Paradoxes of “Dignified Death”
There are several contradictions within the debate on euthanasia, contrasting modern medicine’s success in prolonging life with the contemporary tendency to seek assisted death in the face of suffering. Examples include therapeutic obstinacy versus the desire to control the end of existence, and the dehumanization inherent in comparing a dignified death to the putting down of animals. Likewise, caring for the elderly and the terminally ill offers an opportunity for spiritual and human growth. Finally, concepts such as “quality of life” are relative to each culture and, from a Christian perspective, the natural process of dying and the mystery of pain hold a profound value.
Lourdes
Lourdes is much more than the 72 miracles certified in 167 years since the apparitions of the Virgin to Bernadette Soubirous in 1858.
Lourdes, an important Christian destination, is characterized by its purifying water, its spiritual climate of peace and ceremonies such as the torchlight procession.
In addition to physical healings, the author experienced personal “other miracles”: a reunion with a Bolivian friend in Paris, an unexpected seat at a packed Mass with cancer survivors like himself, and the miraculous recovery of a lost hearing aid. A prayer for the healing of Bolivia from populism could not be missing, trusting in a change with the new government.