpt:

Suffering at times may be a profoundly distressing experience that raises deep and troubling questions about the meaning of life and even the nature of God. How can a merciful God allow us to experience the suffering of illness? It should be comforting to reflect on the fact that God Himself entered into human suffering through His Son who suffered and died so that we could overcome death.

Suffering and death entered the world with the sin of our first parents, but Christ’s obedience to the Will of His Father can now infuse these afflictions with redemptive power.

By virtue of our being made one with Christ in Baptism, we can join our suffering to that of Our Savior on the Cross at Calvary and thereby assist in His work of salvation for the entire world. The suffering of illness and dying brings the Catholic a grace-filled opportunity to offer prayer for oneself, for loved ones, and for the whole human race. Christ is with us during our illness and shares in our suffering as we share in His.

For those who have lost their faith in God, the suffering and helplessness of serious illness make little sense. Some may even come to contemplate suicide or euthanasia. Why should one endure the pain of illness when death is the end of all meaning and purpose? Others who accept the existence of God wrongly believe that He does not care whether we shorten our lives. The immorality of harming the great good of human life, however, should be apparent even to those without faith. The testimony of Sacred Scripture and the constant teaching of the Catholic Tradition speak against ever directly intending one’s own death. The Catholic, with a deep faith in Jesus Christ, may not be able to understand his suffering, but he knows he can offer it up as a powerful prayer.

We highly recommend this pamphlet as a guideline when pursuing medical care toward the end of life, and as none of us knows the date or the hour, we should all be ready.

The printed version of the guide comes with forms included for an Advanced Medical Directive and a Durable Power of Attorney. We encourage you to complete these forms, or contact a Catholic elder law attorney to ensure that you are prepared, and that your documents reflect your Catholic faith.