I remember a rather heated discussion on why God must come first in our lives ? That was years ago, in a religion class at my parish church. No one of us, teenagers, was particularly well versed in the Bible but we all have heard that when we love the poor, the sick, the destitute, we love God. And it felt so good to help others. And it was way more engaging than praying.
Poor father Stephen, our teacher – there were 30 of us in this class – tried to argue with words “God must come first or else whatever you do will fall apart” but we would not listen. On the way back from church on that day I proudly gave a begger all my change and felt just fantastic. Now years afterward I must humbly admit that Father Stephen was right. Whenever God and His laws are put aside, or denied, or forgotten, terrible things happen.
Who is exactly our neighbour?
I am lucky to live among good people. Canadians have fantastic record of helping others. If your house burns, neighbours will bring you twice the amount of what was lost and will help you rebuild. Wherever there is a need there is always response to it. Charitable organizations, religious and secular abound everywhere and they function very well.
Immigrants (and the government accepts three hundred thousand of them annually) are supported both via private and public means. Children are taught to volunteer as early as elementary school. My own granddaughter was frying hundreds of pancakes for Knight of Columbus family dinner when she was 12 or so – and thought nothing of it. This is truly a country of open hearts and wallets. There is no doubt about it – there is love for one’s neighbour here. But, as God’s presence and God’s laws are being removed from the vital laws of the country it is becoming increasingly unclear who exactly is that “neighbour”.
I still remember the years when abortion was illegal. Now there about one hundred thousand of Canadian children annually never see their beautiful country. Are they our “neighbours” we are asked to love as ourselves? Then what about euthanasia? Almost everyone I have talked to seems to see nothing wrong with it – always conditional “well you know, when someone really cannot stand it.” Now only the priests, religious and a handful of (mostly elderly) really committed Catholics believe in sanctity of life.
Terrorism of “modernity”
Secularism is eroding souls, no matter how dedicated to human good. And it does it insidiously, step by step.
Every few months of so on the main Canadian news website CBC appears an article regarding euthanasia. Well researched, perfectly worded, the text presents this form of killing as “service” to the population. The word “service” is always repeated several times throughout the text. It creates a sense of normal, even desirable.
Before the law was introduced stories on this subject used to present – in highly emotional language – individual cases of terminally ill people who wanted to put an end to their suffering with doctor’s assistance. The stress was on description of pain, depression, humility. No it is became “service”.
Alas, children are still excluded from this “service” and this is now being presented as gross injustice. The text is a typical probe – is society ready for the next step? Can we move on now or wait a bit? Because the new initiative is proposed – the euthanasia law should include children.
After all, those bastions of modernity, Netherlands and Belgium offer this “service” already. The author of the article mentions that there is no great demand for assisted suicide for children in those progressive countries. Why not, therefore make this small step, really insignificant step here in Canada and allow parents of terminally or severely handicapped children to ask for the service for them? Of course, children should be able to ask to have themselves terminated “humanely” without any intermediaries. It is only fair that they should be given the chance.
To save sanctity of life
Canadian Catholic hospitals do not offer this “service” and the press never fails to bring this shameful fact to attention of the public. A man had to be moved from the Catholic hospital to a public hospital to be killed there. Those Catholics have no compassion at all.
The only worrisome aspect of euthanasia one can find when reading press news is scarcity of doctors who will perform it. Somehow it is not the most popular procedure and those doctors who are willing to engage in it are overworked, suffering nervous breakdowns. A few months ago there was even an press appeal to the medical world to consider joining the ranks of providers of the “service”.
Such are results of forgetting the words of Jesus:
You shall love the Lord, your God,
with all your heart,
with all your soul,
and with all your mind.
This is the greatest and the first commandment.
The second is like it:
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
It is impossible to love God when you hate yourself or another human, but it is very, very dangerous to think you can love humanity and yourself without love of God in your heart, soul and mind. There is an order of loving and in it – God comes first.
Maria Kozakiewicz, Edmonton