A Ray of Hope

In response to Rick’s sadness over the assisted suicide case in Germany, on a more hopeful front, today Zenit reported that Pope Benedict authorized the promulgation of a decree recognizing that together with seven others, Servant of God Chiara Badano lived a life of heroic virtue.  One of the Focolare youth, she died in 1990 at the age of 18, of a particularly painful form of bone cancer, after leaving an extraordinary witness of light and faith, accompanied and sustained by the whole community and especially friends of her same age who lived the spirituality of unity together with her.  More about her life here and here.  In a world where the sick are often marginalized and profound isolation and loneliness often lead to desperation, her life shines as a ray of hope, and perhaps even helps to illumninate a path for healing the cultural maladies that lead to assisted suicide as well.  Amy