Human life is a precious gift from god. In its very first chapter, the Bible tells us, “God created mankind…
Dominican Friars Health Care Ministry of New York is blessed with a great number of faithful and dedicated people who…
The Eucharist, the most holy Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, is “the source and summit of the…
“For me, it has always been clear: life is worth it only if you want it.” Thus states Carlos Framb…
Most, if not all, of the ethical problems in the world of health care come from a failure to grasp…
Preservation of bodily life is among the most basic goals of health care. The means that are used to accomplish…
Bringing Holy Communion to the sick is an important part of Catholic health care ministry. In this reflection, we will…
Everybody wants to be home for Christmas. Everybody wants to spend Christmas with family. But some people can’t be home…
Like all human beings, patients receiving medical care can be identified with Jesus Christ by virtue of the Incarnation, the…
The patients I encounter in my health care ministry are not, for the most part, runners. Many of them can…
We often use the word “patient” when speaking of men and women who are receiving medical care without giving much…
Every year on the first of November, the Church celebrates the Solemnity of All Saints, the great commemoration of all…
There are great joys that people in health care get to experience. Patients get well, receive favorable diagnoses, overcome difficult…
We are accustomed to evaluating people according to professional standards. “She’s a good doctor.” “He’s a good accountant.” “Their second…
The sacrament of Anointing of the Sick, when administered to the dying, is called by the Catechism of the Catholic…
I am writing this on September 29, the feast day of the archangels Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael. They are the…
The Anointing of the Sick is a sacrament that is frequently misunderstood. When I receive emergency calls asking me to…
I have set before you life and death . . . choose life! The choice that Moses set before the…
Our society generally uses the term “reproductive rights” to refer to the options that should be made available to a…
Christian revelation tells us that seeking what is truly good — and seeking the one who is Truth and Goodness…
“The Church draws her life from the Eucharist.” With these words, Pope Saint John Paul II began his 2003 encyclical…
That illnesses can now be diagnosed and treated when a child is still in the womb represents a significant advance…
Every year at Pentecost the Church commemorates the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles and the Blessed Virgin…
Conscience, according to Saint Thomas Aquinas, is the act of the human intellect by which “we judge that something should…
In recounting the events of Easter Sunday, The Gospel of Luke presents us with the beautiful narrative in which Jesus…
On Easter Sunday the Church is full of rejoicing! That rejoicing is expressed in many ways, but never more beautifully…
Throughout our lives, and most especially in the season of Lent, the Church invites us to reflect upon and more…
In a recent Reflection (Feb 19, 2017), I characterized four common attitudes about death as those of “the secular, the scientist,…
The ninth chapter of the Gospel of John relates a healing encounter between Jesus and a man born blind. Let…
Proponents of physician-assisted suicide have used the term “death with dignity” to present their cause in a positive way. The…
We have already considered how the ethics of the Christian gospel embrace both rigorous moral standards and extravagant forgiveness of…
Throughout the forty days of Lent, the Church invites us to practice penance by praying, fasting, and giving alms. As…
G. K. Chesterton, the early 20th century Christian apologist, wrote that, while “paganism declared that virtue was in a balance;…
In the eyes of God, death is the negation of the life He created. God permits death as a consequence…
“I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.” These are the first words of the Apostles…
“We hold these treasures in earthen vessels,” Saint Paul says (2 Cor 4:7). These “earthen vessels” are human bodies, which…
“Hope” is a word that can mean different things. It can mean looking forward to something good that might happen…
Having considered the topic of advanced directives in health care in general, and the kinds of directives that can be…
We have considered in a general way the topic of advanced directives in health care. Let us now consider some…
Making advanced directives about one’s health care is frequently encouraged in our society and, in many ways, that is a…
One of the saddest experiences I have as a hospital chaplain is ministering to patients who die alone. Thankfully, that…
Christmas is a time of giving. It is the celebration of the greatest gift of all: Our Lord Jesus Christ,…
To “cooperate with evil” sounds like a horrible thing to do—and it can be. But some cooperation with evil is…
People faced with dire circumstances often pray to God for miracles. The patients in the hospitals I serve, along with…
“I am angry with God” I often hear this from patients in the hospitals. They are expressing disappointment, the feeling…
For he assumed at his first coming the lowliness of human flesh, and so fulfilled the design you formed long…
I was ill and you cared for me. (Matt 25:36) So the king will say, seated on his glorious throne…
The virtues that characterize excellent ministers of Holy Communion was the subject of our last reflection. We considered the virtue…
One of the most important parts of Catholic health care ministry is the administration of Holy Communion. This much needed…
Saint Thomas Aquinas, in his great Summa Theologica, begins his treatment of ethics with the Christian understanding that human beings…