Dying Without Fear

by Paul Chaloux

Nihil Very Rev. Francis de Rosa, Censor Deputatus

+Michael F. Burbidge, Bishop of Arlington, March 20, 2023 Catholic theologian Paul Chaloux's follow-up to Why All People Suffer focuses on the natural and spiritual concerns encountered in dying and death. Theologically rich yet easy to read, this book is emotionally charged and will speak to the needs of your heart, whether you are facing terminal illness, caring for a dying loved one, or grieving a loss. Dr. Chaloux uses his own experiences in dealing with Parkinson's disease and the dying and death experiences of his family members going back four generations to help make sense out of and answer the natural and theological questions most people have concerning death and dying. The first section of the book lays out the theology of suffering and death. You will learn how they are critical to Providence, God's great plan for the universe, and why everyone must suffer and die. You will also see how even the most horrific deaths can be used by God to bring about salvation for those who suffer those deaths and for others. The second section explores death and dying from the perspective of the dying, giving helpful advice on what to do with your remaining time and energy to maximize building love and growing in your relationship with God and others. Dr. Chaloux skillfully discusses both spiritual preparations and practical decisions, from healthcare choices to final wishes, providing a checklist of seven items that the dying should consider. The third section focuses on dying and death from the perspective of a surviving relative. It explains typical causes of death, the five needs of the dying, and the role of caregivers, with particular emphasis on "tough" cases such as dementia, suicide and the loss of a spouse, a parent, a child, or another close relative. Significantly, you will find why recalling the attributes of God will help you trust in His love for you. You will also
Dying without Fear will enlighten your perspective about suffering and death and about the relationship between God and man, so that you will truly be able to approach the final things without fear and to assist your loved ones in attaining peace on this journey.

Genres: Catholic

240 pages, Paperback

Published June 19, 2023

Reviews

[Melancon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding Guide for End of Life Behavior from a Catholic Perspective

As a disclosure, I was given an advanced copy of this book to read and review. I served as a CCD teaching aide to Dr. Chaloux at St Agnes, and have benefited from his guidance throughout our relatively brief interactions. I have tried to maintain an objective stance on the work despite this relationship.

Dying is a fact of life that Dr. Chaloux is intimately familiar with. Death is something that we moderns often choose to ignore, denying its existence until it is thrust upon us. While this is understandable, it allows us to be taken advantage of by systems and policies that are inimical to proper social doctrine and are dangerous to the health of our immortal souls. We must be prepared for this battle, whether fought on behalf of ourselves or those that we care about. Dr. Chaloux's familiarity with death is not something that he wanted or chose, but he has multiplied the unwanted talents in an admirable way, giving us an outstanding guide for end of life behavior in line with Catholic theology and bioethics.

Dying without fear is a book that we need, both as individuals and as a society increasingly divorced from the highest good. It is not necessarily something you will want to read, and it will not coddle or sugarcoat the inevitable end state of our natural existence to make it more palatable. However, we owe it to ourselves and those we love to be prepared intellectually and spiritually for end of life decisions, especially given the apparent hostility of modern medicine to Catholic bioethics.

The prescriptions given for the various end of life scenarios are concise and actionable, backed up by personal experience and sound theology. It is written in a way that makes it easy to absorb and implement, a tribute to Dr. Chaloux background as an educator. The author’s personal relationship with death and suffering is also apparent. It is clear that he is intimately familiar with the subject, and able to transfer the lessons of that relationship in ways that would be next to impossible for a passive academic or self help guru. Overall I feel that lessons given are excellent, they are lessons that I wish I would have known in my previous encounters with death, and lessons that I will implement when death inevitably visits me in the future.

Some caveats to be aware of.

The first section of the book will be somewhat repetitive for those that have read Dr. Chaloux's first book on suffering, although there is a greater emphasis on terminal suffering in this work. The arguments and prescriptions given in the book presuppose a Catholic worldview, something that is made clear from the onset. This isn’t necessarily a weakness, but its adherence to Catholic social teaching and understanding of the theology of the body (which is the correct view in my opinion) will not resonate with secularists, postmodernists, and several lukewarm protestant sects. It should also be noted that certain scenarios are given more ink than others. This could be more of a unique complaint on my part since the scenarios covered with be the most useful to most people. However, things like grieving rituals and long term mental health maintenance for those that deal with death professionally (nurses, doctors, EMTs) or frequently (police officers, soldiers, and other high risk professions), seem to be largely ignored. It would be nice to have more instruction on maintaining faith and sanity while dealing with death and suffering on a regular basis, especially in the case of end of life caregivers who must guard against becoming jaded, callous, or falling into despair.

All in all these are fairly minor caveats. They will not apply to most readers in a major way, and are in no way substantial enough to detract from the overall value of the work. In the face of increasingly abhorrent end of life policies like euthanasia, terminal sedation, and obsessive life extension, this work is a breath of fresh air. It refuses to capitulate to modern sentiment, backing up its claims with philosophy, facts, and personal testimony. Actually implementing its prescriptions will not be easy or intuitive to our fallen world, but it is a task that we should seriously consider when we or someone close to us is staring down the inevitable finish line of this earthly race.

[Peter Zolper · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book, yes, we are all going to die - I guess no surprise, but in today's culture, we don't want to think about it. But, if we are thinking about it correctly, there is nothing to fear. Dr. Chaloux starts with explaining, from the Catholic perspective, how we should think about death, and why there is nothing to fear. In the second half of the book he covers many difficult and challenging issues, suffering, why does God allow it? He not only gives compelling answers, but has practical insights for many of life's most difficult situations, suicide, death of innocents, untimely death, dementia, planning for the end. This is a book that will help us, it helped me. God is love, and he doesn't care how you lived your life in the past, but he does care how you finish with the rest of your life, to include how you approach death.

[Bea Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have known Paul Chaloux for many years and have enjoyed reading his two books. For me, Dying Without Fear was an easy read, and I felt inspired by Paul's holiness with each chapter. His clear advice to face our suffering and eventual death in a self-sacrificing and redemptive way, is simple and profound.

Paul teaches us that a gift thoughtfully given, a word kindly spoken, can change a life and help save a soul, including our own. I feel blessed to have read this book, and better equipped about preparing for the life to come.