Bishop’s reflection for Reverence for Life Sunday, marked on Jan. 26, 2025

Pro-life supporters march in the 2024 March for Life in Ottawa. In the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025 has been declared a Day of Prayer for Reverence for Life. (Photo by Peter Stockland, The Catholic Register -CCN)

Saskatoon Bishop Mark Hagemoen each year declares the last Sunday of January as a Day of Prayer for Reverence for Life, coinciding with the anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Morgentaler decision which removed all legal limits to abortion in Canada. Bishop Hagemoen will celebrate Mass on Reverence for Life Sunday, Jan. 26 at 9 a.m. at the Cathedral of the Holy Family, 123 Nelson Road, Saskatoon.

By Bishop Mark Hagemoen, Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon

The Day of Prayer for Reverence for Life will be celebrated in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025, providing our faith communities with an opportunity for prayers, reflection and discussion about the value of the precious gift of human life. I send this message on the day when we celebrate Saint Hilary, Doctor of the Church, who supported Saint Athanasius regarding the divinity of Christ during the time of the Arian controversy.

Our current times continue to feature terrible conflicts in many parts of the world, including the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. I continue to hear from many that our current world affairs highlight both the fragility and strength of human life. In these times of reflecting on the prayer of St. Francis, “Lord, make me a channel of your peace,” we continue to hear this prayer in terms of the care of the vulnerable, and especially with regards to the protection and care for the unborn, our elders, and critically ill in our communities.

An Uncaring and Utilitarian Culture Contributes to Sins Against Human Life

Canada continues to deal with the tragic repercussions of the removal of abortion from the Criminal Code. We now mark the 37th anniversary of the Supreme Court of Canada decision in the Morgentaler case on January 28, 1988, which removed all remaining restrictions on abortion in Canada. Incredibly applauded by many in our society, this moment in our nation’s history holds within it the tragic reality of millions of lost lives.

Victims of abortion include the unborn children who are killed, but also the mothers, fathers and families left wounded after an abortion. The community is also weakened and damaged as the weakest and most vulnerable among us are not valued and protected.

Pope Francis ushered in this Jubilee New Year with a renewed appeal for all of God’s people to make a firm commitment to respect and protect human life, from conception to natural death. As he prayed in his January 1 homily: May we learn to care for every child born of a woman…and to protect “the precious gift of life: life in the womb, the lives of children, the lives of the suffering, the poor, the elderly, the lonely and the dying.”

He continued: “I ask for a firm commitment to respect the dignity of human life from conception to natural death, so that each person may cherish his or her own life and all may look with hope to the future…”

Let us continue to remember the Holy Father’s words quoted in my previous letters, as the Canadian government continues to seek to expand access to doctor- assisted suicide, also known as Medical Aid in Dying or “MAID”: “The victims of this [throwaway] culture are precisely the weakest and most fragile human beings -the unborn, the poorest, the sick and elderly, the seriously handicapped, etc. – who are in danger of being ‘thrown away’, expelled from a system that must be efficient at all costs.” (See: +Francis’ Address to a Delegation from the Dignitatus Humanae Institute, Dec. 7, 2013)

Perhaps this upcoming Jubilee Year of Hope can inspire the world to not only beg forgiveness for grave sins against our brothers and sisters of the world, but can also be a time of new-found Hope as we make concrete steps to repair the great damage of our uncaring.

How Can We Care for Creation While Supporting Abortion and Euthanasia?

Pope Francis continually highlights that respect for creation and respect for human life and human dignity are issues that are only realized together. As he states in his 2023 Apostolic Exhortation Laudate Deum (Oct, 4, 2023): “Everything is connected …no one is saved alone” (Laudate Deum #19)

“To recognize. that human life is incomprehensible and unsustainable without other creatures. As part of the universe … all of us are linked by unseen bonds and together form a kind of universal family, a sublime communion which fills us with a sacred, affectionate and humble respect.” (Laudate Deum #67)

The Gospel’s moral and social teaching calls on all people of good will to bring to bear intellectual, social, and political consciousness on the blatant inconsistency that is affecting the well-being and flourishing of human cultures through our world. This effort is at the service of every person on the planet! If we do not engage in calling each other to a greater and fuller humanity, we should then not be surprised at the larger deterioration of a culture of human care and respect.

Where is our HEART?

We no longer hear about scientific evidence – including the supporting fields of genetics and embryology – clearly showing the distinct humanity of each unborn child. Each young human person shares the fundamental human right to life that we as Canadians celebrate and support on so many other fronts.

Failing to recognize that right has left our country damaged – not only in the missing and lost lives of millions of unborn children – but also in removing “the heart” from our society. Many people today experience the loss of heart when they lose the sense of their own humanity when they no longer feel “useful” because of ill-health or aging. Persons who are older or are dealing with disabilities increasingly feel that they are a “problem” to their families and those on whom we rely for care.

The “loss of heart” is also the root cause of so many other evils in our midst, including: discrimination, injustice and racism, violence, poverty and hunger, debilitating addiction. Sisters and brothers, let us respond to loss of heart by holding steady to the hope of the Gospel of Jesus Christ: the Sacred Heart for our world. I bring you this message on the memorial of Saint Hilary, Doctor of the Church – biblical scholar and theologian – dedicated his life and work to upholding the divinity of Christ, who comes to the world to bring His mercy, forgiveness, and healing to every human person.

As Pope Francis concluded in his New Year’s Day homily: “May we learn to care for every child born of a woman, above all by protecting, like Mary, the precious gift of life: life in the womb, the lives of children, the lives of the suffering, the poor, the elderly, the lonely and the dying… All of us are invited to take up the summons that flows from the maternal heart of Mary: we are called to cherish life, to care for wounded lives —- so many wounded lives, so many – – to restore dignity to the lives of everyone” because it is the basis for building a culture of peace, he said, highlighting that the Feast of Mary, Mother of God also marks the World Day of Peace.

Sisters and Brothers, we pray that as a people and nation we may re- discover our heart!

Yours in Christ,

+ Most Reverend Mark A. Hagemoen

 “Day of Prayer for Reverence for Life” Message from Bishop Hagemoen – PDF

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Please join in praying that life will be respected at every age and stage, from conception to natural death.

Nazareth” – painting by Michael O’Brien:  used with permission on the Reverence for Life prayer card, Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon

Prayer:

Almighty God, giver of all that is good,
we thank you for the precious gift of human life:
For life in the womb, coming from your creative power,
For the life of children, making us glad with their freshness and promise,
For the life of young people, hoping for a better world,
For the life of people who are disabled, teaching us that every life has value,
For the life of the elderly, witnessing to the ageless values of patience and wisdom.

Like Blessed Mary, may we always say “yes” to Your gift. Help us to realize the sacredness of human life and to respect and cherish it from conception to its natural end.

And bring us at last, O Father, to the fullness of eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord.

AMEN

Prière:

Dieu Tout-Puissant, donateur de tout ce qui est bon, nous te remercions pour le don précieux de la vie humaine:

Pour la vie dans le sein maternel, provenant de ton pouvoir créatif,
Pour la vie des enfants, nous rendant heureux de leur fraîcheur et de leur promesse,
Pour la vie des jeunes, espérant pour un monde formidable,
Pour la vie des personnes qui sont handicapées, nous apprenant que toute vie a de la valeur,
Pour la vie des personnes âgées, témoignant des valeurs intemporelles de patience et de sagesse.

Comme la bienheureuse Marie, puissions-nous toujours dire “oui” à Ton don.

Aide-nous à réaliser le caractère sacré de la vie humaine, à la respecter et à la chérir de la conception à sa fin naturelle.

Et amène-nous enfin, ô Père, à la plénitude de la vie éternelle en Jésus-Christ notre Seigneur.

AMEN

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Reverence for Life, Communications, and Catholic Saskatoon News are supported by donations to the Bishop’s Annual Appeal: dscf.ca/baa