{"id":8525,"date":"2014-10-24T23:53:00","date_gmt":"2014-10-24T23:53:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/news\/for-terminally-ill-seminarian-a-life-with-suffering-is-not-void-of-dignity-27712\/"},"modified":"2014-10-24T23:53:00","modified_gmt":"2014-10-24T23:53:00","slug":"for-terminally-ill-seminarian-a-life-with-suffering-is-not-void-of-dignity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2014\/10\/for-terminally-ill-seminarian-a-life-with-suffering-is-not-void-of-dignity\/","title":{"rendered":"For terminally-ill seminarian, a life with suffering is not void of dignity"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

<\/p>\n

Raleigh, N.C., Oct 24, 2014 \/ 05:53 pm (CNA\/EWTN News<\/a>).- A seminarian is looking forward to his ordination to the diaconate this spring and the priesthood a year later, even though he was given roughly a year and a half to live back in 2008.<\/p>\n

\tPhillip Johnson, who is now 30, was diagnosed with a Grade III brain cancer known as anaplastic astrocytoma six years ago when he was serving as a naval officer in the Persian Gulf.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cI remember the moment I saw the computer images of the brain scans \u2013 I went to the Catholic chapel on base and fell to the floor in tears.\u00a0 I asked God, \u2018why me?\u2019\u201d Johnson wrote in an Oct. 22 column, \u201cDear Brittany: Our Lives Are Worth Living, Even With Brain Cancer,\u201d<\/a> for the Diocese of Raleigh website.<\/p>\n

\tHe was sent home to the U.S. for radiation and chemotherapy and then discharged from the Navy before entering formation for the priesthood, a calling he said he was aware of since he was 19.<\/p>\n

\tEven with aggressive treatment, most research shows that the average survival time for this type of cancer is 18 months, he said.<\/p>\n

\tQuoting the 29-year-old woman who has documented her decision to die by physician-assisted suicide in an online video, Brittany Maynard, Johnson said that \u201cbeing told you have that kind of timeline still feels like you\u2019re going to die tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tAfter consulting with his doctors, Johnson learned that he will \u201cgradually lose control of my bodily functions at a young age, from paralysis to incontinence, and it is very likely that my mental faculties will also disappear and lead to confusion and hallucinations before my death.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tMuch like this terminally-ill woman, he does not want to die or \u201csuffer the likely outcome of this disease.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\u201cI do not think anyone wants to die in this way.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tHowever, Johnson believes that such suffering does not diminish his worth as a person.
\n\t\u201cMy life means something to me, to God, and to my family and friends, and barring a miraculous recovery, it will continue to mean something long after I am paralyzed in a hospice bed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\u201cMy family and friends love me for who I am, not just for the personality traits that will slowly slip away if this tumor progresses and takes my life.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tJohnson recognizes Maynard\u2019s temptation to end her life \u201con her own terms.\u201d He admitted that at times he wished that the cancer would take his life quickly to end the suffering and that he hoped for a miracle to be cured of the cancer.<\/p>\n

\tHaving been given this long to live has now proved to be a miracle in itself, Johnson said. In fact, he has \u201cexperienced countless miracles\u201d throughout his illness.<\/p>\n

\tIn his preparation for the priesthood, he has been able to serve other terminally ill people and learned that \u201csuffering and heartache that is part of the human condition does not have to be wasted and cut short out of fear or seeking control in a seemingly uncontrollable situation.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\u201cPerhaps this is the most important miracle for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tAvoiding suffering at all costs \u2013 even at the expense of one\u2019s life \u2013 is a way to try to gain control \u201cin the midst of turmoil,\u201d but it ignores the redemptive value of suffering.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cWe do not seek pain for its own sake, but our suffering can have great meaning if we try to join it to the Passion of Christ and offer it for the conversion or intentions of others.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tJohnson said that by ending her life prematurely, Maynard will be missing out on the \u201cmost intimate moments of her life\u201d in return for a faster option \u201cthat focuses more on herself than anyone else.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tIn his own experience, the seminarian has endured sadness, but has also experienced periods of \u201cgreat joy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\u201cI still get sad. I still cry. I still beg God to show me His will through all of this suffering and to allow me to be His priest if it be His will, but I know that I am not alone in my suffering,\u201d he said, pointing to the support of his family, friends, and the Church.<\/p>\n

\tJohnson said he will keep praying for Maynard in her illness, that she will \u201cunderstand the love we all have for her before she takes her own life.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tIf she decides against her suicide and chooses to fight the disease, she would be \u201can incredible example and inspiration to countless others in her situation.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\u201cShe would certainly be an inspiration to me as I continue to fight my own cancer.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Raleigh, N.C., Oct 24, 2014 \/ 05:53 pm (CNA\/EWTN News).- A seminarian is looking forward to his ordination to the diaconate this spring and the priesthood a year later, even though he was given roughly a year and a half to live back in 2008.<\/p>\n

\tPhillip…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1031,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8525","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-us"],"yoast_head":"\nFor terminally-ill seminarian, a life with suffering is not void of dignity<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Raleigh, N.C., Oct 24, 2014 \/ 05:53 pm (CNA\/EWTN News).- A seminarian is looking forward to his ordination to the diaconate this spring and the priesthood a year later, even though he was given roughly a year and a half to live back in 2008. Phillip...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2014\/10\/for-terminally-ill-seminarian-a-life-with-suffering-is-not-void-of-dignity\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"For terminally-ill seminarian, a life with suffering is not void of dignity\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Raleigh, N.C., Oct 24, 2014 \/ 05:53 pm (CNA\/EWTN News).- A seminarian is looking forward to his ordination to the diaconate this spring and the priesthood a year later, even though he was given roughly a year and a half to live back in 2008. 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