Each year the Church in Canada designates one week as a special time for prayer and reflection on life and the family. In light of the recent judgment of the Supreme Court of Canada relative to the issue of assisted suicide, it is appropriate that we turn our attention to the call of the family to draw near to the dying, and, indeed, to any who suffer, and accompany them with love. Experience has shown that, among those who approach the end of life, the greatest fear is not that of suffering but of being alone. Nothing can alleviate that anxiety better than the loving presence of family members.