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The most serious miscalculation of all? P hysician-assisted suicide, according to its advo- cates, offers a good way to wrap up our life as we face extreme suffering. When we think we
The Laity: A gift for the Church
R eflecting on the last 40 years working for the Catholic Church in the Rio Grande Valley, what I admire the most is the dedication and commitment of the laity. The five parishes I’ve served at and my work in the diocese with the first diocesan synod, disciples in mission, and the San Juan Diego Ministry Institute, I’ve had the privilege of meeting so many of our gifted and talented laity involved and to- tally committed to the Lord Jesus Christ, the Church and the Gospel. I’ve met many laity who serve their parishes by virtue of their own baptism and their charisms, as sac- ristans, lectors, catechists, extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, talented choir members, cantors, musicians, parish pastoral and finance councils. And there are those in the many movements, apostolates and ministries like Cursillo, ACTS, Catholic Daugh- ters, Knights of Columbus, Apostolados de la Cruz y de la Palabra, Talleres de Oración y el Movimiento Carismático. Over the years there has been an increase in lay involvement in parish life, Catholic schools, lay eccle- sial movements and those involved in lay ecclesial for- mation. It is indeed an invaluable fruit of the Second Vatican Council. Prior to the Second Vatican Council, the laity were expected only to “pray, pay and obey.” Much has changed since. St. John Paul II in his Post-Synodal Apostolic Ex- hortation: Christifidelis Laici, on The Vocation and The Mission of the Lay Faithful in the Church and in the World , wrote that lay members of Christ’s faithful peo- ple are those who form that part of the People of God which might be likened to the laborers in the vineyard mentioned in the Gospel of Matthew 20:1-2. “The Gospel parable sets before our eyes the Lord's vast vineyard and the multitude of persons, both women and men, who are called and sent forth by him to labor in it. The vineyard is the whole world (cf. Mt 13:38) in view of the final coming of the King- dom of God.” For many are called (invited), but few are chosen (accept the invitation). (Mt 22:14). The Lord Jesus invites all of us personally, clergy and laity, “You go too into the vineyard.” St. Grego- ry the Great recalls this fact and comments on the parable of the laborers in the vineyard, “Keep watch over your manner of life, dear people, and make sure that you are indeed the Lord's laborers. Each person should take into account what he does and consider if he is laboring in the vineyard of the Lord.” In May 2009, the late Pope Benedict XVI spoke of the expression “co-responsibility of the ordained and
the laity.” He said, “It is necessary to improve pastoral structures in such a way that the co-responsibility of all the members of the People of God in their entirety is gradually promoted, with respect for vocations and for the respective roles of the consecrated and of lay people. This demands a change in mindset, partic- ularly concerning lay people. They must no longer be viewed as ‘collaborators’ of the clergy but truly recognized as ‘co-responsible’ for the Church’s being and action, thereby fostering the consolidation of a mature and committed laity.” (Opening of The Pastoral Convention of The Diocese of Rome On The Theme: “Church Membership And Pastoral Co-Responsibility.”) At the opening of the second session of the 16th General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, Pope Francis underscored the importance of lay involve- ment in shaping a Church that is humble, inclusive, and guided by the Holy Spirit. “Lay participation, he noted, is not merely a symbolic gesture but a foundational element that strengthens the Church's relational and communal nature … In highlighting the indispensable role of the laity, Pope Francis signaled a renewed emphasis on collaboration and unity, inviting all members of the Church – both ordained and lay – to participate actively in the Church's mission of love and service.” (Radio Veritas Asia, Oct. 3, 2024). The Second Vatican Council’s Dogmatic Constitu- tion on the Church Lumen Gentium , clearly empha- sizes that the laity are baptized Christians incorpo- rated into Christ and share in his priesthood. This is called the “threefold of Christ.” “These faithful are by baptism made one body with Christ and are constituted among the People of God; they are in their own way made sharers in the priestly, prophetical, and kingly functions of Christ; and they carry out for their own part the mission of the whole Christian people in the Church and in the world.” (§31). The three munera of Christ: Munus docendi – the duty to teach, based on Christ's role as prophet; Munus sanctificandi – the duty to sanctify, based on Christ's role as priest; Munus regendi – the duty to shepherd, based on Christ's role as king. (See CCC# 901 – 913). As we can appreciate the participation of the laity in the life and mission of the Catholic Church, the vocation of the laity is truly a gift for the Church. Each baptized Catholic is called to become a “mis- sionary disciple,” witnessing the Gospel of Jesus Christ by serving one another in God’s love and mercy every day everywhere.
though both of these activities, objectively speaking, could be of potentially great assistance to those who have died. Instead, they play along in a kind of cultur- al fiction tempting us to believe that if we feel or want something to be true, then it must be so. In considering our own death, then, we may similarly entertain a strong wish that there be no more sufferings on the other side, especially when it comes to justifying our decision to engage in physician-as- sisted suicide. Simply having such a wish, however, does not actually make it so. From our limited vantage point, we cannot safely rule out the possibility that after we die, we could encounter purifications and af- flictions similar to, or exceeding, those we left behind, especially if we had chosen to become the direct cause and agent of our own demise. Careful thinkers, then, will acknowledge that, at a minimum, they lack certitude regarding the conclu- sion that suffering, purgation and punishment are impossible in the hereafter. They also need to consider scenarios in which the hereafter may be much longer than they might initially suppose, perhaps even eter- nal, as they ponder the ethical questions involved in death, dying and self-killing. Given our lack of first-hand awareness of what awaits us after death, and the potential for serious, extended consequences, we may indeed be foolish- ly gambling with our most valuable asset, our very selves, if we choose physician-assisted suicide as a means of ending our earthly existence. This could engender profound regret. In thinking through the worst-case scenario, we could even envision the prospect of catastrophic repercussions and the loss of everything through eternal perdition, if we had, with full awareness and intention, and in the absence of mental illness or other mitigating factors, freely pursued the wrongful action of suicide. Looking squarely at these logical possibilities and unpacking some of the flawed assumptions be-hind physician-assisted suicide can help us avoid the most serious miscalculation of all, whereby we end up, not in deliverance, but in straits potentially far worse than the limited, earthly travails we are seeking to escape. Instead of trusting in worldly slogans and leaning on human wishes, careful thinkers will seek to discern the deeper eschatological order governing human perishing and death.
have reached the limit of what we can bear in terms of pain and discomfort, they assure us we can choose death on “our own terms.” Given that our life belongs to us and no one else, we are told we should feel free to end it, supported by professionals from the medical community. Once our physician has prescribed us a toxic pharmaceutical, we are at liberty to ingest it whenever we are ready and “want out.” This final act will putatively close out our time of suffering, resolv- ing our situation for the better, and giving permanent testimony that we believe we are, quite literally, “better off dead.” But are we? What if multiple mistaken ideas and flawed assumptions sustain this whole line of thinking? For example, what if we are mistaken in supposing that our life is exclusively our own? What if it also belongs, in important ways, to God and to others? And what if we are mistaken in supposing that suffering can no longer befall those who pass through death to the other side? Some might be tempted to reply, “There is no God and no ‘other side.’ ” Beyond the portal of death, they argue, lies nothing — mere void and blackness. We vanish, and life does not continue on in any form. Careful thinkers, however, would have to admit that, since we have not actually died yet, we lack the first-hand experience or positive knowledge to be certain about this conclusion. Given that many religious traditions teach strongly about our existence after death, careful thinkers face still greater uncer- tainty when it comes to the claim that there is no “other side.” It could even be the case that they may be simply deceiving themselves about something that they wish were true. Many people today take this same approach when speaking about others who have died. “She is with the angels,” they may declare, or “He’s in a better place now.” Even though they lack any first-hand or real knowledge that would support such claims about oth- er people’s post-mortem destinies, they simply want it to be so, and because they desire it to be that way, they jump to the conclusion that it actually is so. This can have a practical impact whereby Catho- lics, for example, may not pray or have Masses offered for the repose of the soul of departed loved ones, even
Deacon Luis Zuniga Director, San Juan Diego Ministry Institute
Father Tadeusz Pacholczyk
“Keep watch over your manner of life, dear people, and make sure that you are indeed the Lord's laborers. Each person should take into account what he does and consider if he is laboring in the vineyard of the Lord.”
Priest of the Diocese of Fall River, Massachusetts, and Director of Education at The National Catholic Bioethics Center in Philadelphia. See www.ncbcenter.org
St. Gregory the Great
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DIOCESE OF BROWNSVILLE
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THE VALLEY CATHOLIC
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