Throughout my priesthood, I have experienced more than a few instances where parishioners have a relative whose health, mentally and physically, have deteriorated tremendously.  They (they family) feel torn about what to do and what to pray for.

Respecting life from the womb to the tomb means giving every person a quality of life as free from pain as possible until they breathe their last breath.  Fortunately we have much medical technology to help make this happen. Psychologically, many of us struggle between not wanting to let go of the person and desiring, because of our faith, that our loved one go and be in the Lord's loving merciful hands.

I currently find myself with mixed feelings about my 89 year-old uncle's situation of life.  While I want him to go to the Lord and pray that whenever he does, it happens as pain-free and peacefully as possible, I do want the doctors who are caring for him, to give him a chance to recover from his current situation and enjoy whatever life he has left in this world.  I am confident that this family experience that I'm having right now, will better equip me for future experiences I have of ministering to people and their families in similar circumstances.  I do thank all of you for your thoughts and prayers for my Uncle Paul, for me and for my family.  Now that we have him back from Japan and close by (UAMS Medical Center) does help relieve the stress I've had for the last two weeks when he was sick in a hospital in Japan.