Human Flourishing in Christ: A Journey of Hope in the Christian Community

Abstract

Promoting human flourishing among the sick and the dying as the spiritual goal of life—union with Christ—presents one of the most challenging experiences for patients, families, clinicians, and the Christian community in today’s healthcare environment. This article will present a framework and the important Catholic moral principles that can help guide and facilitate ethical decisions in end-of-life care that promotes and protects human dignity, freedom, and human flourishing in Christ as the telos of the journey of hope in the Christian community. Summary: As members of the Christian Community we have been called to bring the healing message of salvation and hope to one another. This ministry calls each of us to reach beyond ourselves and to touch our loved ones, our neighbors, those made vulnerable by the circumstances of their illness and to protect and defend human dignity, freedom and promote human flourishing. As Jesus did in his own time, each of us is called to help bring healing and wholeness to the sick and the dying in our world. How we can respond to our obligation to care for the sick and dying at the end-of-life, grounded in the principles of the Catholic moral tradition that govern our care and treatment decisions, is the focus of this paper.