Divine Mercy: The Heart of the Gospel

158 Divine Mercy: The Heart Of The Gospel talking to her and how he would go and discuss spiritual matters with her, and how he was loath to forbid her going to Mass and Communion while she was in the Sanitarium, although he was very concerned about the morning chill. And so he spoke to her and he counselled her to be very prudent about how she was feeling, what the weather was like, etc, etc! It is a very beautiful summary o f this relationship of a very fine Catholic doctor with his patient. And Sister Faustina notes it down, and if she notes it down she does so not only because it touched her but because it has an exemplary quality for healthcare providers. When you read the Diary, look at these things because they are precious. In this regard, telling a dying person the truth is mercy. This is the Church’s understanding that the responsibility of informing a patient that he is dying is a most serious one for healthcare providers. Often they have had very little preparation before assuming such duties, and experience becomes their only teacher. Sometimes they do it very badly! The Charter states: “Patients have a right to be informed of their condition.” Why? There are three reasons. First: the information is necessary to fulfill obligations that cannot be del­ egated, such as treatment decisions. Second: other obligations and respon­ sibilities to persons must be fulfilled, including duties to family, friends, reconciliations to be effected, legal matters to be settled, etc. And for a believer, o f course, the most important relationship to be affirmed is that with Almighty God, particularly as expressed in the Sacrament of Penance. Faustina writes, over and over again, how happy she is when she can receive Communion. Communion is her only strength! Without a clear awareness o f one’s approaching death, the patient is effectively abandoned and deprived o f participation in his own humanity. Humanization is vitally important. If you read the Diaiy again you will see that Sister Faustina was aware of the gravity of her condition long before anyone else; even when the doctors knew and did not tell her, she knew! Yet this truth must not remain unspoken; neither must it be given in all its bare, crude reality. It should be communicated with love and char­ ity and mercy, calling all those who assist the patient in various ways to be attuned to this communication, to give and to do all that is possible. I want to direct you to a couple of other passages in the Diary, now, and then I have something to share with you! I often communicate with persons who are dying and obtain the Divine Mercy for them. Oh, how great is the goodness o f God, greater than we can understand. There are moments and there are