Posted on 07/25/2011 8:45:03 PM PDT by Brian Kopp DPM
Cardinal Burke: suffering does not rid life of purpose
By Marianne Medlin
Cardinal Raymond Burke speaks at the Kansas City archdiocese on July 23, 2011
Kansas City, Kan., Jul 25, 2011 / 05:09 am (CNA/EWTN News).- At a Kansas City conference on end-of-life care, Cardinal Raymond Burke said that suffering does not cause a person to have less meaning in his life, nor does it give the government the right to decide if that person should live or die.
“No matter how much a life is diminished, no matter what suffering the person is undergoing, that life demands the greatest respect and care,” Cardinal Burke, prefect of the Apostolic Signatura, told CNA.
“It's never right to snuff out a life because it's in some way under heavy burden.”
Cardinal Burke spoke July 23 to a packed auditorium of over 350 people at the Archdiocese of Kansas City, Kan. on the “mystery” of human suffering and dying for his keynote address at the “Being Faithful, Even Unto Death” conference.
The meeting, organized by the St. Gianna Physician’s Guild, addressed medical issues surrounding those suffering and those at the end of their lives. The event was the first initiative of its kind for the group.
In his speech on Saturday, Cardinal Burke said that human suffering can only be understood in light of the “gift” and “dignity” of human life.
“Human life is a gift to be accorded the highest respect and care from its beginning until natural death,” he emphasized. “We are not the creators of human life and must respect the plan of the author of life for us and for our world.”
The cardinal stressed the importance of Catholics giving end-of-life care more attention, in light of cases involving vulnerable people such as Teri Schindler Schiavo – a severely disabled Florida woman who was deprived of nutrition and hydration by court order and her husband's request in 2005.
He underscored that nutrition and hydration are part of “basic human care” and to deprive patients of such care is not in any way “compassionate.”
Rather, “deliberately taking the life of an innocent human person is intrinsically evil and therefore, is never justified,” he said.
Along with the need for Catholics in general to be more informed on Church teaching about euthanasia, Cardinal Burke put special emphasis on Catholic students and seminarians being well versed on the topic.
All students, he said, should “pursue a certain number of courses of philosophy, so that in whatever field they specialize in,” they will use a logical, faith-filled approach to life issues.
Ultimately, he noted, “respect for the dignity of human life is the foundation of good order in our individual lives and our society.”
Without this respect, “our personal lives become profoundly disordered and society soon becomes a theater of violence and death.”
Cardinal Burke told CNA in comments following his talk that a Christian worldview isn't necessary for people to agree that society does not have the right to determine who lives or dies.
He said that “right reason” alone is enough for people from different perspectives to enter into productive dialogue on the issue.
Also speaking at the event on Saturday was Dr. Gianna Emanuela Molla who discussed the spirituality, life and legacy of her mother, Saint Gianna Beretta Molla.
Dr. Molla’s mother was declared a saint in 2004 by the Catholic Church and is known for her heroism in choosing a risky operation to save her daughter Gianna’s life when she was two months pregnant. The conference marks the first visit to the U.S. for St. Gianna’s daughter.
Other speakers included geriatric specialist Dr. Austin Welsh, Thomas More Society executive director Peter Breen, and Bobby Schindler and Suzanne Vitadamo – both siblings of Teri Schiavo.
Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas City and Bishop Robert Finn of Kansas City-St. Joseph also attended the event.
Jul. 25, 2011
KANSAS CITY, MO — Cardinal Raymond Burke concelebrated Mass at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Kansas City, Mo., July 24 after a Saturday conference, "Being Faithful, Even Unto Death: Catholic Wisdom on the Treatment of the Disabled and Dying."
His homily at the Sunday Mass reflected the core message of the conference: to embrace suffering and see its meaning through the love of Christ. Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas City and Bishop Robert Finn of Kansas City-Saint Joseph were co-celebrants.
Burke began by highlighting that it is by the sacraments that the relationship between the faithful and Christ's "enduring love" is shown.
"The greatest blessing of our lives is not some material good or worldly success but the revelation of the mysteries of the kingdom which God the Father has made to us," Burke said. He encouraged the faithful to recognize the "great gift" of God's "ceaseless love."
Burke frequently referenced "the greatest treasure" -- the sacrifice that Jesus made -- and how the faithful should live their lives in accordance with that love and acceptance of suffering.
"According to his plan, he has predestined us to share in glory which is his, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, for all eternity."
"How can we fail to consider every aspect of our daily living within the context of the mystery … of God's pure and selfless love… how [can] we spend our lives in pursuit of various treasures while neglecting to pursue the one treasure which really matters, the one treasure which endures through eternity?" he asked.
He noted how easily people in a secularized culture make daily decisions "as if we were our own creators and saviors." In doing so, he said, we fail to recognize God's gift of love.
He spoke of St. Gianna Molla, an Italian mother who chose to go through a risky operation to save the child she was carrying, and in doing so died a few days after the birth. St. Gianna's youngest child, Gianna Emanuela Molla, is now a physician and was present at the conference. She spoke at the Mass about her mother's life.
Jesus' suffering and dying is the "greatest treasure in the church," Burke said, and "those who are sick and suffering are to be treasured by all in the church."
For those who suffer, Burke said, "Let us consider how we can assist them, to accept their suffering and dying that is shared in the suffering and dying of Christ, filled with pure and selfless love, with the sure hope of eternal love and the kingdom of heaven. In a special way, let us draw our understanding of the mystery of suffering and dying from the Eucharistic sacrifice in which we now participate."
"In a secularized society, we view sickness and suffering as completely negative and meaningless," he said. "The holy Eucharist reveals the mystery of [God] in the acceptance of suffering for the salvation of others."
He ended with the message "Be the love of Christ."
Burke is cardinal prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, sometimes called the Vatican's Supreme Court.
The Mass preceded a reception at the Kansas City-St. Joseph Catholic Center where several relics of St. Gianna were on display. The conference was sponsored by St. Gianna Physician's Guild.
[Zoe Ryan is an NCR intern. Her e-mail address is zryan@ncronline.org.]
The most important right anyone has is the right to determine when to depart the mortal coil.
It isn’t a Constitutional Right — it is merely a reality of being a human being with free will.
The decision to hold or not is between the individual and his/her God.
No State, no potentate, no church should do more than advise and, as appropriate, pray.
It is easy for those who do not suffer to blithely say “suffering is good.”
ping
He is not disputing that each of us must depart at some juncture.
>>Cardinal Burke is speaking about duties that run toward those suffering, such as the duty to provide food and water.
He is not disputing that each of us must depart at some juncture.<<
That isn’t how I read it, but I can see how your take might be an interpretation as well...
St. Gianna's Physician Guild will be posting video of the talks. I'll post links as they become available.
I spoke at 9:00am for about ten minutes right before Cardinal Burke.
Cardinal Burke was a real gem. He was very kind. At the end of the conference, Cardinal Burke offered a Traditional Benediction service, in Latin, with the schola from the ICK parish in Kansas City MO. My two sons served Benediction for him at the end of the conference.
Ironically, after Benediction, a local priest asked my sons to serve a Novus Ordo anticipated Sunday mass for those who would be traveling. It was the first time my youngest son ever served a Novus Ordo mass, and he was more nervous about serving a Novus Ordo mass than he was about serving Benediction for the Cardinal.
Sorry, there is no such right, in Natural Law, in any western moral law or the Constitution.
Teri Schindler Schiavo did not die as an act of her free will but the will of her husband.
If it is anything, the role of the Church is to speak out on the sanctity of life.
Praise God for the conference.
May it bear lasting fruit.
>>Sorry, there is no such right, in Natural Law, in any western moral law or the Constitution.<<
So our lives are mere slaves to The State. We don’t own our lives, we just rent them.
>>Teri Schindler Schiavo did not die as an act of her free will but the will of her husband.<<
Wow! Where did that come from?
I spoke of one’s right to keep or no one’s own life. The debate about Ms. Schiavo may be of interest, but has no bearing on my comment.
It may or may not be germane to the topic in the article. But I won’t reopen that topic on a whim.
No, God is the author of Life, not you or the state, and it is His to number our days, not ours or the state’s.
“Thou shalt not kill” applies to everyone, ourselves included.
>>No, God is the author of Life, not you or the state, and it is His to number our days, not ours or the state’s.
“Thou shalt not kill” applies to everyone, ourselves included.<<
As I said, that is between the individual and his/her God. You cannot impose your perception on anyone else.
In the end, no one can nor should come between the conversation - and the result therefrom — between a person and God about how and when the end should come. Not the State, not a Church and certainly not you nor I.
>>No, God is the author of Life, not you or the state, and it is His to number our days, not ours or the state’s.
“Thou shalt not kill” applies to everyone, ourselves included.<<
As I said, that is between the individual and his/her God. You cannot impose your perception on anyone else.
In the end, no one can nor should come between the conversation - and the result therefrom — between a person and God about how and when the end should come. Not the State, not a Church and certainly not you nor I.
From the article we're commenting on:
"The cardinal stressed the importance of Catholics giving end-of-life care more attention, in light of cases involving vulnerable people such as Teri Schindler Schiavo – a severely disabled Florida woman who was deprived of nutrition and hydration by court order and her husband's request in 2005."I spoke of one’s right to keep or no one’s own life.
And the bishop is speaking to this as well: “We are not the creators of human life and must respect the plan of the author of life for us and for our world.”
Our choices are our own, the Church teaching is to guide in those choices. And to remind us that what we do affects us in many ways and also affects others as well.
It is not an easy matter for most of us. But I thought your comment did not sufficiently address the magnitude of it or the proper role of the Church in it.
These forums have a way of making discussion seem more harsh than if we had other cues than typed words. I didn't mean to slam, but make a point effectively.
Thanks for your reply.
>>It is not an easy matter for most of us. But I thought your comment did not sufficiently address the magnitude of it or the proper role of the Church in it.<<
I still see it as addressing personal end-of-life issues. But you and others have pointed out that this may have a broader, if more poignant, perspective.
And the hubris of that perspective might also still be at issue.
Isn't it always? :)
>>Isn’t it always? :)<<
+/- always. It is always pleasant to interact with people who think and ponder. I appreciate your insights and brevity in expressing same :)
Likewise.
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