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OTTAWA, May 16, 2016 (LifeSiteNews)—Every civil right is based on the right to life, a Canadian bishop said Thursday at the 19th annual National March for Life, and Catholics have a responsibility to defend the dignity of life and support the vulnerable threatened by euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide.
“The onus is on us…to be there for those who are in those last stages of life so they know that they’re not alone, that they’re loved, and that we accompany them in love,” Bishop Christian Riesbeck, Auxiliary Bishop of Ottawa, told LifeSiteNews.
Riesbeck encouraged young people who strive to live the Catholic Church’s teachings in secular society to “stay close to the Lord” and not give up.
“Be faithful,” said Riesbeck, and “just keep asking the Lord to give you…the strength to witness to life because it’s so important. It’s our fundamental right. Every civil right that we enjoy is based on the recognition of that most fundamental right—the right to life from conception.”
Riesbeck said that he was particularly encouraged by the youth in the March for Life’s crowd.
“They are the voters of today and tomorrow, the lawmakers, the politicians, the doctors, the nurses, so the fact that they’re here bodes well for country, for the future,” Riesbeck told LifeSiteNews.
Watch highlights from Canada's March for Life on May 12:
Riesbeck also preached the homily during Wednesday evening’s Mass at St. Theresa parish, which preceded an annual candlelight vigil at the Human Rights Memorial. This year, three abortion supporters were handcuffed as they disrupted the vigil.
Riesbeck’s homily addressed the importance of supporting those who are targeted for euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide and witnessing to the world the value of human life.
“No one should die in pain or forgotten or alone,” Riesbeck told the faithful during his homily.
It’s not easy proclaiming the truth of Christ to a hostile world with “so many deathly messages and practices,” Riesbeck said. He quoted British writer G.K. Chesterton, “The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult and left untried.”
“Being a pro-lifer has always been counter-cultural,” said Riesbeck. “Because it challenges us to see beyond our own self-centered will and conform our behavior to a Christian standard.”
Riesbeck’s homily encouraged the faithful to rely on the intercession of Our Lady of Guadelupe, the patroness of unborn children, and to “fast and pray for the sanctification of ourselves and for the world.”
“If we know who Christ is” and follow him, “then our beliefs and behavior follow naturally in response,” said Riesbeck.
“We show our faith by our actions,” the bishop continued. “We lobby our politicians. We speak to our friends and co-workers. We read good Christian and pro-life material…we petition for the right to freedom of conscience for our doctors and medical professionals. And we take to the streets, to the public square and march for life, showing the culture the Gospel of Life is good, beautiful, and true.”
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