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Pray with Pope Francis Reflection - February 2024

Fr. Edmund Lo, SJ

Tuesday, February 6, 2024

My brothers and sisters: In this month of February, Pope Francis invites us to pray for the terminally ill, that both they and their families receive the necessary medical and human care and accompaniment.
God has created us in his own image, giving us a dignity that cannot be taken away by anything. Human worth does not stem from what we can do, but who we are. This is consistent with the Church’s moral teaching on the reverence for life, from conception to natural end. 
Those who are terminally ill are the ones who are the most in need. Rather than seeing them as useless and disposable parts of society, we need to regard them with respect and give them the dignity that is due. 
Accompanying the terminally ill and their families is to walk with Jesus Christ who is on his way to Calvary, to be crucified. Through his suffering and death, suffering has been forever transformed. Learning to “suffer with” is a deeply Christian act. It is what Christian charity demands of us, and it helps us to become more Christian. 
On a practical level, this month’s prayer intention points to palliative care, the kind of care that we give to those who are terminally ill. 
Euthanasia and medical-assisted dying may seem like a quicker and easier fix, but they imply that suffering is meaningless, and that we ourselves somehow have the power to decide whose lives are worth living or not. 
Let us advocate for an accompaniment of the terminally ill that gives and affirms human dignity, rather than an approach that strips away dignity. Let us ensure that neither funding nor resources for palliative care are being diverted elsewhere. Let us ensure that our voices on this issue are heard by the lawmakers. 
May God bless you today. 
Watch previous Pray with Pope Francis videos here.


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