Character witness. Walking the talk on euthanasia

Our response to the euthanasia movement brings us to the depths of moral character and spirituality. Character bears witness to the true significance of our Catholic convictions about the dignity of persons, the value of life, our dependence on God, and our interdependence on one another. To be credible players in public debates on euthanasia and assisted suicide, we have to bear convincing witness, personally and corporately, to the ways we care first for ourselves and for those who are not as fortunate as we--the sick, the elderly, the indigent, and the dying. Who we will be in the face of death will have a lot to do with what we have come to believe about life, with the values we have upheld, with the attitudes we have taken, and with the habits of thought and behavior we have formed. So we need not be victims of what dying has in store for us. Rather, we can engage our dying by developing those habits of the heart which will make a difference in the way we adapt to unwanted circumstances and endure what we cannot change. We cannot develop strength of character if we are not nurtured by a community of character. In addition to personal character, we also need to be a community that gives witness to those fundamental religious and moral convictions which shape our living and dying in ways that would make euthanasia unthinkable.