Pray For What?

So in the contest of the feeding tube twins, the score is one down, one to go. The media/political frenzy continues, with video clips of the true believers standing vigil, fingering their rosaries and mumbling ritual incantations for...what? The resurrection of the patron saint of bulimia? The salvation of God's infallible representative on earth? If John Paul needs prayers now, either he was a very bad man, or nobody gets into heaven.

And what possible resolution could there otherwise be in Terri Schiavo's case? More pointless suffering? Of course, rituals for the dead and dying are meant for the living. No words of consolation will ever make you miss a loved one less, but if their usage is a subterfuge for other intentions, it becomes an abomination.