The most important person in the history of outlawing human slavery is William Wilberforce. Born in 1759 in England, at the age of 25 he had a conversion to Jesus and started applying his faith to his political career, which was costly.
When asked to join the abolition movement, a biographer wrote that he “felt the great importance of the subject, and thought himself unequal to the task allotted to him, but yet would not positively decline it”.
One image became key in the movement: A print of a slave ship that showed people squeezed into tight spaces like objects. Once people saw it, they understood the true evil of slavery.
One of Jesus’ most important declarations is: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life” (Jn 8:12). Jesus gives light to see the truth: God the Father made us in His own image, we’re so valuable to Him that He sent His only Son to die on the Cross for us. So, when we kill the innocent, it’s gravely wrong.
Our theme this year has been the Culture of Life as opposed to the Culture of Death. Death is able to flourish only in darkness; life needs light to prevail. As mentioned for two weeks now, later on today we’re going to show one graphic video of how abortions work, and then four graphic photos, which show the humanity of the preborn. Many people here over the past five years have said that these images helped them understand what’s really happening. If you’re just joining us, my apologies if this catches you by surprise. I’ll give another warning before we show them. And a reminder that, if you don’t want to see the images or don’t want your children to see them, feel free to close your eyes and/or look down—that’s perfectly fine.
Today, we heard Jesus teach His disciples, “You are the light of the world… No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before human beings, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven” (Mt 5:15-16). Because we receive Jesus’ light, He wants us to share it with others, and with love. Stephanie Gray uses an analogy: Imagine we’re in a dark room and we can’t see anything. Then suddenly someone turns on high-powered lights. We’d say, ‘It’s too bright!’ But it doesn’t mean we don’t want light, it means we want a transition to light.
This is why we emphasize Jesus’ forgiveness. Most of us have never known the horror of what abortion really does, so the transition to truth isn’t just about facts, but about Jesus’ mercy. Here now is a video about how He heals:
Next week, we’ll have a video about the support Birthright offers to women in crisis pregnancies.
Now that we’re spiritually prepared, in a few seconds, we’re going to show a video we showed three years ago. Abortions like this are legal in Canada. And now, please feel free to close your eyes and/or look down, and, parents, if you don’t want your children to see it, please tell them to look down. Thank you!
Okay, here’s the video:
And here are four actual photos.
Okay, we can open our eyes now.
The First Reading from Isaiah says, “Thus says the Lord: Is this not the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice?… Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover them? … If you… satisfy the needs of the afflicted, then your light shall rise in the darkness” (Isa 58:6-7, 10). The Jewish people were performing religious observances like fasting, which were easy for them, but neglecting to help others. So, God criticized them. This is a temptation for all of us Christians: To choose to follow the easier commandments of Jesus.
Many of us know the great pastor Nicky Gumbel, who has done extraordinary work through the Alpha Course, and has helped lead many of us, including my own father, back to Jesus—for that, I am forever grateful to Nicky. However, one area where I disagree with him is in the defense of the preborn. In 2023, I heard him rightly say that we should fight against racism, intellectualism (discrimination based on education), and elitism (discrimination based on one’s background). But that’s not hard; in our society, it doesn’t take courage to fight against these sins. I wish he would be a light against those things plus abortion. Abortion is the number one cause of death in the world, which we’ll talk about next week, and which is why I think God wants us to fight this injustice. And there’s no law that says it’s okay to kill someone according to their race whereas, in Canada, the law permits the killing of preborn persons.
On Feb. 19, 2026 we start our 40 Days for Life prayer vigil. I want to thank the 48 people who have already signed up and for the 18 hours covered—praise God! It’s a big sacrifice for many of you because of your schedules. Here’s the table of open and filled hours. If you’re able to take one or more, that’d be a gift to the preborn and to women.
At the beginning of his fight to abolish slavery, Wilberforce said in 1789 in the House of Commons, “When we think of eternity, and of the future consequences of all human conduct, what is there in this life that should make any man contradict the dictates of his conscience, the principles of justice, the laws of… God? Sir, the nature… of this [slave] trade [is] now laid open to us; we can no longer plead ignorance… This House must decide, and must justify to all the world, and to their own consciences, the rectitude of the… principles of their decision”. Like Wilberforce, we need a change of heart, to translate Jesus’ light into action.