Ines is a young, attractive, hard-charging executive who is on track to achieve her dreams. She plans to get married, have kids and reach the top of her field. But Ines has a secret she has tried to hide even from herself. She ignores the pain in her chest and her shortness of breath — until the severity of her symptoms forces her to go to a doctor for some tests. Afterward, she stops in a church but doesn’t pray, takes a call from work, and then goes to a theater where her brother is directing a play. 

While he is thrilled to see her, he quickly figures out something must be wrong, since it’s been ages since he’s seen her. She tells him she is not well, that she has just had a battery of tests, and she will get the results in a few days. She asks if he will accompany her to the doctor’s office, and he readily agrees. 

Viewers will realize from the title of this EWTN original docudrama, Dying Without Fear, that the news will not be good. (Airs 10:30 p.m. ET, Sunday, March 30; 3 a.m. ET, Tuesday, April 1, and 3 p.m. ET, Saturday, April 5 on EWTN, EWTN.com/everywhere.)

In addition to the superb acting, this touching and important program is set apart by three guides who explain to viewers what is happening to this young woman spiritually — and what will happen to all of us at some point in our lives. Those guides are Father Pablo Vela; Bishop Jose Ignacio Munilla Aguirre from the Diocese of Orihuela-Alicante, Spain; and Angel Barahona, a professor at Francisco de Vitoria University in Madrid.  

Throughout the program, which was filmed on location in Spain and dubbed into English, viewers also hear the true stories of an older woman with a fatal diagnosis and a young woman whose potentially fatal illness has taught her to take one day at a time.

How and why does Ines experience a change of heart? How can the Catholic Church and its sacraments make a difference in the lives of those who are dying? What can all of us learn from this one-hour program about the process of dying, and perhaps even living, well?

Almost everyone has at least some fear of dying. Maybe it’s a fear of the unknown. Maybe it’s a fear of suffering.

As we as a Church pray about the passion and death of Our Lord during Lent,  let’s take the time to think about death as well as how to prepare from a spiritual perspective.

 Watch live, record it, or purchase it from EWTNRC.com.

BONUS WATCH: EWTN will also reair a five-part miniseries entitled Whole Person Care, with Dr. Vincent Nguyen and James Day. (Airs 5:30 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday, March 31 through April 4, with an encore at 2:30 a.m. the following morning.)

 

Michelle Laque Johnson is director of communications at the EWTN Global Catholic Network; this is a shortened adaption from the “EWTN Wings” weekly programming email. To have info about EWTN shows and specials sent directly to your inbox, sign up at EWTN.com/wings.