Page 252 - spiritual_accompaniment_montreal_archdiocese

PASTORAL LETTERS

We know that the search for meaning and spiritual wellbeing is also an essential
aspect of our human condition, for we are more than just physical matter. Since the dawn
of time, every human being has been confronted with fundamental questions regarding the
meaning of life, especially when facing precarious situations, like the COVID-19 pandemic,
when existential questions naturally come to the fore. Let us simply say that, in universally-
accepted terms, spirituality is what makes us alive, what impels each of us to be the most
we can be, what reaches deep within us and, at the same time, goes beyond us, and what
gives a unique dimension to our personal history and our relationships with others.

Currently, the spiritual dimension and associated needs of individuals have
received little attention, and during discussions related to essential services, there
appears to be little time to discuss this issue.

Nevertheless, having come face-to-face as a society with our limitations in
combating the isolation of the sick and the elderly, our inadequacies in overcoming all
the organizational challenges in meeting some basic needs, our shortcomings in
ensuring the survival of many businesses, only highlights the need to discover deep
within ourselves the fortitude to live, to love and to serve. Without this, the solidarity to
which the whole of society has generously committed itself risks being undermined by
fear and blame.

The role of chaplains and spiritual-care workers, where they are present in
healthcare institutions, offers such support whenever possible, not only to the sick but
also to the staff working tirelessly to provide the required care. Like you, my heart goes
out to all the elderly, the sick and the dying, who, whether they are believers or not, have
no other recourse than to undertake their interior journey in relentless isolation.
Spiritual accompaniment focuses on the freedom of the individual. Those who are recep-
tive to what it has to offer can see in it a path of hope. Those who are not disposed as such
may still discover in it a supportive and comforting presence.

(cont’d)

Collection of texts by the Most Rev. Christian Lépine 252