De Omnibus Dubitandum Est.

I thought the readings last Sunday were particularly pertinent and spoke clearly to me regarding several issues. The Readings were: • Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-8 • Psalm: 14:2-5; Response: v. 1 • Second Reading: James 1:17-18, 21-22, 27 • Gospel: Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23 It has taken me a few evenings to write this up, largely because I was working out what I wanted to understand about the Scripture in my own head. This was a reaction to the teaching of the Scriptures regarding Law, revelation and fidelity. These issues are worth discussing here because a proper understanding of the Scriptures, especially in a proper Old Testament context, can only deepen one's understanding of the important societal battle being waged in which we are the troops, whether we like it or not. As I opined earlier this week , we need to stand up and fight! I think this Sunday's readings really show off an apparent contradiction between the Old Testament and the New Testament: at least...

As I posted last week , MPs are preparing to consider a private member’s bill to license what is being euphemistically called ‘assisted dying’. Lord Alton of Liverpool, a life peer in the House of Lords and vocal critic of assisted dying, has written an excellent article in The Spectator  which puts the question, if  we don’t encourage suicide, why should we assist it? Lord Alton asserts that the correct attitude to suicide is to treat the symptoms; to cure the depression, not help the potential suicide carry through their intention. In 2006, compiling the available evidence, the Royal College of Psychiatrists advised that “ many doctors do not recognise depression or know how to assess for its presence in terminally ill patients .” The decision to end one’s life is the biggest decision anyone can take, yet the proponents of assisted dying legislation have not explained how a doctor should go about assessing mental capacity for suicide. In the general population, s...

Falconer (left) & Marris Assisted Suicide, the right to die, is back in the news again. Labour MP Rob Marris  plans to introduce a Bill that that would legalise assisted suicide, in a move which essentially copies the law proposed by Lord Falconer in the House of Lords in the last Parliament.   There are many problems with the right to die. Of course, everyone will die anyway, so "right to die" is a total misnomer. In reality what we are talking about is the right to be killed. It is a sensitive subject, because many people feel that it is no one else's business; you should be allowed to end your life whenever you chose. However there are real effects which are extremely negative for society and can be clearly demonstrated. In countries and states that have adopted assisted suicide, palliative care (the medical specialism designed to relieve pain) is fundamentally undermined, vulnerable people can be pressured into assisted death, and that human life is deval...

If you are looking to gain a deeper understanding of the issues surrounding the assisted suicide bill which will be debated in the Lords today, you could do worse than read Greg Daly's blog for Catholic Voices which I reproduce in full below. Greg picks up on comments made by Poly Toynbee in the Guardian on Tuesday which put the two sides of the argument in stark relief for me. Madeleine Teahan has also address Toynbee's chilling comments in the Catholic Herald. Mgr Keith Newton, head of the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham, has also issued the following statement: The Assisted Dying Bill The Assisted Dying Bill has its Second Reading in the House of Lords on Friday 18 July. If it became law it would make incitement to suicide routine in our society, thereby putting pressure on the most vulnerable to see themselves as a burden to society. The Church’s teaching is clear: that human life, from conception to natural death, is a gift from God. Christ calls us...

I was so glad to hear from a member of his diocese, that the recently ordained ninth Bishop of Plymouth, The Rt. Rev Mark O'Toole has also spoken out on the Assisted Dying Bill which is due to be debated in the House of Lords on Friday, 18 July. The Bishop, ordained on 28th January this year at the Cathedral Church of Saint Mary and Saint Boniface, was formerly rector of Allen Hall seminary in West London. I have to say, I keep hearing good things about the work he is doing in Plymouth--Deo gratias! In a pastoral letter issued last weekend, Bishop O'Toole warned that the Bill raises "serious questions" about what sort of society we want to be: "Our faith teaches us that all human life is sacred. Respecting life means that every person must be valued for as long as they live. Whilst we believe every person should be given appropriate treatment in their suffering we do not always use extraordinary means to extend life at all costs. "At the same ...

The Catholic Herald reports that Bishop Philip Egan VG BA, STL, PhD has led the way once more today, asking parishes in his diocese of Portsmouth to hold a Holy Hour of prayer on Thursday night before assisted suicide is debated in the Lords on Friday. In a message to those in his diocese he wrote: “Even if you are unable to join the community for this Holy Hour, please at least pay a visit to the Blessed Sacrament that day. In meeting Jesus, the Son of God, in the Holy Eucharist to receive His love and life, we are also contemplating the Perfect Human Being. “Jesus is the One who shows us in His humanity the Way to true happiness and human flourishing. He calls us to live not for self and for transient goals, but for God and for the love of others. “When you meet Him, please pray that Parliament will firmly reject this Bill. Pray too for the terminally ill, and for the generous and selfless doctors, nurses and medical staff who care for them. Pray for those who will die to...