Inspiration

My daughter, write about My mercy… souls that make an appeal to My mercy delight in Me. To such souls I grant even more graces than they ask. I cannot punish even the greatest sinner if he makes an appeal to My compassion, but on the contrary, I justify him in My unfathomable and inscrutable mercy. -Diary 1146 At the start of my medical training, I questioned not only how to provide curative treatment for patients, but also, how to address the emotional and existential distress that one may undergo at end of life. Now currently facing the most difficult era of my professional life to date, the Coronavirus pandemic, I find more solace in Christ's instructions to Saint Faustina in caring for the dying than any medical text could ever teach me. "Say unceasingly the Chaplet that I have taught you. Whoever will recite it, they will receive great mercy at the hour of death. Priests will recommend it to sinners as their last hope of salvation. Even if there were a sinner most hard

James 5: 14-15: Is any among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer of faith will save the sick man, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. As Christians, we are called to comfort and pray for all who are sick or suffering. Those who care for the suffering do holy and important work. They become close to Christ’s suffering people and in doing so, serve Christ himself. Matthew 25:40: reads, The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ Helping others find meaning in their lives, particularly so that they know they are not alone at the end of life, is part of our vocation as Catholics. Through the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick, the Church carries out Jesus’ mission of healing among each other. Only priests may administer the Sacrament, which consi

It has been said that the death of one’s own child is the worst, the most painful, loss that a human can face. The loss of our babies was by-far the hardest thing my husband and I have ever encountered. One of my principal moral conflicts was my lack of understanding of how this made any sense in the grand scheme of the world and my own life. Throughout this immensely difficult time, I was yearning to find someone who “gets it”; someone who could understand our pain and suffering. For a long time I had difficulty returning to Church. I felt betrayed and doubtful and beyond sad. It was a very slow process getting myself back to attending Mass. Yet now I look back and realize, had my faith been where it really should be, I would have recognized that the best model to find and seek comfort in was that of the Blessed Mother herself. Mary suffered infinitely as she had to watch her son and her God die on Calvary. In fact, Mary’s very name has roots in the Hebrew word “marah” meaning “bitter

The love of a parent for their child is a love like no other. The pain of losing a child, dreadful. The silence is deafening. The loneliness, isolating. Empty arms, the heaviest I had ever carried. Five years ago, my husband and I received the most exciting news we had ever received. We were newlyweds at the time. Almost immediately, we found out I was pregnant. My world changed the moment I saw those pink lines. At the time, I couldn't believe it. I had a little person growing inside me. I took note of every step I took the moment after I found this out- what foods I ate, where I went to, how I slept. I was so nervous and scared. Yet, from the moment I found out I was pregnant, the love I had for my unborn child was there. Enormous, indescribable love- a love too special to be explained in words. At the time, my husband and I had also just finished our residencies- he, now an attending Child Psychiatrist, and I, just starting my Epilepsy fellowship. It was the hustle and bust