It has been almost four decades since I began my priestly ministry. For me it all began in what at that time was one of the largest and fastest growing parishes in the Archdiocese of St. Louis and in all of Missouri. The immediate entree into pivotal moments in the lives of people and their families was very striking. I've mentioned from time to time that I was also struck by the extent to which I had been, up until that time, sheltered from the most important moments in human life: the moments of birth and of death. But my sheltered existence - which ended very quickly when I moved into that first parish assignment at St. Joseph in Manchester, Mo. - was not unique 40 years ago. Mothers were still being whisked into labor rooms, and fathers and other family members were still keeping vigil in waiting rooms. The same pattern occurred around the final moments of anyone involved in a lingering process of dying.
These days, we take for granted the birthing classes and more participatory process of bringing a new child into the world. People even share these moments on one particular channel on cable television. Individuals can also take advantage of such things as hospice care at the other end of life.
Last week, our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, speaking to participants in a meeting of the Pontifical Academy for Life, said it is the duty of Christians to accompany those who are dying and that no believer should die alone.
Religious, like the Little Sisters of the Poor, who administer residences for the elderly, typically accompany their dying guests, gathering around their beds and surrounding them with prayer and hymns. It has always seemed to me that this experience should not be the exception but should be the rule. It would be usual for members of large families to be surrounded by loved ones at this important time, but it was very important for Pope Benedict to remind all of us that every believer is entitled to this gift of human solidarity at one of the two most important moments of human existence. These days, well meaning legislation on privacy in hospitals can have unintended negative consequences. I am thinking of members of our parishes who may have very few immediate family members. While I don't have an easy answer to this sort of situation, all of our parishes should look into how they might be able to heed the call of Pope Benedict that, indeed, no believer should die alone.
The Holy Father went on to say, "Death concludes the experience of earthly life, but through death there opens for each of us, beyond time, the full and definitive life. For the community of believers, this encounter between the dying person and the source of life and love represents a gift that has a universal value, that enriches the communion of the faithful."
Obviously, many times people will slip away in death at an unexpected moment. I recall the sisters who were caring for Bishop McAuliffe speaking of how he was able to visit all of the Christmas cribs on the various floors of the Jeanne Jugan Residence in Kansas City on the Feast of the Epiphany. Shortly after returning to his room, he simply breathed his last breath.
On the other hand, priests of the St. Louis archdiocese took turns in the long ordeal as Archbishop John May was dying of terminal cancer of the brain. Even though he was completely unresponsive, the many priests who took part in this vigil expressed that sense of deepening awareness of the fraternity of the priesthood and the communion of the faithful.
As we draw near to the celebration of the Paschal Triduum, recalling the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, let us welcome this privileged opportunity to strengthen our claim on the victory of Jesus over all sin and death.
