Moreover, between us and you a great chasm is established
to prevent anyone from crossing
who might wish to go from our side to yours
or from your side to ours.’
And here this statement scares me always… despite all the mercy and care that Jesus promises us after we reconcile via the sacrament of confession .. what if it isnt good enough?! What if all my bad deeds outweigh the good I have done … I always wonder what guarantee do I have of reaching heaven…
As a cancer surgeon, the most common question asked after breaking the news is what stage .. often the pre operative imaging of CT scans or MRI s or PET CTs are upstaged during surgery and final pathological diagnosis … so a stage 1 on CT may be classified as stage 3 after surgery.. so as onco surgeons to commit to the stage seems harder than we can anticipate… however there are some patients with disease so extensive that whatever we may do…. it recurs or just doesnt change … that is the disease !
We struggle to find a solution and ever evolving medications are being brought into foray but it is either beyond reach due to the cost or availability in my country. And I can see the patients have this fear in their eyes.
While some women are very positive and never say no to any form of treatment and always optimistic majority are upset and waiting to end the misery of chemotherapy , radiation and surgery and get back onto their lives! the older patients submit themselves to the Lord and are constantly chanting rosary or prayers .. but will they be able to cross the chasm?!
Will all the good they have done manage to put them across the chasm ?
will their suffering through cancer work like a penance ?
this week let us meditate on the mortality of our lives and realise we will all reach the pearly gates…
AMEN
