Let us pray: Gracious and everliving Father, on this day which is greater than all the days, we come seeking to understand the eternal message of the gospel and how it may transform our lives. May we in these moments not only come to know that Jesus lives, but may we come to know him as brother and friend. In Christ's holy name we pray, Amen.

The philosopher Sidney Hook writes in an article titled "In Defense of Voluntary Euthanasia" about how at one point in his life he was near death. The treatment for his congestive heart failure had triggered a stroke. His left side and vocal cords became paralyzed and pleurisy set into his body. He lay for weeks in pain and misery connected to life-support machines in the hospital. At one point his heart stopped beating altogether, but just as he los…