A reflective piece written by Leroi Harm Brewis
In palliative care, time is experienced not merely as a measurable quantity but as a deeply human and spiritual reality. As death approaches, time becomes intertwined with hope, fear, meaning, and presence. This reflective article explores the concept of Holy time—time understood as sacred and ordained—within the holistic framework of palliative care. Drawing on ethical principles, phenomenological insights, and spiritual theology, the article argues that attending to Holy time supports dignity, presence, and meaning at the end of life without hastening or postponing death.
In the world of palliative care, time becomes something to grasp, a fragile form of hope to cling to. Families wish for more time. Loved ones set aside the usual rhythms of daily life in order to be present with the dying. The question of fairness gradually fades, and humanity –often unconsciously – claims more time, more years, regardless of others: the young, the children, and even the very old who are also dying.
Healthcare professionals are frequently confronted with the question of time. How many weeks? How many months? How many days remain before the final and inevitable moment arrives? The final goodbye. The tears. The hurt.
Time, in this context, becomes both a measure and a burden.
Holy Time
Amidst all these claims, wishes, hopes, and pain, there remains one time that stands apart: Holy time. This is not time as measured by clocks or prognostic tools, but time as belonging to God – the perfect time. Scripture reminds us that “your days have been ordained before you even had one” (Psalm 139:16). In this understanding, time is not owned, negotiated, or controlled; it is received.
Palliative care is founded on a holistic approach. Spending time with the dying person and their family to reflect on time, and on Holy time, is therefore an essential spiritual act. It attends to one of the most profound aspects of being human: our relationship with finitude, meaning, and transcendence.
Caring for and focusing on Holy time reinforces the foundational principles of palliative care: neither hastening death nor postponing death. It acknowledges that death is not a failure of care, but part of life’s completion.
In the quiet moments of palliative care, Holy time invites both the living and the dying to dwell not in how long, but in how deeply.
About the author
Leroi Brewis is a registered nurse. He was the regional manager for the Free State for the then SA Nursing Association in the 1980’s. He worked in psychiatry in the private sector and completed the 9-month palliative care certificate through the University of Cape Town (UCT) during this time. Leroi is married with four children and lives in Bloemfontein with his wife, Marina.
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