Mother Angelica of EWTN Catholic television has passed away

[47of74]

6. I was struck by this

I saw this article today;

During the first memorial sermon for Mother Angelica on Tuesday, in a chapel at the headquarters of EWTN Global Catholic Network in Irondale, EWTN Chaplain Joseph Wolfe described the last three days of Mother Angelica's life and her death on Easter Sunday.

Wolfe noted that Mother Angelica had instructed her nuns to do everything to keep her alive, no matter how much she suffered, because every day she suffered, she suffered for God.

"Most of us would not think that way," Wolfe said. "We would think, 'Get me out of here...' What's taken out of that picture is the love of God."

Mother Angelica wanted each day to be "one more act of suffering to God," Wolfe said.

I can respect the courage of Mother's convictions but I do have to admit it does bother me a bit. I guess I'm concerned that some Catholics - especially some clergy - will see that as permission to impose Mother Angelica's choice on others regardless of what the individuals want. If someone wants to prolong their lives as long as possible knowing that they may suffer as they approach the end then that's their choice and I support that. At the same time if someone wants to forego desperate measures and just be made comfortable in their final days, that needs to be respected too. My concern is that some of Mother Angelica's most ardent supporters will not respect such choices.