Medical science can explain most everything that happens inside the human body.

Except, of course, what’s deep within the soul.

No one has yet found a way to treat a person’s hope.

Nor has anyone been able to increase someone’s level of forgiveness.

Or gratitude.

Or even inner-peace.

And love has never been successfully transplanted from one person to another.

While the promises of science and medicine are great.

They are naturally limited by our own understanding.

By our own abilities.

Any by our own humanity.

The promises of faith, on the other hand, transcend what we can comprehend.

What we can accomplish.

During our time in the world.

Faith has long been a prescription for a fully and healthy life.

It teaches us to allow and seek forgiveness.

It shows us the importance of offering thanks.

It prepares us for eternal life.

It helps us to demonstrate love.

And to say good-bye, assured of greater things to come.

But with each of medicine’s modern day miracles, our dependence on it can grow.

And our dependence on faith can lessen.

This has never been more evident than in our country’s current debate over the issue of assisted suicide.

Many argue that assisted suicide offers death with dignity.

That a person who is terminally ill, and is able to make a decision, has the right to choose assisted suicide to control how and when they die.

But for those who share the Catholic faith,

we believe life is a mystery,

a gift from God,

a blessing over which we do not have complete control.

And so we hold sacred that when death comes,

It must come naturally – unaided by human hands.

And we believe just as strongly that there is a fundamental difference between allowing death and assisting it.

Our faith calls us to embrace the last virtuous opportunities that life gives:

…to relieve pain, without killing the patient.

…to provide compassionate hospice care that neither prolongs life nor hastens death.

…and to use one’s remaining time to seek and allow forgiveness.

…to prepare for eternal life.

…and to say good-bye, assured of greater things to come.

Now is the time to better understand assisted suicide,

The true needs of the dying,

And how the Catholic Church can help.

Please take the time.

As you have just seen, the debate over the issue of assisted suicide raises profound questions about life and death.

We cannot ignore the debate. Physician assisted suicide, where a doctor prescribes an overdose of drugs to a patient who wants to die, is legal in Oregon, and calls to legalize it in Massachusetts are heard in our own State House in Boston.

What can we do?

We must learn all we can about assisted suicide and the needs of the dying. We must be ready to discuss the issues with others to influence the public debate. We must do all we can to provide the dying and those who care for them with positive alternatives.

We have our work cut out for us. How do we proclaim the Gospel of Life in a culture of death that sees assisted suicide as a compassionate act?

We must begin by raising critical questions. If assisted suicide is legalized, will patients lose trust in their own doctors? What message will we send to persons with disabilities and to the elderly? Will the vulnerable be pressured to die by agencies and family members who do not have their best interests at heart? How effective can government really be in stopping abuse?

We must also provide good information and support. Many who favor assisted suicide are unaware of the positive, life-affirming choices that are now available, such as effective pain management and hospice. Also, there’s much confusion about the fundamental difference between allowing death and assisting it. Finally, so many people have spiritual struggles with physical dependency and the process of dying.

In the end, the Church must be there to provide guidance and support for the dying and their families, to clear up confusion, and to work for positive solutions in the public arena.

According to our faith and our nation’s charter -- the Declaration of Independence -- all human life is created equal. The legalization of physician assisted suicide denies the terminally ill their human dignity.

Even so, our faith does not require us to seek aggressively burdensome medical treatment to sustain life "at all costs". We may take appropriate pain medication even if the doctor advises us that there is a risk of hastening death. The intention is not to kill. Our faith encourages us to exercise control at the end of life in ways that are both compassionate and life-affirming.

As the Holy Father John Paul II has stated so well, true compassion leads to sharing another’s pain; it does not involve killing the patient whose suffering we cannot bear.

In a moment, I’ll tell you about some exciting plans in our Diocese and across the state to help all of us address these issues more effectively.

But first, I invite you to listen to the following stories that reveal authentic faith, true compassion, and loving support for persons with life-threatening illnesses and those who care for them.

1. DR. KATHLEEN M. FOLEY [on camera]: One particular patient that taught me about patients that have significant pain and who request assisted suicide was a woman who called me on the telephone and said if I couldn’t get her pain under better control, she was going to ask her neighbor to kill her. And if her neighbor wouldn’t do it, she was going to ask her husband. I was quite concerned about her request and that we had not adequately treated her pain and heard her about her degree or suffering. So we brought her into the hospital. And we got her pain under control. [CUT]

Within about 12 days her depression began to wane. And in about 3 weeks, she was back to being the person that everyone who knew her described her as. And so we had the opportunity to ask her if we should have killed her when she asked us to. And she said, "Of course not! I was in pain and I was depressed – but I didn’t know that."

2. IRVING HERBERT [on camera]: Sometimes this pain hurts me so bad that, yeah, maybe some people would say, yeah, let’s end it. Boom. But these people here make me feel so relaxed. They just take away all thoughts of doing something stupid. [CUT]

It’s part of life. We all, uh, put it this way: We’re all gonna die sometime in life. We don’t know when. We have a terminal illness so we have an idea when it’s gonna happen to us. So I would tell a person to deal with it the best you can and don’t give up. That’s it. Don’t give up!

3. OFFICER STEPHEN McDONALD [on camera]: I’ve had thoughts that maybe this house and this world would be better without me because my care makes such extraordinary demands…financially…But the answer I always get back from Patti Ann and others is that this life without you would be worse than with you.

4. PATTI ANN McDONALD [on camera]: … When he gets down or depressed, I tell him how much good he’s doing. Not just for me, but for Conner, my family and his family …

5. STEPHEN McDONALD [on camera]: And I know that the world’s better because I survived the shooting. It’s better because Patti Ann and I and Conner have stayed together as a family. Up until that last moment of life, I think we all have something to offer.

The stories you have just witnessed demonstrate that assisted suicide not only threatens human dignity, it is entirely unnecessary. We have within our community the knowledge, the love, and the resources to meet the needs of the dying without killing them.

Here’s the exciting news. The Catholic Church in Massachusetts has launched a statewide campaign called In Support of Life to help Catholics learn more about assisted suicide and the availability of positive alternatives, and to respond to the needs of the dying and those who care for them.

We are providing educational materials and seminars, leadership training, and pastoral services. Specific opportunities are available in your parish or region. I encourage you to take advantage of them.

Please read the materials offered with this video or contact the number listed at the bottom of the screen for more information.

I thank you for listening and look forward to your involvement. God bless you!