Episode Transcript
Speaker 0 00:01 All right. I've been asked some questions so I'll do on on mass attendants. So let me just clear this up. I'm just going to read from a moral manual. It's written by Father Henry Davis. At Jesuit, the imprimatur is like 1948 and 1949 nothing's changed and the requirements since then. Okay, so he's talking about for the right assistance ad or hearing of mass, he says bodily presence must be continuous during the mass from the beginning to the last gospel exclusively. The faithful are obliged to hear the whole of mass without even the smallest omission, but very often is not at all heard. And it may be reasonably asked both by those who had not willing to willingly disobey the church in a serious matter and by negligent Catholics what a mission would be in a common opinion of moral theologians. A serious submission. It is a grievous into mid and notable part of the mass, either in view of the Mott that is to say a third part or of the dignity mass will not be heard substantially if the falling parts are admitted all up to the part of the offertory toward the mass for that as a third part up to the Gospel, inclusive with together with all after the communion off from the preface, exclusive to the paternoster, both the consecration communion, the consecration of both or even of one species.
Speaker 0 01:21 If a node will, part of the mass has missed that amount of another mash to be heard if possible, but it's commonly held the consecration communion should be in one of the same mass. If only a small part of mass is admitted outside of the consecration, there's no obligation to make up that amount by hearing the corresponding part of another mass. Involuntary absence during either consecration community would not, would certainly not impose the obligation of hearing in another mass, involuntary abs. If you're taking a child out, that's an involuntary absence. You're not missing mass. You're taking care of that Shell because the child needs care. That's okay. You're not missing that. We just heard the story of the Good Samaritan. If you're on the way to mass and uh, there's somebody broke down and wreck and you stop and you're getting everything, by the time the ambulance go in all that, you've missed mass.
Speaker 0 02:05 You didn't miss mass cause you can't drive by like the president, we put this Marinol, they're dying. Oh well you know I've got to get to mass. You just stop and take care of that right then and you didn't miss mass. It's a positive obligation. If the kids are all sick and only one parent could get to mass and the one that's taking care of the sick, they didn't miss mass cause you have to do those <inaudible> it's a positive obligation. Negative commandments are, you're never excused. Like when God says thou shall not commit adultery, there's not a little dropdown, you know on that one. Okay. But on a positive commandment, like like a hearing mass, there are, there are some, if it's a sufficiently grave reason, you can, you can miss any, you can miss parts of it. You take the kids out, you can do two things at the same time at mass.
Speaker 0 02:50 That's where you can go to confession. In fact, there's a, there's something, uh, from the Holy See on that in, in 10 years ago or so, just to remind people that that's perfectly all right. Okay, so if one arrives at the church after the consecration and there's to be no other at mass to follow, there's probably no obligation to remain because mass cannot then be substantially heard. Good Catholics would remain. However, for the sake of prayer, those who habitually come late for mass commenced sins of disobedience in scandal. They are mistaken in thinking they act up to the spirit of Catholicism by being time for the Gospel. A very common error, but it will not be a grave sin and no it off. There's a reasonable excuse to hear successfully the complimentary parts of two masses, even in the inverse order. In other words, if somebody was going to the nine o'clock mass, but for whatever reason they had to change a tire so they got their like after the Gospel, they just see, oh well I'll just stay for the next mass and go, go to the Gospel. So that's obviously universal order. That's no sinner doll. That's just circumstances, but the consecration communion should be in one mass, so hopefully that answered all the questions and didn't raise more, but it's worth going over in any event. All right. That was like a Freebie. No, we'll have the sermon.
Speaker 0 04:04 He brought him to an end and took care of him and the name of the father and the son and the holy ghost. Amen. We'll start today with some excerpts from a letter written to me by a nurse quote. This is a case I worked on in Fort Worth for a very large hospice firm. The patient was an elderly man who had end stage cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Right before my shift ended, the assessment nurse in charge of the case came in and said she was surprised to see that he was still alive. Strangely, she took me in another room so the wife could not hear, speak to me. She then told me to tell my replacement nurse to take the oxygen off the patient when the wife went to bed so the wife wouldn't know, and so he would die greatly distressed by this. I made sure the company was informed and never said a word to the oncoming shift nurse. I thought this nurse case manager would be terminated from her job from wanting to euthanize a patient. Sadly, I was wrong. Close quote, she has three more stories along the same lines. One with not such a good ending. Thankfully that patient wasn't killed, but the point here is that they actually are killing people, deliberately killing people, not just in Oregon and Washington, Montana, where they have doctor prescribed suicide.
Speaker 1 05:46 Okay?
Speaker 0 05:46 They're killing people. You've all heard about Terri Shiavo that's going on every day in many hospice situations and in many hospitals. We priests see this more often than you might think and many times there isn't a thing that we can do about it, but there's something that you can do about it and everyone needs to listen carefully. What we're going to say here, and then you need to take the action that would course action that we're going to explain the end of the sermon. Before we go any farther, let's back up and make sure we have a good hold on the basic teaching the church and then we'll go forward from there. So this is just going to be a flying trot. Okay. First Church teaching on euthanasia, so-called mercy killing in May of 1980 the Holy See issued a document entitled Declaration on Euthanasia. Some excerpts, quote no one by no one they mean no one.
Speaker 0 06:46 No one can in any way permit the killing of an innocent human being, including a person who is dying. No one is permitted to ask for this act of killing either for himself or for another person and trusted to his care, nor can he connect, sent to it either explicitly or implicitly. Nor can any authority legitimately recommend or permit such an action. Four, as a question of the violation of the divine law, offense against the dignity of the human person, a crime against life, an attack on humanity, close quotes. Next, the church teaching on ordinary and extraordinary care with respect to medical issues. Catholics generally realize when they're sick, railing or even dying, they have to accept, we call ordinary care, but they are free to refuse extraordinary care. They're free to accept it too, but they're free to refuse extraordinary care. But Catholics are often confused about the difference between ordinary care and extraordinary care, and there's more than one reason for this as you're going to see what we mean by ordinary care and extraordinary care is not the same thing that the medical community means by it.
Speaker 0 08:06 They're not wrong. They just use the terms, but they have a different significance for, it's not wrong. It just doesn't mean what we may know. We're talking about Catholic moral teaching, so we'll go through the Catholic moral teaching and then we'll see how the medical community use it and you'll see where the confusion can arise. Okay, we're going to quote from an excellent document written 1974 by the Florida bishops, the pastoral letter on death and the care of the dying quote, ordinary means for preserving life include not only food, drink and rest, but also in terms of hospital practice, all medicines, treatments and operations which offer a reasonable hope of benefit for the patient, which can be obtained and used without excessive expense, pain, or other inconvenience. Close quote. Now we also have people teaching on this. On March 20th, 2004 blessed John Paul, two stated quote, the sick person in a vegetative state awaiting recovery or a natural end still has the right to basic health care, nutrition, hydration, cleanliness, warmth, et Cetera, and to the prevention of complications related to his confinement to bed.
Speaker 0 09:27 In other words, you have to move him or you get bed sores. He also has the right to appropriate rehabilitative care and to be monitored for clinical signs of eventual recovery. I should like particularly to underline how the administration of water and food, even when provided by artificial means, for example, a tube always represents a natural means of preserving life, not a medical act. It's used for the more should be considered in principle, ordinary and proportionate and as such more bubbly. Obligatory insofar is it consistent providing nourishment to the patient, alleviation of his suffering. Close quote, the vicar of Christ. Now that last part, it's important. Understand that there may be a play these to speak of as a particular situation where it might not be obligatory to provide food and water. What would that situation be? He saying when it is not nourishing and alleving the suffering.
Speaker 0 10:35 In other words, if a person's actually dying right then in now, or let's see, their kidneys have crashed. So food and water, whether by mouth or tube feeding in that mall would not be called for precisely because they're no longer nourishing, hydrating the person they had to actually be harming the person in that one kind of a situation. If that makes sear make sense what I'm saying there so that you don't stay, his kidneys have totally crashed. You don't just have to keep pouring the fluid and he just started ballooning out. That's not necessary. But other than that particular kind of situation, they're actually dying. Not like they're gonna die. Yeah, we know that we're all gonna die, but I mean they're actually dying right then or or something. That's it. Okay, so what the church means by ordinary care is food, drink, rest, warmth, basic hygiene, reposition or movement. Same thing. Every one of those things you give to a little baby. This is not rocket scientists. The science, I'll do that again. Food, drink, rest, warmth, basic hygiene, reposition or movement. Then all medical procedures which offer a reasonable hope of benefit. And which don't cause excessive expense, pain or other inconvenience. That is what the church means by ordinary care. And this is also where common sense and Christian morality come crashing. Just head long into our insane American legal system.
Speaker 0 11:58 An executive director of patients' rights council, Rita Marker. She's a wonderful Catholic grandma, really sharp lawyer who spent decades fighting the proponents of euthanasia. She points out quote food and fluids especially provided by two are considered medical treatment from a legal standpoint. Whether one agrees or disagrees with this and I certainly disagree with it and obviously tells you the church cause the pope just made clear that not it, but she says whether one agrees or disagrees with it is entrenched in the law. Close quote, everybody needs to understand that food or fluids, especially if provided by tube are considered medical treatment from the legal point of view. Well who cares if food and fluids aren't taken by a spoon or whatever. Every baby started off that way as I recall. You know, and whether he's nursing or using a bottle, I don't think a bottle is just some kind of extraordinary medical treatment.
Speaker 0 12:53 When you give a baby a bottle, but just when there's all this media circus was around the the, they were the state sponsored and execution of, of Terri Shiavo there. The court ordered murder of her. I just thought, yeah, I can't believe this. So I called one, my God's sons is at that time he was 11 years old out on a ranch in a very remote part of Montana and sure enough at that age she was already tubing calves and lambs. Okay. It was no surprise to find that out. Like most Montana ranch kids of his age, he knew how to tube calves and lands as they needed it. This is a kid 50 miles from town and Garfield County, Montana Cell Phone, 11 year old boy from way out in the tulies already has the necessary veterinary skills and expertise to tube calves and lambs. Then you aren't going to convince me one little bit the tubing, a human being that needs it is some sort of extraordinary high tech kind of medical procedure. It's just taken care of one of our sick brothers and sisters and that's all it is.
Speaker 2 14:00 Okay,
Speaker 0 14:01 so what are we seeing? We've seen the ordinary care means food, drink, rest, warmth, basic hygiene, repositioning your movements, all medical procedures, which offer a reasonable hope of benefit, which don't cause excessive expense, pain or other inconvenience. We've also seen that despite common sense and authoritative teaching of Christ church from a legal standpoint in these United States, food and fluids, especially provided by tube, are considered a medical treatment. We also saw that in certain situations as well as the the circumstance, like someone's dying actually right then and there, or perhaps their kidneys have totally crashed food and water, whether by mouth or two feet, would not be called for precisely because they're no longer serving their function of nourishing or hydrating the person. Okay, so that's ordinary care. What do we mean by extraordinary means? I quote extraordinary means for preserving life for all medicines, treatments, and operations, which cannot be obtained or used without excessive expense, pain, or other inconvenience for the patient or for others, or which, if used, would not offer reasonable hope or benefit for the patient.
Speaker 0 15:15 Okay. So what the church means for extraordinary means is all medical procedures, which either don't offer reasonable hope of benefit for the patient, which cause excessive expense, pain, or other inconvenience. That's extraordinary care. It's really important for us to have this basic understanding of what the church means when she uses the terms. Ordinary care and extraordinary care. Since as I've already mentioned, these terms are not used in precisely the same fashion by the medical community. What are we saying? We're saying that when a physician use the term ordinary care, it's a very possibly means something along these lines. He means it prevailing, standard, recognized or established, uh, uh, medicines or procedures that are currently available or currently being used. Now that's not wrong. That's fine, but we have to realize that he's using the term in a different way than what we are when we're talking about moral teaching.
Speaker 0 16:06 And again, when we use the term ordinary care means things, food, drink, rest, warm hygiene, repositioning, movement, all medical procedures which offer a reasonable hope of benefit, which don't cause excessive expense, pain or other inconvenience. All right? When a physician uses the term extraordinary care, it's very possible. He means something like this. He means using medical treatments or procedures that are fanciful, bizarre, experimental in completely established, Unorthodox, or not recognized. Again, that's not wrong. It's fine, but it's not what we mean when we're talking morally to remind us again what the church means. By extraordinary care, it means all medical procedures which don't either don't offer reasonable hope of benefit for the patient or which caused excessive expense, pain or other inconvenience. It's important for us to realize that what we mean by that in the medical community isn't the same thing. They're not wrong.
Speaker 0 17:03 They just use it in a different way. Quick Review. When someone is sick or alien, even dying, they have to accept and or be provided ordinary care, but they can morally refuse extraordinary care. They're free to refuse extraordinary care. Again, ordinary care is food, drink, rest, warmth, hygiene, repositioning, movement, all medical procedures which offer a reasonable hope for benefit and don't cause excessive expense. Have to accept that extraordinary care means all medical procedures which either don't offer reasonable hope for benefit for the patient or cause excessive expense, pain or other inconvenience. Don't have to, a person could morally refuse to accept that and they're perfectly within their rights. Okay, let's return to the letter from the nurse quote. Far too many living wills are being pushed by these companies and doctors. I would encourage everyone to get preprinted medical power of attorney if to fill out designating somebody truly Catholic as your decision maker.
Speaker 0 18:09 They don't necessarily have to be Catholic, they just have to be a good advocate. I'm going to insert this. They have to be a real advocate and they have to be willing to follow these kinds of teachings. You could have somebody that isn't, maybe you're married to somebody as a Catholic, but you know they'll respect us. That's fine. They have to be somebody that's assertive. You don't want to Casper milk toast when you're in this. This is somebody that has to be assertive. Okay? Make sure you know what they believe if you are to trust them as very important task. Not all Catholics value life from conception to death. Never sign a DNR. That's a do not rest and resuscitate order. Closed quote, some never sign a living real and never signed a DNR. We're going to see what unfold this is. We go read a marker quote removing food and water because the person is considered burdensome or better off. Dead is legally permitted.
Speaker 1 19:02 Think about that and we've seen it.
Speaker 0 19:06 I haven't asked father this morning. I know I've seen it.
Speaker 1 19:10 I've seen it with a friend of mine. I'm want to think you could do.
Speaker 0 19:17 They thirst them to death. They just jack up the keep jacking up the morphine bit by bit. It's common removing food and water because the person's cause burned. Some are better off dead is legally permitted. Nowadays healthcare providers are more likely than not to suggest and in some cases pressure patients or other decision makers to authorize withholding and withdrawal the medical treatment of foods and fluids. That is another reason why it is so important that a person be assertive regarding his or her own hern own rights and name an agent in a durable power of attorney for health care who can be assertive on the person's behalf. Close quote, do not sign a living. Will do not send a DNR and do give someone reliable. Someone you can literally trust with your life. Someone that will follow the teachings of the church, your durable power of attorney for medical care.
Speaker 0 20:04 Okay. Now what does all this mean? Well, let's pause and define some terms so we can see what it means. First off, what is an advanced directive quote? An advanced directive is a document by which a person makes provision for healthcare decisions. In the event that in the future he becomes unable to make those decisions. There are two main types of advanced directives, the living will and the durable power of attorney for health care. There they're also hybrid documents which combine elements. Close quote. Okay. Another important point. Quote, some facilities, particularly nursing homes, erroneously tell patients they must have an advanced directive and many facilities assume that they are to offer patients an advanced directive, usually a living will to sign at the time of admission when the patient is naturally under stress and filling out a myriad of other paperwork. Sometimes patients who are anxious to complete admission procedures send every paper place before then.
Speaker 0 21:03 This could result in sign and living will without even realizing it until it's too late. That is why it is extremely important to read documents before signing them. Although it is certainly prudent to have an advanced directive. Both federal and state laws prohibit health facilities from requiring anyone to as sign advanced directive. If you or a loved one are told that advanced directive must be signed before care and treatment can be given courteously, but firmly explained, et cetera. Requirement is a violation of the law. Close quote, so I called home, had my parents check at the local hospital. Sure enough, some time in the process they have living wills sign, get that rid of that they did were bought to see why. It's so important not to sign a living will, but first we better ask, what is it living? We'll quote a living will's the oldest type of health Claire Advanced Directive.
Speaker 0 21:54 It is assigned, witnessed or notarized document called the Declaration of Directive. Most declarations instruct an attending physician to withhold or withdraw medical interventions from its signer if he isn't a terminal. Condition is unable to make decisions about medical treatment. Since an attending physician who may be unfamiliar with the signers, wishes and values has the power and authority to carry out the signers directive. Certain terms contain the document may be interpreted by the physician in a manner that was not intended by the signer. Family, mothers and others who are familiar with dishonors values and wishes have no legal standing to interpret the meaning of the directive. Close quote, everyone. I hope her debt, certain terms contained in the document may be interpreted by the physician in a manner that's not intended by the signer and family members. Other people that are familiar with the signers wishes have no legal standing.
Speaker 0 23:02 Interpret the meaning of the directive. Do not sign a living will. It can be interpreted in ways that are actually contrary to your wishes in the teaching of holy mother, the Church case in point, quote Mary Jo s step, a very active, retired school teacher broke her hip as part of a rehabilitation. She checked into a nursing home where on admission she signed a living will that stated she was not to receive extraordinary measures. If she was dying a few days before she was to go home, a tired nurse give me assess step the wrong medication, a mistake that could have been easily reversed at a hospital emergency room, but that didn't happen. Instead, a doctor wrongly interpreter living will to me, that step would not want treatment. By evening, she was in severe distress with their blood pressure failing and police pulse weakening. She died that night. Illegal experts in Washington later said that s tips case found into the mercury and untested realm of state law. Eventually the case was resolved when the nursing home was fined. $2,500 for a medication error. Close quote. Well, that's just beautiful.
Speaker 2 24:28 Okay,
Speaker 0 24:29 that's just beautiful. So she's dead. Do not sign a living. Will. It can be interpreted in ways that are actually contrary wishes in a teaching of the church. Be careful, really careful and being admitted nursing home or hospital as they may very well try to get you to sign one as part of the missions process. Okay. Now what do we mean by durable power of attorney for healthcare? The other kind of advanced directive quote, a durable upon attorney for healthcare is signed, is it signed, witnessed, or notarized document which is centered designates an agent to make healthcare decisions if the signers temporarily or permanently unable to make such decisions. Unlike most living wills, the durable power of attorney for health care does not require the signer have a terminal condition. An agent must be chosen with great care since the agent will have great power and authority to make decisions about whether health care will be provided, withheld or withdrawn from the signer is extremely important that the signer carefully discusses values, wishes, instructions with the agent before and at the time the document is signed.
Speaker 0 25:44 Such discussions may also continue after the document side. It's also important that agent be willing to exercise his power and authority. Make certain assigners values, wishes. Instructions are respected. Close quote. In other words, you want somebody that will be assertive and not get mowed down by some aggressive ethics committee. You can get a durable power of attorney for health care, which is called the protective medical decisions document. This is the Texas version from the patient's rights council. There's no charge, but they do ask for $15 donation. If you end up needing it, there'll be the best 15 bucks you've ever spent. The protective medical decisions document is a carefully drafted, durable power of attorney for health care that has been designed to meet state required requirements and to protect the signer. It limits your agent's authority in one specific way. Clearly stating the agent does not have the authority to approve the direct and intentional ending of your life.
Speaker 0 26:40 For example, your agent may not authorize be given an lethal injection or an drug overdose. Furthermore, your agent may not trick to be denied foods or fluids for the purpose of causing your death by starvation or dehydration. That limitation only protects you but also protects your agent from being pressured to authorize those actions. It also has specific directions that are necessary in the current medical climate. For example, some healthcare providers have taken it upon themselves to put do not resuscitate DNR orders in place without the patient's or agent's authorization. Similarly, some healthcare providers, ethics committees and health facilities are making decisions about what is appropriate, beneficial or feudal based on a tip. Institutional cost containment or subjective quality of life decisions, not on the basis of what is best for are wanted by the patient. That's just going to get worse. There's this Obamacare stuff grinds in the document, makes it clear that DNR orders and decisions about what is appropriate, beneficial or feudal automate only by your agent and only if you are unable to make those decisions.
Speaker 0 27:44 Close quote and these documents are state specific. That's what the patient's right consult does. They've been fighting euthanasia for decades and so you have really sharp lawyers there. There's Rita Marcus, she's Catholic with Lee Smith, he's Jewish. There's like a group of really sharp lawyers that fight euthanasia. That's what they do. Patients right counsel. So who needs one of these? Everyone who's reached the age of 18 for example, Rita a as an example, Co Parature college students, if they're carrying the kid on their, on their insurance, they take it for granted that uh, that if he gets hurt or something, he's off at college. They have the right to make medical decisions for that son or daughter if who's temporarily permanent, unable to do so. But it's possible, quite possible in the absence of an advanced directive without having something that parents of an ill or injured college student might not even be able to find out basic information about the child's condition.
Speaker 0 28:42 Ever since there's a federal law called HIPAA, it's the health insurance portability and Accountability Act. Ever since that thing went in effect, it's a nightmare for a priest because you can no longer find out who's Catholic. But ever since that went into effect. Some health facilities they provide refused to provide information to anyone, even family members, a lot of hospitalized adult, anyone over the age of 18 unless the patient's already given written consent. If they're out cold, they're not going to give written consent. But if you have a durable power of attorney for healthcare, they do have the right to give the information. People get fire insurance. It's the same kind of idea. Competent adults should get something like this even though please God, you'll never have the need to use it, but everyone from the age 18 on a should have something like this. Believe me, the priests get to these situations and you watch what they're killing them and there you stand.
Speaker 0 29:37 Who? Who's got the medical power of attorney? You know they're killing them. Some badness to healthcare providers have to honor all the decisions made by patient or their agent. No, they don't. The point is is this is the best we can do. The sad reality is in most states, if you want lifesaving treatment or even food and fluids, there is no guarantee that your wishes are be honored, but you can really help to stack those odds in your favor by sign. The durable power of attorney for health care to a good and assertive Catholic friend or someone that will respect all the teachings, the church on your behalf. That's assertive. Someone who will not be intimidated by ethics committees, healthcare providers who may be pushing for unacceptable treatments. That's the best way to make sure that a patient's right to receive ordinary care is not mowed down by a doctor.
Speaker 0 30:29 Nurses power to deny care cutoff food or water or administer a deadly overdose. Kill one of these documents. Okay, let's close with an example which w the of what can come of having a good Catholic who falls a teacher in the church, have the durable power of attorney. I'm quoting again from the letter from the same nurse quote during his long life, my father-in-law, what a no point of religion and said so in not so nice terms. He was not really raised with any religion, didn't even know if he's baptized. He let an angry and holy life not long before he died. We asked if you wanted to talk to a priest. He said yes. He agreed to put on a brown scapular, but then he started internally bleeding and had to be rushed to the hospital for blood transfusion. The hospital tried to take off the prawn scapular.
Speaker 0 31:22 We said it must be left on. They were unable to stop. The bleeding with transfusions just bled out of him. His kidneys and vascular organs started to shut down. The hospital would have put him into a drug state, but we refused. The hospital wanted to override her decision and I probably went home and returned with a copy of his medical power of attorney. I called the priest before he arrived. My father in law slipped into a coma, tries we might were unable to, Roz in from this day, I kept saying the hail Mary over him and would tell him to repeat the words to himself. I'd also whisper in ear to call upon the holy name of Mary. The priest arrived and at that minute my father and the opened his eyes. The priest asked him if he wanted to become Catholic and if so to squeeze his hand. He squeezed his hand and preached and asked all of us to leave the room for a while. We came back here and the priest conditionally baptized him and came extreme unction. My father in law was very weak but completely aware of what was going on. When the priest was done, my file not kept trying to talk, so we removed his oxygen mask and he clearly thanked the priest. Not once, but twice.
Speaker 1 32:40 He then closed his eyes and never opened them again. He died closing Lebron scapular within hours after the priest left on September 12th the Feast of the holy name of Mary.
Speaker 2 32:56 Okay.
Speaker 1 32:58 If we would allow him to have all the morphine and other trucks the hospital wanted to give him, he would not have been in lucid state, would not have been able to give his consent to become Catholic. We thank God and our blessed mother for this miraculous deathbed conversion. I want to thank God and our lady to get one of these protective medical decisions documents. Get One.
