by Mark R. Schneider
For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me'.
"Then the righteous will answer him, Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'
"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it for me. Matthew 25:34-40
Terri Schiavo died today, having succumbed to starvation after being denied food and water under force of law and threat of arrest by these United States. This severe action, it proponents defend, issued from compassion for the suffering and respect for Terri's wishes. Indeed, before her ashes become mingled with the dust of the earth I expect that we will have verified from the planned autopsy what Michael Schiavo and his doctors have long asserted, that much of Terris brain, especially her cerebral cortex, was liquefied and therefore, according to current medical understanding, incapable of conscious thought or awareness.
And so, for Michael Schiavo and the millions of Americans who honestly believed as he does that, at least in this case, the ends justify the means, there will be relief, no doubt sincere and heart felt, in the knowing that Terris suffering has finally come to an end. Who among us, after all, would want to exist in such an appalling condition, imprisoned in a slowly diminishing body, year after long year, unable to interact with the outside world, immobilized in a twilight zone between conscious life and oblivion?
Truthfully, I would not. At least I dont think I would. Its difficult to know with certainty. And therein lies the dilemma. No one can know what Terri was capable of thinking, feeling, or what her desires were. The mind-body connection is an ocean of mystery which depths cannot begin to be plumbed through an autopsy. And a verbal sentiment spoken years earlier about not wanting to be kept alive by tubes hardly seems sufficient to justify administering the ultimate protocol, or at least it used to be.
One thing, however, is certain. America is becoming increasingly unhinged from the shared principles that formed its center and marked our history for over two hundred years. Patience, long suffering, and self-sacrifice in service of the weak does not get the personal attention it once did. Now we have the courts and government programs. Theres not a lot of desire to consider if there is a deeper meaning in Terri Schiavo's shared suffering in a culture of Extreme Makeovers, Survivor, and American Idol, where beauty, cunning, and talent are all that count.
In part, because we find it harder to value our own lives when severe misfortune strikes, in whatever form, it is natural to hold less value for the lives of others so affected. And this is the great tragedy of Terri Schiavo that as a people we have come to value life in accordance with our capacity to enjoy it, or at least to feel fulfilled, however we define it. Human life in America is valued subjectively, whereas for most of our history it held objective value, a value not dependent on circumstances or human affirmation. This is an enormous change, one that portends dark days ahead if not remedied.
There is little mystery as to what has led us here. An unprecedented rise in prosperity, the relentless and organized assault on belief in the Biblical God combined with the ascendancy of science, and in particular evolution, have made animals of us all wherein the unstated mission of life is to satisfy our appetites.
But God affirms that our lives do have objective, indeed eternal, value; that our lives have meaning beyond what we can see within the limits of time and three dimensional space, that our actions reverberate far beyond what we know, both for good and for ill. He tells us too that patience under suffering is among the noblest of enterprises if done in the service of good, whether that suffering is of a personal nature, or indirect, as in caring for those who cannot attend to themselves, those Jesus called
the least of these. A nobler enterprise is hard to imagine in God's economy.
But caring for those in need is more than a privilege; it is a mandate and one that cannot be shoved upon the government. For along with the blessing Jesus uttered a warning.
"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'"
"They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison and did not help you?'"
"He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do it for me'".
"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life." Matthew 25:41-46
Terri Schiavos eartly life had inestimable value because God valued it, the state of her ravaged body notwithstanding. As He told Samuel the prophet:
Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart (1 Samuel 16:7). God will Himself attend to Terri now that she is free from that body. For that, at least, we can and should take solace. But that is all. I certainly would not presume to know Gods mind on the particulars surrounding all the many decisions made by those affecting Terri Schiavos death: that of her husband Michael, his lawyers, the trial and appellate judges, et al. But one thing we can know. One day we will all stand before Him to give an account, where He will judge rightly the motives and intentions of our hearts. Take heed.
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