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Reflections on Ethics, Faith, & Health Care: Now featuring discussion posts for THE LIFE OF BLESSED MARGARET OF CASTELLO, by Father William Bonniwell, OP

SADNESS, HOPE, and REVERSAL of FORTUNE

November 5, 2017 Fr. Jonah Pollock, O.P. Leave a comment

There are great joys that people in health care get to experience. Patients get well, receive favorable diagnoses, overcome difficult…

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Posted in: Faith Filed under: Hope, Prayer, Scripture, Suffering

The ETHICAL PERSPECTIVE

October 22, 2017 Fr. Jonah Pollock, O.P. Leave a comment

We are accustomed to evaluating people according to professional standards. “She’s a good doctor.” “He’s a good accountant.” “Their second…

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Posted in: Ethics Filed under: Human dignity

VIATICUM: the LAST SACRAMENT of the CHRISTIAN

October 12, 2017 Fr. Jonah Pollock, O.P. Leave a comment

The sacrament of Anointing of the Sick, when administered to the dying, is called by the Catechism of the Catholic…

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Posted in: Faith Filed under: Church teaching, Death and dying, Ministry, Sacraments

“GOD’S REMEDY”: the STORY of RAPHAEL the ARCHANGEL

October 5, 2017 Fr. Jonah Pollock, O.P. Leave a comment

I am writing this on September 29, the feast day of the archangels Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael. They are the…

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Posted in: Faith Filed under: Prayer, Scripture, Suffering

ANOINTING of the SICK: a SACRAMENT for the SICK and the DYING

September 28, 2017 Fr. Jonah Pollock, O.P. Leave a comment

The Anointing of the Sick is a sacrament that is frequently misunderstood. When I receive emergency calls asking me to…

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Posted in: Faith Filed under: Church teaching, Death and dying, Ministry, Sacraments

CONTEMPORARY HEALTH CARE and the CHOICE for LIFE

September 25, 2017 Fr. Jonah Pollock, O.P. Leave a comment

I have set before you life and death . . . choose life! The choice that Moses set before the…

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Posted in: Ethics Filed under: Church teaching, Death and dying, End of life health care, Scripture

REPRODUCTIVE TECHNOLOGIES and the RIGHTS of PARENTS and CHILDREN

July 9, 2017 Fr. Jonah Pollock, O.P. Leave a comment

Our society generally uses the term “reproductive rights” to refer to the options that should be made available to a…

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Posted in: Ethics Filed under: Beginning of life health care, Church teaching

TOWARD a SPIRITUALITY of HEALTH CARE

July 2, 2017 Fr. Jonah Pollock, O.P. Leave a comment

Christian revelation tells us that seeking what is truly good — and seeking the one who is Truth and Goodness…

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Posted in: Ethics Filed under: Spirituality, St. Thomas Aquinas

The EUCHARIST, the CHURCH, and the HOSPITAL

June 25, 2017 Fr. Jonah Pollock, O.P. Leave a comment

“The Church draws her life from the Eucharist.” With these words, Pope Saint John Paul II began his 2003 encyclical…

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Posted in: Faith Filed under: Church teaching, Ministry, Sacraments

The RIGHT to LIFE: the RIGHT of a CHILD; not the RIGHT to a CHILD

June 18, 2017 Fr. Jonah Pollock, O.P. 1 Comment

That illnesses can now be diagnosed and treated when a child is still in the womb represents a significant advance…

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Posted in: Ethics Filed under: Beginning of life health care, Church teaching, Human dignity

HEALTH CARE and the HOLY SPIRIT

June 4, 2017 Fr. Jonah Pollock, O.P. Leave a comment

Every year at Pentecost the Church commemorates the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles and the Blessed Virgin…

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Posted in: Faith Filed under: Catholic liturgy, Church teaching, Scripture

HUMAN CONSCIENCE and PATIENT AUTONOMY

April 30, 2017 Fr. Jonah Pollock, O.P. Leave a comment

Conscience, according to Saint Thomas Aquinas, is the act of the human intellect by which “we judge that something should…

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Posted in: Ethics Filed under: Church teaching, Human agency, Human dignity, St. Thomas Aquinas

The ROAD to EMMAUS: ACCOMPANYING the SICK on their JOURNEY

April 23, 2017 Fr. Jonah Pollock, O.P. Leave a comment

In recounting the events of Easter Sunday, The Gospel of Luke presents us with the beautiful narrative in which Jesus…

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Posted in: Faith Filed under: Ministry, Prayer, Scripture, Suffering

O HAPPY FAULT!

April 16, 2017 Fr. Jonah Pollock, O.P. Leave a comment

On Easter Sunday the Church is full of rejoicing! That rejoicing is expressed in many ways, but never more beautifully…

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Posted in: Faith Filed under: Catholic liturgy, Scripture

SUFFERING with JESUS who SUFFERED for US

April 9, 2017 Fr. Jonah Pollock, O.P. Leave a comment

Throughout our lives, and most especially in the season of Lent, the Church invites us to reflect upon and more…

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Posted in: Faith Filed under: Catholic liturgy, Scripture, Suffering

ASSISTED SUICIDE: the WRONG ANSWER to REAL PROBLEMS

April 2, 2017 Fr. Jonah Pollock, O.P. Leave a comment

In a recent Reflection (Feb 19, 2017), I characterized four common attitudes about death as those of “the secular, the scientist,…

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Posted in: Healthcare Filed under: Death and dying

JESUS’ KIND of HEALING: the MAN BORN BLIND

March 26, 2017 Fr. Jonah Pollock, O.P. Leave a comment

The ninth chapter of the Gospel of John relates a healing encounter between Jesus and a man born blind. Let…

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Posted in: Faith Filed under: Scripture

DEATH with DIGNITY

March 19, 2017 Fr. Jonah Pollock, O.P. Leave a comment

Proponents of physician-assisted suicide have used the term “death with dignity” to present their cause in a positive way. The…

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Posted in: Ethics Filed under: Church teaching, Death and dying, Scripture

GOSPEL ETHICS: COMMANDMENTS FOR US and PROMISES FROM GOD

March 12, 2017 Fr. Jonah Pollock, O.P. Leave a comment

We have already considered how the ethics of the Christian gospel embrace both rigorous moral standards and extravagant forgiveness of…

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Posted in: Ethics Filed under: Scripture, St. Thomas Aquinas

LENTEN PENANCE: SUFFERING in UNION with CHRIST

March 5, 2017 Fr. Jonah Pollock, O.P. Leave a comment

Throughout the forty days of Lent, the Church invites us to practice penance by praying, fasting, and giving alms. As…

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Posted in: Faith Filed under: Catholic liturgy, Church teaching, Ministry, Prayer, Scripture

GOSPEL ETHICS: RADICAL DEMANDS and RADICAL MERCY

February 26, 2017 Fr. Jonah Pollock, O.P. Leave a comment

G. K. Chesterton, the early 20th century Christian apologist, wrote that, while “paganism declared that virtue was in a balance;…

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Posted in: Ethics Filed under: Church teaching, Scripture

HUMANS and DEATH: the SECULAR, the SCIENTIST, the SUICIDE, and the SAINT

February 19, 2017 Fr. Jonah Pollock, O.P. Leave a comment

In the eyes of God, death is the negation of the life He created. God permits death as a consequence…

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Posted in: Healthcare Filed under: Death and dying

GOD and DEATH: the VICTORY of JESUS

February 12, 2017 Fr. Jonah Pollock, O.P. Leave a comment

“I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.” These are the first words of the Apostles…

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Posted in: Faith Filed under: Church teaching, Death and dying, Scripture

EARTHEN VESSELS and the TREASURES THEY HOLD

February 5, 2017 Fr. Jonah Pollock, O.P. Leave a comment

“We hold these treasures in earthen vessels,” Saint Paul says (2 Cor 4:7). These “earthen vessels” are human bodies, which…

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Posted in: Faith Filed under: Death and dying, Scripture

WHAT it MEANS to HOPE

January 29, 2017 Fr. Jonah Pollock, O.P. Leave a comment

“Hope” is a word that can mean different things. It can mean looking forward to something good that might happen…

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Posted in: Faith Filed under: Hope, Scripture, Spirituality

ADVANCED DIRECTIVES in HEALTH CARE, PART III: MAKING the BEST DECISIONS

January 22, 2017 Fr. Jonah Pollock, O.P. Leave a comment

Having considered the topic of advanced directives in health care in general, and the kinds of directives that can be…

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Posted in: Healthcare Filed under: Death and dying, End of life health care

ADVANCED DIRECTIVES in HEALTH CARE, PART II: KINDS of DIRECTIVES

January 15, 2017 Fr. Jonah Pollock, O.P. Leave a comment

We have considered in a general way the topic of advanced directives in health care. Let us now consider some…

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Posted in: Healthcare Filed under: Death and dying, End of life health care

ADVANCED DIRECTIVES in HEALTH CARE, PART I: the LIMITATIONS to ADVANCED DECISION MAKING

January 8, 2017 Fr. Jonah Pollock, O.P. Leave a comment

Making advanced directives about one’s health care is frequently encouraged in our society and, in many ways, that is a…

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Posted in: Healthcare Filed under: Death and dying, End of life health care

PATIENTS and their FAMILIES

January 1, 2017 Fr. Jonah Pollock, O.P. Leave a comment

One of the saddest experiences I have as a hospital chaplain is ministering to patients who die alone. Thankfully, that…

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Posted in: Healthcare Filed under: Death and dying, Human dignity, Suffering

SHARING the CHRISTMAS GIFT

December 25, 2016 Fr. Jonah Pollock, O.P. Leave a comment

Christmas is a time of giving. It is the celebration of the greatest gift of all: Our Lord Jesus Christ,…

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Posted in: Faith Filed under: Catholic liturgy, Christmas, Ministry, Scripture, Spirituality

COOPERATION with EVIL

December 18, 2016 Fr. Jonah Pollock, O.P. Leave a comment

To “cooperate with evil” sounds like a horrible thing to do—and it can be. But some cooperation with evil is…

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Posted in: Ethics Filed under: Church teaching, Human agency

PRAYING for MIRACLES

December 11, 2016 Fr. Jonah Pollock, O.P. Leave a comment

People faced with dire circumstances often pray to God for miracles. The patients in the hospitals I serve, along with…

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Posted in: Faith, Healthcare Filed under: Prayer, Trust in God

BEING ANGRY with GOD

December 4, 2016 Fr. Jonah Pollock, O.P. 1 Comment

“I am angry with God” I often hear this from patients in the hospitals. They are expressing disappointment, the feeling…

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Posted in: Healthcare Filed under: Prayer, Suffering, Trust in God

FACING ILLNESS and DARING to HOPE

November 27, 2016 Fr. Jonah Pollock, O.P. Leave a comment

For he assumed at his first coming the lowliness of human flesh, and so fulfilled the design you formed long…

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Posted in: Faith Filed under: Advent, Catholic liturgy, Hope, Scripture, Suffering, Trust in God

CARE for the SICK and REIGN with CHRIST the KING

November 20, 2016 Fr. Jonah Pollock, O.P. Leave a comment

I was ill and you cared for me. (Matt 25:36) So the king will say, seated on his glorious throne…

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Posted in: Faith Filed under: Catholic liturgy, Ministry, Scripture, Spirituality

EXCELLENT MINISTERS of HOLY COMMUNION: PART II

November 13, 2016 Fr. Jonah Pollock, O.P. Leave a comment

The virtues that characterize excellent ministers of Holy Communion was the subject of our last reflection. We considered the virtue…

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Posted in: Faith Filed under: Ministry, Sacraments, St. Thomas Aquinas

EXCELLENT MINISTERS of HOLY COMMUNION: PART I

November 6, 2016 Fr. Jonah Pollock, O.P. Leave a comment

One of the most important parts of Catholic health care ministry is the administration of Holy Communion. This much needed…

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Posted in: Faith Filed under: Ministry, Sacraments, St. Thomas Aquinas

ETHICS as RESTORING the IMAGE of GOD

October 30, 2016 Fr. Jonah Pollock, O.P. Leave a comment

Saint Thomas Aquinas, in his great Summa Theologica, begins his treatment of ethics with the Christian understanding that human beings…

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Posted in: Ethics Filed under: Human agency, Human dignity, St. Thomas Aquinas

DOING GOOD while PERMITTING EVIL

October 23, 2016 Fr. Jonah Pollock, O.P. Leave a comment

For human beings, doing good means choosing a good moral object for the sake of a good end. If a…

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Posted in: Ethics Filed under: Human agency, St. Thomas Aquinas

DOING GOOD and AVOIDING EVIL

October 16, 2016 Fr. Jonah Pollock, O.P. Leave a comment

Good is to be done and pursued, and evil is to be avoided. This is the first principle of ethical…

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Posted in: Ethics Filed under: Human agency, St. Thomas Aquinas

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Recent Posts

  • Discussion Post for THE LIFE OF BLESSED MARGARET OF CASTELLO, Chapters 18 and 19 December 23, 2021
  • Discussion Post for THE LIFE OF BLESSED MARGARET OF CASTELLO, Chapters 16 and 17 December 16, 2021
  • Discussion Post for THE LIFE OF BLESSED MARGARET OF CASTELLO, Chapters 14 and 15 December 8, 2021
  • Discussion Post for THE LIFE OF BLESSED MARGARET OF CASTELLO, Chapter 13 November 27, 2021
  • Discussion Post for THE LIFE OF BLESSED MARGARET OF CASTELLO, Chapters 11 and 12 November 17, 2021
  • Discussion Post for THE LIFE OF BLESSED MARGARET OF CASTELLO, Chapters 9 and 10 November 9, 2021
  • Discussion Post for THE LIFE OF BLESSED MARGARET OF CASTELLO, Chapters 7 and 8 November 2, 2021
  • Discussion Post for THE LIFE OF BLESSED MARGARET OF CASTELLO, Chapters 5 and 6 October 26, 2021
  • Discussion Post for THE LIFE OF BLESSED MARGARET OF CASTELLO, Chapters 3 and 4 October 19, 2021
  • Discussion Post for THE LIFE OF BLESSED MARGARET OF CASTELLO, Chapters 1 and 2 October 10, 2021
  • Discussion Post for THE LIFE OF BLESSED MARGARET OF CASTELLO, Introduction October 4, 2021
  • Discussion Post for THE LOST ART OF DYING, Chapter 9 Art, Pages 236-237 May 24, 2021
  • Discussion Post for THE LOST ART OF DYING, Chapter 9, Pages 197-216 May 17, 2021
  • Discussion Post for THE LOST ART OF DYING, Chapter 9, Pages 179-197 May 12, 2021
  • Discussion Post for THE LOST ART OF DYING, Chapter 8 Art, Pages 234-235 May 10, 2021
  • Discussion Post for THE LOST ART OF DYING, Chapter 8, Pages 165-177 April 26, 2021
  • Discussion Post for THE LOST ART OF DYING, Chapter 8, Pages 153-165 April 19, 2021
  • Discussion Post for THE LOST ART OF DYING, Chapter 7 Art, Pages 232-233 April 6, 2021
  • Discussion Post for THE LOST ART OF DYING, Chapter 7, Pages 145-151 March 22, 2021
  • Discussion Post for THE LOST ART OF DYING, Chapter 7, Pages 135-145 March 16, 2021
  • Discussion Post for THE LOST ART OF DYING, Chapter 6 Art, Pages 230-231 March 1, 2021
  • Discussion Post for THE LOST ART OF DYING, Chapter 6, Pages 123-133 February 22, 2021
  • Discussion Post for THE LOST ART OF DYING, Chapter 6, Pages 113-122 February 15, 2021
  • Discussion Post for THE LOST ART OF DYING, Chapter 5 Art, Pages 228-229 February 8, 2021
  • Discussion Post for THE LOST ART OF DYING, Chapter 5, Pages 100-111 February 2, 2021
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