The current theme of the "end of life" can be illuminated by devotion to the holy Patriarch. As Pope Francis recalls in his catecheses.
of Msgr. Silvano Macchi
Sfollowing the manifestations of devotion to Saint Joseph, we have reached the threshold of the 9st century, with Pope Francis who in the General Audience of 2022 February XNUMX proposed him again as the patron saint of the dying: «A devotion born from the thought that Joseph died with the assistance of the virgin Mary and Jesus, before he left the house of Nazareth. There is no historical data, but since Joseph is no longer seen in public life, it is thought that he died there in Nazareth, with his family. And accompanying him to his death were Jesus and Mary" ((see also The Holy Crusade, 4, March 2023, pp. 6-7).
A pious transition - that of Joseph - from earthly life to heavenly life, accompanied by his dearest affections. But of particular interest is the confession and at the same time the correction that Pope Francis makes regarding this theme, when he writes: «Perhaps someone thinks that this language and this theme are only a legacy of the past, but in reality our relationship with death It is never about the past, it is always present. The so-called "wellness" culture seeks to remove the reality of death, but the coronavirus pandemic has dramatically highlighted it again."
Then the pope continues: «We try in every way to push away the thought of our finitude, thus deluding ourselves that we are taking away its power from death and driving away fear. But the Christian faith is not a way to exorcise the fear of death; rather it helps us deal with it. Sooner or later, we will all go through that door." It is unfortunately true that the premonition of death in contemporary society is removed or banished, it remains confined to the anonymous and aseptic environment of hospitals, observed at most with scientific detachment or reduced to mere individual experience, so much so that men and women hope that happen "without my realizing it". But it is even more true that we die again and again and that sooner or later "all of us will go through that door".
Although today death no longer appears (or appears less) as terrible hour, as the hour of God's judgement, we should hope, from a pastoral, liturgical and spiritual point of view, for a memento mori (remember that you die), that is, a time in which thoughts, affections and freedom emerge (after all, if we think about it carefully, death should be the last act of freedom, in which one decides to hand over one's life to God!), as well as a space for meditation, prayer and faith in Jesus Christ who died and rose again.
Until we give death a positive role again! In fact, Pope Francis continues: «Thinking about death, illuminated by the mystery of Christ, helps to look at all of life with new eyes. I have never seen a removal truck behind a hearse! We will go there alone, with nothing in the pockets of the shroud: nothing. Because the shroud has no pockets. It therefore makes no sense to accumulate if one day we will die. What we must accumulate is charity, it is the ability to share, the ability not to remain indifferent to the needs of others."
From this perspective, Saint Joseph could and should once again become the saint who helps to face the mystery or perhaps the ghost of death. Thus Saint Joseph, as the often cited historian A. Dordoni recalls, becomes the saint who can "sanctify every aspect of existence, work and daily commitment, suffering and [even] death".
In the aforementioned catechesis, Pope Francis courageously inserted a connection - which is understandable, given the context - of a moral nature and referred to a new science, bioethics, and to all the issues connected with the end of life: therapeutic obstinacy, palliative care, euthanasia, spiritual accompaniment of the dying person and their family members: «Two considerations remain valid for us Christians. The first: we cannot avoid death, and for this very reason, after having done everything humanly possible to cure the sick person, aggressive treatment is immoral (see Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 2278). That phrase of the faithful people of God, of the simple people: "Let him die in peace", "Help him die in peace"... how much wisdom! The second consideration instead concerns the quality of death itself, the quality of pain, of suffering. In fact, we must be grateful for all the help that medicine is trying to give, so that through so-called palliative care, every person who is preparing to live the last stretch of their life can do so in the most humane way possible. . However, we must be careful not to confuse this help with unacceptable tendencies that lead to killing. We must accompany death, but not cause death or aid any form of suicide."
We can conclude our ideal journey here by stating that the figure of Saint Joseph - although purified of all the devotional aspects that have almost produced an inflation - as the patron saint of a good death still remains of great relevance for our time. In fact, it is now that we seem to have forgotten, almost as if we were immortal, the ultimate destiny of living man.