I’ve felt that way, too. 😉 “Wizard of Id”, John Hart Studios. (October 14, 2026)
America’s national election is happening on Tuesday of next week. I’m not looking forward to it. But voting is a duty for citizens here, so that’s what I’ll be doing.
Figuring out who and what to vote for — or against — is easy, or really, really hard: depending on how I look at the task.
Chicago Tribune cartoon, politicos about-facing the day after an election. (1927)
If I took a “trust your feelings, Luke!” attitude, I might skip voting entirely. Then, as assorted experts, pundits, and analysts expounded on what the American Public was ‘really’ feeling, I could sit back with a bucket of popcorn and watch show.
Or I could seek comparatively intellectual entertainment.
Like a Three Stooges marathon.
But I’m a Catholic. Acting like a good citizen is an obligation. So ignoring the recurrent brouhaha is not an option.
In my country, responsible citizenship includes having a clue about which jokers are running this time, thinking about what they’ve said and done: or not said and done, and that’s another topic.
The USCCB (United States Conference of Bishops) provides resources that discuss what’s involved in voting responsibly. They don’t tell me who to vote for: but do discuss the ethical principles involved. These links were valid on the morning of October 26, 2026:
Conscience and Voting: Ethics Matter, Even in Politics
“Forming Consciences…” and related resources: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB)
The rosary I use: a bit non-standard, but that’s okay.
I’d prefer saying more about the rosary. But it’s been an eventful week here, so you’re in luck: I’ll chatter on a bit, link to the best ‘how to pray the rosary’ resource I’ve found, and call it a day. Week.
Contemplative, Very Catholic, But Not Exclusively Catholic
First off, the rosary is a contemplative prayer, but not the only contemplative prayer. Contemplative prayer is a whole category:
“Contemplation is a gaze of faith, fixed on Jesus. ‘I look at him and he looks at me’: this is what a certain peasant of Ars used to say to his holy cure about his prayer before the tabernacle. This focus on Jesus is a renunciation of self. His gaze purifies our heart; the light of the countenance of Jesus illumines the eyes of our heart and teaches us to see everything in the light of his truth and his compassion for all men. Contemplation also turns its gaze on the mysteries of the life of Christ. Thus it learns the ‘interior knowledge of our Lord,’ the more to love him and follow him.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2715) (referring to “Spiritual Exercises” , 104, St. Ignatius of Loyola)
That’s just scratching the surface of contemplative prayer. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2709-2719, for starters)
The rosary may be seen as a very ‘Catholic’ prayer, but I gather that many folks who aren’t Catholic pray the rosary regularly. Another point: I’ve yet to find anything official saying that praying the rosary is mandatory for Catholics.
Yet another point: I’ve run across, and prayed, several variations of the rosary’s cycle of smaller prayers. That’s slight variations: different ways of expressing the same ideas, all in dialects of English not dissimilar to mine. This is okay.
“The Rosary is made up of twenty ‘mysteries’ (significant events or moments in the life of Jesus and Mary), which, following the Apostolic Letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae, are grouped into four series….
“…’This indication is not intended to limit a rightful freedom in personal and community prayer, where account needs to be taken of spiritual and pastoral needs and of the occurrence of particular liturgical celebrations which might call for suitable adaptations’; (Rosarium Virginis Mariae, 38)….” (The Mysteries of the Rosary, The Holy See, vatican.va)
Rosary Resources, Including a Good ‘How-to’ Guide
The Mysteries of the Rosary, a page on vatican.va, the Holy See’s website (I linked to the English-language version), is a pretty good overview. But here’s a more detailed discussion, and the best ‘how-to’ resource I’ve found:
How to recite the Holy Rosary prints out on a single sheet of 8.5 x 11 inch paper (a standard size here), and is the one I use as a guide: until or unless I finally memorize the whole thing.
The Usual Links
I’ve talked about prayer before, so has my father-in-law:
What with writing down what I consider reasonable health care if I am unable to communicate, running a fever that finally fizzled this week — and being aware of our current pope’s state of health — maladies and medicine have been more on my mind than usual.
Basically, I’ve been a bit preoccupied. And to top it all off, this household experienced a very welcome visit from number-two daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter. So this post will be somewhat rambling: or discursive, which sounds classier.
I’ll start with what should be a no-brainer. Human life matters. A lot.
“Human life is sacred because from its beginning it involves the creative action of God and it remains for ever in a special relationship with the Creator, who is its sole end. God alone is the Lord of life from its beginning until its end: no one can under any circumstance claim for himself the right directly to destroy an innocent human being.“ (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2258) [emphasis mine]
Working On My Health Care Directive
Eugenics seemed like such a good idea.
Backing up a bit, when a draft copy of paperwork involved in making family property/estate/whatever arrangements for at least the next generation came, it included a Health Care Directive for me to fill out.
I already have one on file with the local hospital. When I get this new one filled out and signed, along with whatever else is needed to make it official, there’s the task of getting the local hospital to accept and file the new one: and that’s another topic.
The emotional stress of deciding on responses to 22 items didn’t surprise me, since they all involved me thinking about very unpleasant possibilities. Besides that, many of them encouraged me to verify that what I remember about ‘Catholic’ views of health care is accurate.
I trust my own judgement or memory, to a point; but my memory could be — creative. So I like to verify what I remember, making sure I’m not missing details: particularly involving life-or-death situations.
Enough preamble. Some items, like naming my health care agent and a backup, were straightforward: and didn’t involve the ethical minefield between — I’d better stop there. There isn’t time and I don’t have the energy to adequately discuss why I think I have a need for caution.
Instead, I’ll show a few of the items on the Health Care Directive, after “…I have these views about my health care in these situations” items, along with my responses.
The Health Care Directive prompts are in bold.
If I were dying and unable to decide or speak for myself, I would want: Ordinary care, including but not limited to: air/oxygen, food/nutrition and hydration; when needed, painkillers.
In all circumstances, my doctors should try to keep me comfortable and reduce my pain. This is how I feel about pain relief if it would affect my alertness or if it could shorten my life: If I am terminally ill, pain relief that may impact how long I live would be acceptable if the goal is to reduce pain. Otherwise, I do not want medicine that would shorten my life.
Whenever I am unable to decide for myself, I designate my health care agent as proxy to make decisions about mental health treatment, including electroconvulsive therapy and administration of neuroleptic medications as defined in Minnesota Statues section 245D.02, subdivision 27. I would like to express the following instructions regarding intrusive mental health treatment: I hope my health care agent would consider intrusive mental health treatment only in the most extreme or life-threatening circumstances.
Remembering ‘the Good Old Days’
Award-winning wonder-cure for people in pain. (1950)
I looked up what “intrusive mental health treatment” means in this context, and what electroconvulsive therapy and neuroleptic medications do to patients.
The main up side to electroconvulsive therapy, running an electrical current through my brain, would be that I’d become more manageable.
A down side is that I might have trouble remembering who I am and what I’ve been doing.
I can see why neuroleptic medications have gotten traction. They’re therapeutic: aside from some folks experiencing degraded balance, type 2 diabetes and other troubles, like having trouble thinking. But the patients are more manageable.
It’s not all bad news, however.
Looking up Minnesota Statues section 245D.02, subdivision 27 led me to 253B.03 RIGHTS OF PATIENTS. I’ll get back to that, very briefly.
245D.02 included what struck me as, in part, an effort to address situations where there simply isn’t time to fill out forms, get signatures, request authorization, rinse and repeat.
Looks like “RIGHTS OF PATIENTS” will be changing, thanks to Minnesota’s 2026 Regular Session. I haven’t studied what those changes are supposed to be, but I’d be surprised if they’ll bring back ‘the good old days’, when someone won the 1949 Nobel Prize for Physiology or medicine for “discovery of the therapeutic value of leucotomy in certain psychoses”.
I remember the ‘good old days’ that followed, and that’s yet another topic.1
“Precious Resources”, Experiments, and Ethics
I can easily imagine a “very religious” person denouncing drugs, surgical operations, and pretty much anything “scientific”: along with “demon rum” and whatever else that pillar of society doesn’t like.
I’m a Catholic, so that’s not an option.
But I’m a Catholic and take my faith seriously, which includes practicing temperance: or trying to. That’s temperance, Catholic style.
“The virtue of temperance disposes us to avoid every kind of excess: the abuse of food, alcohol, tobacco, or medicine. Those incur grave guilt who, by drunkenness or a love of speed, endanger their own and others’ safety on the road, at sea, or in the air. “The use of drugs inflicts very grave damage on human health and life. Their use, except on strictly therapeutic grounds, is a grave offense. Clandestine production of and trafficking in drugs are scandalous practices. They constitute direct co-operation in evil, since they encourage people to practices gravely contrary to the moral law.” (Catechism, 2290-2291) [emphasis mine]
‘It’s For Science!’?
Word may be getting around that not all Christians see science as Satanic, but maybe some folks — Christian and otherwise — haven’t gotten the memo yet.
Anyway, here’s part of what the Church says about science and medicine:
“Scientific, medical, or psychological experiments on human individuals or groups can contribute to healing the sick and the advancement of public health. “Basic scientific research, as well as applied research, is a significant expression of man’s dominion over creation. Science and technology are precious resources when placed at the service of man and promote his integral development for the benefit of all. By themselves however they cannot disclose the meaning of existence and of human progress. Science and technology are ordered to man, from whom they take their origin and development; hence they find in the person and in his moral values both evidence of their purpose and awareness of their limits. “It is an illusion to claim moral neutrality in scientific research and its applications. On the other hand, guiding principles cannot be inferred from simple technical efficiency, or from the usefulness accruing to some at the expense of others or, even worse, from prevailing ideologies. Science and technology by their very nature require unconditional respect for fundamental moral criteria. They must be at the service of the human person, of his inalienable rights, of his true and integral good, in conformity with the plan and the will of God.“ (Catechism, 2292-2294) [emphasis mine]
I’ve talked about what “moral” means in the Catechism and other Church documents.
Morality, as the term is used here, isn’t limited to the zipper issues that make for the occasional racy news items. And that’s yet again another topic. I generally use words like “ethics”, which aren’t quite as tightly-focused in my dialect of English.
Basically, saying ‘it’s for science!’ doesn’t make ethics irrelevant.
Which reminds me. Using human beings as experimental subjects isn’t always a bad idea: but “the dignity of human persons” applies.
Finally, medical procedures like organ transplants can be a good idea. Provided they don’t involve breaking a living person down for parts.
“Research or experimentation on the human being cannot legitimate acts that are in themselves contrary to the dignity of persons and to the moral law. The subjects’ potential consent does not justify such acts. Experimentation on human beings is not morally legitimate if it exposes the subject’s life or physical and psychological integrity to disproportionate or avoidable risks. Experimentation on human beings does not conform to the dignity of the person if it takes place without the informed consent of the subject or those who legitimately speak for him. “Organ transplants are in conformity with the moral law if the physical and psychological dangers and risks to the donor are proportionate to the good sought for the recipient. Organ donation after death is a noble and meritorious act and is to be encouraged as a expression of generous solidarity. It is not morally acceptable if the donor or his proxy has not given explicit consent. Moreover, it is not morally admissible to bring about the disabling mutilation or death of a human being, even in order to delay the death of other persons.” (Catechism, 2295-2296) [emphasis mine]
Life and Health: a Catholic and Former Lab Rat’s Perspective
It’s late Friday, time for me to wrap this up with links to what I’ve said before about life and health — from my perspective as a Catholic and former lab rat:
“Pope Leo Celebrates Mass in the Hospital as He Recovers From Lung Surgery”, 3:07, EWTN News Nightly (October 14, 2026)
I’m not making a habit of frequent posts. But I’m rather pope-conscious this week.
The three-minute video says our pope is doing well, under the circumstances, and that it’s “business as usual” at Gemelli Hospital, except for the Pope recovering from surgery there.
EWTN News Nightly also did brief interviews with folks associated with Gemelli, and an even shorter introduction to St. Peregrine.
“Peregrine Laziosi (Pellegrino Latiosi; c. 1260 – 1 May 1345) is an Italian saint of the Servite Order (Friar Order Servants of Mary). He is the patron saint for persons suffering from cancer, AIDS, and other life-threatening illnesses. … “…One of the special penances he imposed on himself was to stand whenever it was not necessary to sit. When tired, he would support himself on a choir stall. At the age of 60, he developed an infection in his right leg. His condition deteriorated to the point that the physician decided to amputate his leg. “The night before the operation, Laziosi spent time praying before a fresco of the crucifixion in the chapter room. He fell into a deep trance-like sleep and seemed to see Jesus descend from the cross to touch his leg. “The following day, the doctor arrived to perform the amputation, and, finding no sign of the cancer, news of the miraculous cure spread throughout the town….” (St. Peregrine, Wikipedia) [emphasis mine]
I was going to put some of the following into my scheduled ‘Saturday’ post, but figure it’s a better fit here.
Looks like the nodule in one of Leo XIV’s lungs was cancerous. Now he’s missing part of his right lung:
The Pope’s words at the Angelus prayer, 11.10.2026 (October 11, 2026) “…Dear friends, during some recent medical examinations, the doctors found a small, localized nodule in my lung. It was detected at a very early stage and is well-localized. The doctors believe that it is best to intervene, so, following their advice, I have decided to undergo surgery to remove it. The operation is already scheduled to take place in the coming days. I thank you for your spiritual closeness and entrust myself to your prayers.”
“Pope Leo has calm night in hospital after successful lung surgery” Vatican News (October 14, 2026) “‘The night passed calmly for the Pope. Further information will be provided later today,’ the Holy See Press Office said on Wednesday, the morning after Pope Leo underwent a successful lung operation with no complications. “Pope Leo XIV underwent surgery at Gemelli Hospital, during which doctors removed the lower lobe of his right lung…. “…’An intraoperative histological examination confirmed the diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma, as suspected from the preoperative examinations,’ the doctors said. “The Pope was in the operating room for approximately three hours, while the operation itself lasted about 90 minutes. The doctors said it was successful and there were no complications….”
“Pope Leo’s postoperative recovery progressing well” Vatican News (October 14, 2026) “…’The Holy Father has undergone respiratory physiotherapy and has begun walking around his room. He has resumed eating normally and had breakfast and lunch,’ it [the Holy See Press Office statement] added. ‘His recovery is proceeding as expected.’…”
Headlines, Words, and Miracles
“Healing of the Lepers at Capernaum”, Tissot.
I’ve been seeing words like “shock” and “stuns” in my news feed’s headlines about the pope’s diagnosis and operation: and not from what I’ll call tabloid news. I suppose that sort of, ah, drama comes with the job.
A word I haven’t seen yet in discussions of Leo XIV’s so-far-successful surgery is “miracle”.
I sooner or later someone may say that his recovery was “a miracle”.
But if that idea remains unexpressed, that’s fine by me; mainly because, so far, nothing I’ve read about the diagnosis and surgery strikes me as miraculous.
A good example of health care, involving very up-to-date technology, yes.
Miraculous, no.
“MIRACLE: A sign or wonder, such as a healing or the control of nature, which can only be attributed to divine power. The miracles of Jesus were messianic signs of the presence of God’s kingdom (547).” (Glossary, Catechism of the Catholic Church)
Books could be and have been written about the miracles of Jesus. I’m not going to do that, but I will share some of what the Catechism says.
“547 Jesus accompanies his words with many ‘mighty works and wonders and signs’, which manifest that the kingdom is present in him and attest that he was the promised Messiah. 548 The signs worked by Jesus attest that the Father has sent him. They invite belief in him. To those who turn to him in faith, he grants what they ask. So miracles strengthen faith in the One who does his Father’s works; they bear witness that he is the Son of God. But his miracles can also be occasions for ‘offence’;[!] they are not intended to satisfy people’s curiosity or desire for magic Despite his evident miracles some people reject Jesus; he is even accused of acting by the power of demons. 549 By freeing some individuals from the earthly evils of hunger, injustice, illness and death, Jesus performed messianic signs. Nevertheless he did not come to abolish all evils here below, but to free men from the gravest slavery, sin, which thwarts them in their vocation as God’s sons and causes all forms of human bondage.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 547-549) [emphasis mine]
Basically, Jesus performed miracles at least partly to show that he was who and what he said he was: God. A fair number of folks accepted the idea. A little later, when Jesus stopped being dead: well, that’s another topic.
The Usual Links
Detail from a standard 13th century medical text.
I’ve talked about Jesus, miracles, and health before:
Spectators and vendors at John Pegsworth’s execution. (1837) Detail of a trial broadside.
There was nothing in my Google news feed Tuesday about the scheduled execution by firing squad of a mass murderer, or plans to livestream the event. Nothing that I’ve seen, at any rate.
“The Archbishop for the Military Services USA, Archbishop Timothy Broglio, has issued a statement obliging ‘any Catholics assigned to the firing squad’ for the execution of Nidal Malik Hasan ‘to request to be excused from this action contrary to the teaching of the Church.’
“Mr. Hasan was condemned to death by a military court for the premeditated murder of 13 people and the attempted premeditated murder of 32 more in a mass shooting at Fort Hood in the US state of Texas.
“Earlier this month, President Donald Trump approved his execution by firing squad. Subsequently, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced the execution would be livestreamed….”
As I was dotting my dotting i’s and crossing my t’s — odd use of apostrophes, but that’s how the Cambridge Dictionary spells it — I learned that the execution is currently scheduled for December 3 of this year.
“…On October 5, 2026, the U.S. Department of Defense, via Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell, issued a statement saying that Hegseth had recommended, and President Trump approved, execution by U.S. Army firing squad. On October 6, the acting Secretary of the Army Adam Telle decided that Hasan’s execution by firing squad will take place at Fort Hood, Texas, on December 3, 2026, at 1 p.m. CT. On October 8, Hegseth stated that Hasan’s execution will be a public execution, and the Pentagon stated that it will be livestreamed. If carried out, it will be the first public execution in the United States in 90 years. According to ABC News, army planners were unaware of the decision to conduct the execution by firing squad and to broadcast it prior to public reporting….” (Nidal Hasan, Wikipedia (October 13, 2026))
Where I got ‘October 13’ as the execution date, I don’t know. I hadn’t been taking notes as I glanced over recent articles and op-eds.
At this point, I could praise or denounce someone, exhibit shock and horror or virtuous triumph, or pick some other perch from my culture’s political and ideological pigeonholes. But I won’t.
Instead, I’ll sketch out how I see the planned event: as someone who is a Catholic, and takes what I believe seriously.
Human Life Matters
Legal in 1606, after England’s Gunpowder Treason Plot: public executions by vivisection.
First of all, murder, deliberately killing an innocent person, is a bad idea and we shouldn’t do it. That’s because human life is sacred. It’s a gift from God. That’s every human life, each human life, all human lives. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2258-2317)
Here’s where I could try appealing to a formerly-influential American set, presenting myself as a dedicated defender of America’s noble traditions. Including the death penalty.
Or I could align myself with the folks who have enjoyed influence and authority more recently, by saying that the death penalty is wrong. And, since the Catholic Church says capital punishment is wrong, that it’s run by hypocrites. Actually, the hypocrite claim — and worse — was part of the ‘good old days’ of my youth, too.
Valuing Life, Living in an Imperfect World
New York City’s Word Trade Center after the 9/11 attack. (September 14, 2001)
We’re told that human life is sacred, so shouldn’t we be full-bore pacifists?
Maybe, if we lived in an ideal world where nobody felt like ganging up on their neighbors.
But that, putting it mildly, is not the world we live in.
St. Thomas Aquinas discussed what we call legitimate defense at great length:
It’s been upwards of seven and a half centuries since St. Thomas wrote “Summa”. What he said still makes sense, but we’ve been fine-tuning how we summarize his ideas: along with the rest of the deposit of faith we’ve been passing along for the last couple millennia.
That’s why, back in August of 2018, the current Catechism was updated:
Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2267, prior to August 2018
“Assuming that the guilty party’s identity and responsibility have been fully determined, the traditional teaching of the Church does not exclude recourse to the death penalty, if this is the only possible way of effectively defending human lives against an unjust aggressor.
“If, however, non-lethal means are sufficient to defend and protect people’s safety from the aggressor, authority will limit itself to such means, as these are more in keeping with the concrete conditions of the common good and more in conformity with the dignity of the human person.
“Today, in fact, as a consequence of the possibilities which the state has for effectively preventing crime, by rendering one who has committed an offense incapable of doing harm — without definitively taking away from him the possibility of redeeming himself — the cases in which the execution of the offender is an absolute necessity ‘are very rare, if not practically non-existent.’†” (†Pope St. John Paul II, Encyclical Evangelium vitae 56) [emphasis mine]
Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2267, after August 2018
“Recourse to the death penalty on the part of legitimate authority, following a fair trial, was long considered an appropriate response to the gravity of certain crimes and an acceptable, albeit extreme, means of safeguarding the common good.
“Today, however, there is an increasing awareness that the dignity of the person is not lost even after the commission of very serious crimes. In addition, a new understanding has emerged of the significance of penal sanctions imposed by the state. Lastly, more effective systems of detention have been developed, which ensure the due protection of citizens but, at the same time, do not definitively deprive the guilty of the possibility of redemption.
“Consequently, the Church teaches, in the light of the Gospel, that ‘the death penalty is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person’,‡ and she works with determination for its abolition worldwide.’“ (‡ Francis, Address to Participants in the Meeting organized by the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization, 11 October 2017: L’Osservatore Romano, 13 October 2017, 5.) [emphasis mine]
Going from “very rare, if not practically non-existent” to “the death penalty is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person” is very likely still upsetting and/or puzzling folks with fixed ideas about both what the Church says and how it should conform to their opinions.
Me? I didn’t see how my country could be so destitute, that we had to kill prisoners.
I still don’t.
It’s Part of Our Job
Pillar of Fire Church’s “Good Citizen” cover. (July 1926) This mix of religion and politics was still echoing during my youth.
One more item, and I’m done.
Sooner or later, I figure someone’s going to say that the Catholic Church has no business meddling in politics.
And, therefore, that the Church shouldn’t tell us that killing prisoners — or anything else — is wrong.
I’ve been exposed to far too many ham-handed efforts to enlist God as a political promoter to be comfortable with the idea.
I very emphatically do not want the Church mixed up with politics.
But, athough it’s not all we do, part of our job is pointing out what actions are right and which aren’t.
“2245 The Church, because of her commission and competence, is not to be confused in any way with the political community. She is both the sign and the safeguard of the transcendent character of the human person. ‘The Church respects and encourages the political freedom and responsibility of the citizen.'(Gaudium et Spes 76 § 3.) “2246 It is a part of the Church’s mission ‘to pass moral judgments even in matters related to politics, whenever the fundamental rights of man or the salvation of souls requires it. the means, the only means, she may use are those which are in accord with the Gospel and the welfare of all men according to the diversity of times and circumstances.’ (Gaudium et Spes 76 § 5.)” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2245-2246) [emphasis mine]
I’ve already talked about assorted angles, attitudes, and assumptions regarding life, death, and being both an American and a Catholic:
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Life, the universe and my circumstances permitting. I'm focusing on 'family stories' at the moment. ("A Change of Pace: Family Stories" (11/23/2024))
Blog - David Torkington
Spiritual theologian, author and speaker, specializing in prayer, Christian spirituality and mystical theology [the kind that makes sense-BHG]
I was born in 1951. I'm a husband, father and grandfather. One of the kids graduated from college in December, 2008, and is helping her husband run businesses and raise my granddaughter; another is a cartoonist and artist; #3 daughter is a writer; my son is developing a digital game with #3 and #1 daughters. I'm also a writer and artist.
