A need for Repentance and the Gift of Forgiveness
Recently, I discovered a clip from the television show, E.R. It showed a man facing the end of life with the burden of a perceived sin causing him great anxiety. He shares his distress with a so called spiritual councilor who cannot respond to his need for absolution, He states at one point “I need a real chaplain, who believes in a real God and a real hell.” What he wants is objective religious truth, what he was getting was subjective feel good new-age. Very intelligent script for a TV show. Here’s the clip from: ER
No offense, Father Steven, but your post here isn’t nearly enough. What would _you_ have told the dying man? Was the “so called spiritual councilor” totally bereft of any valid points?
This little clip is a good example of what true listening isn’t. It is a great how-not-to for anyone wanting to do pastoral care with the sick.