“Suffering and diminishment are not the greatest of evils..."
"... but are normal ingredients in life, especially in old age. They are to be accepted as elements of a full human existence. As I become increasingly paralyzed and unable to speak, I can identify with the many paralytics and mute persons in the Gospels, grateful for the loving and skillful care I receive and for the hope of everlasting life in Christ. If the Lord now calls me to a period of weakness, I know well that his power can be made perfect in infirmity. Blessed be the name of the Lord!”
Those words are from the last McGinley Lecture given by Avery Cardinal Dulles, S.J. Father Raymond J. de Souza, a close friend of Cardinal Dulles, has written a poignant piece for National Catholic Register about the last several months of the Cardinal's life, including his private meeting with Pope Benedict XVI this past April.
Also, The New York Times reports on the funeral Mass for Cardinal Dulles.