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10 Gulf Pine Catholic • July 19, 2024 Sacks also raises the possibility that NDEs may not occur when individuals are actually suffering an absence of circulation to the brain or when they are trapped in a deep coma, but rather as they are surfac- ing out of the coma and their cortex is beginning to regain function. Since it is difficult to verify the cause of an indi- vidual’s NDE, it is wise to use some caution around the interpretation of such experiences. The most authoritative source of information about the afterlife remains the One who came from heaven, redeemed us through His suffering, death and resurrection, and who invites us to follow Him into eternal life. Rev. Tadeusz Pacholczyk, Ph.D. earned his doc- torate in neuroscience from Yale and did post-doc- toral work at Harvard. He is a priest of the diocese of Fall River, MA, and serves as Senior Ethicist at The National Catholic Bioethics Center in Philadelphia. See www.ncbcenter.org and www.fathertad.com . Making Sense Out of Bioethics From page 6 Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. (Isaiah 43:18-19) If someone begins to speak about change, how do you react? Do you find yourself starting to feel discomfort and anxious? Or do you openly invite change into your life? No matter the reaction we have, there is one truth that can be spoken about change. It is inevitable. So why do we turn away from change as though it can be avoided? Have I not commanded you? Be strong and cou- rageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. (Joshua 1:9) As I reflected on the verses of Isaiah and Josh- ua, I couldn’t help but feel the joy, excitement, and trust embedded in the words. Imagine if everyone had the ability to embrace change with such grace and certainty, and how different this world could be. We would no longer feel the fear, hopelessness, and poverty surrounding our lives, but instead would be surrounded by the trust, hope, and abundance of oth- ers. All anxiety would seem to melt away, and our thoughts of the future would create feelings of con- fidence. While we may not be able to change the world overnight, we can begin working together at this moment to invite change in a healthier way. Every action and step we take in life changes the world we welcome tomorrow. I challenge you in the upcoming weeks to em- brace any changes in your life by turning to Scrip- ture. While change is inevitable in the world, it is important to remember that God is not of this world. God is the one constant in our lives that has always been and will always be. If you are unsure of where to begin, the following verses are ones that have helped me in times of un- certainty and anxiousness. I will be praying that one of them may help do the same for you. -- God goes before you and will be with you; God will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. (Deuteronomy 31:8) -- “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11) -- Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you can see that God’s will is good, pleasing and perfect. (Romans 12:2) -- We fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:18) -- Be Still; and know that I am God. (Psalm 46:10) Ashley Bonney is a member of Most Holy Trinity Parish, Pass Christian. Facing change Bonney Guest Columnist BY JUSTIN MCLELLAN Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY ( CNS ) -- Heaven is not a secure vault pro- tected from outsiders but a “hid- den treasure” that is reached by cultivating virtues, Pope Francis said. Before praying the Angelus in St. Peter’s Square on the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul June 29, the pope reflected on Jesus giving St. Peter, the first pope, the keys to the kingdom of heaven. “The mission that Jesus entrusts to Peter is not that of barring the doors to the house, permitting en- try only to a few select guests, but of helping every- one to find the way to enter, in faithfulness to the Gospel of Jesus,” Pope Francis said after celebrating Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica. Heaven, he added, is “for everyone. Everyone, everyone, everyone can enter.” The pope said that St. Peter “received the keys to the kingdom not because he was perfect, no, he is a sinner, but because he was humble, honest and the Father had given him sincere faith.” Even after many trials and setbacks, the Apostle Peter was the first to experience for himself “the joy and freedom that come from meeting the Lord,” and the first “to understand that authority is a service in order to open the door to Jesus.” The following day, Pope Francis again appeared in the window of the Apostolic Palace to keep his usual Sunday appointment of praying the Angelus with the faithful. He focused on the Gospel theme of inclusivity by reflecting on the day’s Gospel read- ing from St. Mark in which a woman is healed after touching Jesus’ cloak and a girl is resurrected after Jesus took her by the hand. Highlighting the importance of physical contact in both healings, the pope asked, “Why is this physi- cal contact important?” “It is because these two women are considered impure and cannot, therefore, be physically touched -- one because she suffers from bleeding and the oth- er because she is dead,” he said. “Yet, Jesus allows Himself to be touched and is not afraid to touch.” By carrying out the physical healing, Jesus “chal- lenges the false religious belief that God separates the pure, placing them on one side, from the impure on another,” the pope said. “Instead, God does not make this kind of separation because we are all His children.” He added that impurity “does not come from food, illness, or even death; impurity comes from an impure heart.” Pope Francis urged Christians to take to heart the lesson from the day’s Gospel reading, that “in the face of bodily and spiritual sufferings, of the wounds our souls bear, of the situations that crush us, and even in the face of sin, God does not keep us at a distance.” “God is not ashamed of us; God does not judge us,” he said. “On the contrary, He draws near to let Himself be touched and to touch us, and He always raises us from death.” Heaven is for ‘everyone, everyone, everyone’ Pope Francis The Holy Father Speaks