(This is a research paper. It is longer and more detailed than the “Reflections” on this page. Please enjoy.) Introduction…
Why is this happening to me? Why did this happen to my child? What have I done to deserve this?…
According to J.R.R. Tolkien, author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, there are two kinds of hope.…
Saint Dominic is the Holy Founder of the Order of Preachers (the “Dominican” Order) that serves the parish community of…
In one of their “Sunday Review” sections, The New York Times published an article titled “Why Doctors Need Stories.” It was written…
We are once again considering the wrongfulness of direct abortion and, more generally, the deliberate killing of human beings in…
A direct abortion is an abortion that is deliberately chosen and is always morally wrong. It is morally wrong because…
Human life is a precious gift from Godwho made man and woman in His own image and likeness. The human…
Human life is a precious gift from God. In its very first chapter, the Bible tells us, “God created mankind…
In concluding these reflections on organ and tissue transplantation, I hope to be able to provide some guidance to the…
When we think of organ and tissue transplantation, we first might think of the donation of fully developed human body…
In order to ethically transplant vital organs from a consenting donor, it is necessary that the donor’s death be confirmed.…
Organ and tissue transplantation is a growing area of contemporary medical practice that raises a variety of ethical concerns. This…
Organ and tissue transplantation is a growing area of contemporary medical practice that raises a variety of ethical concerns. This…
When illness or injury threaten to end our lives or the lives of our loved ones, we may well find…
In our consideration of end-of-life health care, we seek to understand how we can determine which potentially life-sustaining measures are…
When someone is experiencing life-threatening illness or injury, ethical questions about the preservation of life often arise. What kinds of…
I have set before you life and death . . . Choose life (Deuteronomy 30:19). With these words, Moses exhorts God’s…
Human life is a precious gift from god. In its very first chapter, the Bible tells us, “God created mankind…
Like all human beings, patients receiving medical care can be identified with Jesus Christ by virtue of the Incarnation, the…
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…
In a recent Reflection (Feb 19, 2017), I characterized four common attitudes about death as those of “the secular, the scientist,…
In the eyes of God, death is the negation of the life He created. God permits death as a consequence…
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…
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…