‘The Measure of My Days’ is a collection of meditations, reflections, and first-hand experiences of Catholics
OTTAWA (CCN)
With the euthanasia law looming, Justin Press decided to publish a book on how faith-filled Catholics approach suffering and death.
“The Measure of My Days” is a collection of meditations, reflections and stories from Catholics with first-hand experience dealing with illness, suffering and dying. It is one of three titles the small, seven-year-old Justin Press launched Nov. 2 in Ottawa this year.
“Our offered suffering, united with the Cross, can change the world,” said Donna Procher, one of the contributors to the book, to the 50-100 people who attended the launch.
Procher told how she was inspired to write Letters to Jesus from a Nursing Home, her contribution to The Measure of My Days.
Procher had been visiting her mother-in-law at a nursing home and became friends with her roommate, a woman named Marie. Marie had been happily living in a senior’s condo when a health incident put her into the nursing home. Her sons had moved some of her furniture into the room to try to make it as much like home as possible, but she suffered shock, anger and grief at the loss of her previous life.
“This is what I have left,” Marie mourned. “This is my life.”
Marie was afraid to make new friends in the nursing home, for fear they would die. “She knew the hearse was a frequent visitor,” said Procher. Marie also didn’t get along with the nurses. One night when she had a headache and asked for a Tylenol, she was refused. Marie told Procher that when she lived in her own place, she could get up and go to the medicine cabinet and help herself. “Now someone is yelling at me over a speaker.”
Marie came from the Christian Reformed tradition, and Procher said she yearned to share with her “the unique treasure and comfort of uniting our sufferings with the Cross of Christ.”
“She was not ready,” Procher said. So, she listened and tried to provide comfort as Marie shared her grief and pain. Then one day, Procher came in to see her mother in law and Marie’s bed was empty. Marie had had a heart attack and died shortly afterwards.
Letters to Jesus from a Nursing Home contains what Procher wished she could have shared with Marie concerning Christ’s love and understanding of her suffering. The letters’ subject cover everything from the pain of losing one’s home and prized possessions; to loneliness; to pain; to dealing with loss of independence and difficult nurses; to loving those who are hard to love.
Procher was unable to find a publisher for her letters until she found out Justin Press co-founder Dr. John Gay was soliciting contributions to a book that was aimed at providing a Catholic approach to suffering and death as an antidote to euthanasia. She is one of seven contributors.
“We Catholics do know how to suffer; we Catholics know how to die,” Procher said. “We know the value of offered suffering. We can heal the world with this.”
Justin Press has published 37 titles by 22 authors since its founding seven years ago. Dr. Gay described the volunteer venture as an apostolate to encourage the reading public with good Catholic writing.
Other titles published this year included In Case I Don’t Make It by Andrea Black, reflections and words of wisdom she would want to pass on to her five children in case she did not have the opportunity to share them The third is Why God is Hiding, by Patrick Maegher, a book that addresses questions about God and faith to help ensure teenagers do not lose their faith when they confront them.
